Head of Muslim scholars’ union Raissouni resigns, pointing new extremist as head of “Qaradawi Union”
The Union of Muslim Scholars accepts the resignation of its president, Sheikh Raissouni, after his statements on the Western Sahara
Following an emergency meeting on Saturday, the board of directors of the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) announced that they accepted Ahmed Raissouni’s resignation as head of the organization.
He made the decision to resign two weeks after sparking controversy for describing the existence of the Mauritanian state as a “mistake.”
When asked about the Western Sahara issue in a televised interview, the renowned Moroccan preacher stated that Mauritania should also be a part of Morocco.
“I previously mentioned that even Mauritania’s existence is a mistake,” Raissouni said in the interview, adding that “Morocco should go back to how it was before European occupation.”
While many scholars called for freezing the work of the “Union” (based in Doha), which they considered “does not fit between Muslims, strongly denouncing what they described as “the dangerous deviation in the Union role”, Brotherhood organization tried to fix the situation fearing of new crisis as Raissouni’s resignation and the search for an alternative.
The first alternative
Regarding the most prominent candidates to succeed him, the Egyptian researcher specializing in political Islam movements, Amr Farouk, said that the closest is Ali Mohieddin Al-QuraDaghi, Secretary-General of the Union; Due close relation with Yusuf al-Qaradawi and Brotherhood organization.
Farouk added that Raissouni caused a pressure on the so-called “General Union of Muslim Scholars” and the Brotherhood’s organization, with his resignation, they got rid of a large part of these pressures, even if temporarily.
He stressed that “Al-Qarra Daghi” is the first and most fortunate alternative to Raissouni, especially as he is one of Yusuf Al-Qaradawi’s men and are very close to him.
Raissouni was raised, learned Sayyid Qutb ideas, theorist of the Brotherhood organization, imam of extremists, and was saturated with disrespect for countries, their customs, traditions, and disregard for the sovereignty of countries and nations.
Who is al-Qaradawi’s boy?
Al-Qarra Daghi was born in 1949 in the Qara Dagh area of the Sulaymaniyah Governorate in Iraqi Kurdistan and holds Qatari citizenship.
He was elected for the first time as Secretary-General of the so-called “International Union of Muslim Scholars” in June 2010, and many described him as al-Qaradawi’s confidant boy as he follows the path of the “inciting imam.”
In the past, he used expressions of “incitement and blasphemy” against the armies and national states in the region, including Egypt, and among his most prominent statements about them is that “importing Egyptian goods is forbidden by Sharia.”
Qara Daghi was not attacking Egypt only, but was always critical of Saudi Arabia, along with the UAE and Bahrain.
In 2019, he attacked Saudi Arabia concerts, entertainment, and Saudi religious scholars were not spared.
Al-Qaradawi’s Union said in a statement, Sunday, that “the Board of Trustees of the International Union of Muslim Scholars agreed to respond to Raissouni’s desire to resign from the presidency of the union.”
The approval came “in favor of the interest and based on what was stipulated in the statute of the federation, it referred it to the extraordinary general assembly, as it is the competent authority to decide on it within a maximum period of one month,” according to the statement.
Raissouni attributed his resignation, which he submitted earlier today, to “his adherence to his firm, firm positions and opinions, which are uncompromising, and in order to have freedom of expression, without conditions or pressure,” according to the Moroccan newspaper Hespress.
