The top Islamic authority in Egypt, revered by many Muslims worldwide, has launched a campaign against an extremist group in Syria and Iraq, saying it is not an "Islamic State."
The office of the Grand Mufti is challenging the recently rebranded name of the Islamic State group, which controls wide swaths of Iraq and Syria and has declared a self-styled caliphate there.
Ibrahim Negm, adviser to the mufti, says the campaign will suggest foreign media drop using "Islamic State" in favor of the "al-Qaida Separatists in Iraq and Syria," or the acronym "QSIS."
According to Egypt's state news agency, Negm said Sunday the campaign will be launched on the Internet and social media in English.
Egyptian and Saudi clerics have criticized the group, calling it a danger to Islam.
