Rabat – The International Police Organization (Interpol) has removed Sheikh Yusuf Al Qaradawi from its wanted list despite several requests submitted by the Egyptian government to help arrest and extradite him
The Qatar-based famous Egyptian cleric heads the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), a body that gegroups prominent Muslim scholars from around the world but which is considered by the United Arab Emirates as a terrorist organization.
IUMS and Al Qaradawi are blamed by Qatar’s detractors for their standing against the boycott of Doha by UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt.
The union issued a statement in June, following the four countries’s annoucement of severing ties with Qatar and boycotting the Gulf nation, to denounce the decision. The religious council said that Islam prohibts such actions against a Muslim country.
Al Qaradawi has been one of the most influential Muslim figures for decades. Despite holding controversial opinions sometimes, the 91 years old Egyptian cleric is an authority in Muslim jurisdiction and a well respected figure among Muslim scholars.
Egypt’s repeated attempts to get him arrested and extradited are a reaction to his opposition to the removal of former president Mohamed Morsi by the Egyptian military in 2013.
