USA driven by self-interest in anti-ISIS campaign says Al-Qaradawi

Doha (IraqiNews.com) Head of the International Union of Muslim Scholars Sheikh Youssef al-Qaradawi criticized Washington’s role in the campaign against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria as purely self-interested.

Commenting on Gulf Arab states’ pledge to fight the ISIS militants at a meeting on Thursday (Sep 11) with the US Secretary of State John Kerry in Jeddah, Qaradawi wrote on Saturday (Sep 13) via Twitter “I totally disagree with Da’ish in ideology and means, but I don’t at all accept that the one to fight it is the United States, which is not obligated by the values of Islam but rather driven by its own interests, even if blood is shed.”

The Egyptian-born cleric based in Doha, earlier through this year, criticized the military-based Egyptian government and conservative Gulf Arab dynasties by contributing to a diplomatic rift between Qatar and several of its Gulf Arab allies in favor of the Muslim Brotherhood. Meanwhile Arab states have been unhappy with Doha for sheltering Qaradawi and giving him the chance and air-time to speak of his religious views on Al Jazeera television.

In this Regard, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain were especially angry over Qatar’s support for the Muslim Brotherhood, whose ideology challenges the principle of conservative dynastic rule that dominates the region.

Eventually the three states recalled their ambassadors from Qatar in March, accusing Doha of failing to abide by an accord not to interfere in each others’ affairs. Qatar denied the charge, however in a sign that the pressure may be having some effect, the Brotherhood said on Saturday that Qatar had asked seven senior Brotherhood figures to leave the country including Qaradawi office’s director Essam Talima, who will be moving to Norway for PhD studies.