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Rabat – Ahmed Raissouni, Deputy Secretary-General of the Union of Muslim Scholars, criticized Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and other countries’ following their decision to sever ties with Qatar and close their borders.
During an interview on Thursday with Al Magharibia TV, Raissouni said that God has prohibited breaking up relationships between individual Muslims, saying He would not accept their deeds until they reconcile. So, in the context of the Qatar crisis, the matter is far more serious.
The Moroccan religious scholar said the timing of the decision to sever ties with Qatar during Ramadan, made it look even worse as the holy month is supposed to be a month of spirituality, giving, forgiveness, compassion and communication. He quoted from Surah Al-Hujurat [49:13]: “We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another.”
“The Qatar blockade, which affects entire nations, is a historical crime,” said Raissouni. He added that Muslims should condemn such a decision, for it is not compatible with the rules of Islam.
Raissouni continued, saying “Scholars have no excuse if they remain silent about the Qatar blockade,” He pointed out that “the free and honest scholars will speak despite all kinds of pressure.” Raissouni described the blockade as a horrible crime towards Islam and Muslims as a whole.
He explained that “the situation concerns all Muslims and not only scholars and the least thing that Muslims should do is to follow the steps of the people from the tribes Quraish when they broke their leaders’ orders and ended the boycott imposed on the Prophet Muhammad and his followers in Mecca in the early age of Islam.”
Raissouni summed up his statement by saying that every decision maker should make an effort to stop these shameful decisions, which will separate Muslim nations and all other nations as a whole.
On Monday, Saudi Arabia and five other Arab nations including the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt, all announced they were cutting ties with Qatar for allegedly destabilizing the region through the financial support of Islamist groups.
Qatar expressed its regret over the decision, calling it “unjustified” and based on “unfounded” allegations.
