Young boys and men line up in front of a “membership office” for ISIL in the Syrian town of Al-Bab.
The analysts said at least four Egyptians were identified as comprising the religious leadership of the Sunni movement.
“They merely browsed through a number of books and then went and declared some religious rulings without proper knowledge,” Yassir Al Siri, director of the London-based Islamic Information Center, said.
The Egyptians were identified as Helmi Hashim, Abu Muslim Al Masri and Abu Al Harith Al Masri. Another Egyptian, a judge also called Abu Muslim Al Masri, was believed to have been killed in battle in northern Syria.
The analysts said the 62-year-old Hashim, a former Central Security Force officer also known as Abdul Rahman Namallah, was identified as the leading religious authority in ISIL. Hashim, in charge of ISIL indoctrination efforts, has published a book that accuses Muslim nations of not following Islamic law, or Sharia.
“Helmi Hashim heads the takfirists from Egypt,” Al Siri told the Saudi-owned A-Sharq Al Awsat daily.
The analysts reported defections of some Egyptians from ISIL. One of the defectors was identified as Abu Shueib. They said Abu Shueib, a former judge in the movement, defected in mid-2014 and has been denouncing ISIL commander Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi in video statements.
“They strayed [from Islam] and took others with them,” Al Siri said.
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http://www.worldtribune.com/2014/10/14/group-egyptians-playing-key-role-religious-indoctrination-isil-recruits/