CAIRO
Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Abdullatif al-Zayani has strongly condemned recent criticisms of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by prominent Muslim scholar Yusuf al-Qaradawi as "incitement."
Qaradawi's statements "constitute incitement, which we reject, and baseless allegations that cause strife and only serve the enemies of the Islamic nation," al-Zayani told the UAE's official WAM news agency on Monday.
He went on to assert that the UAE had taken "honorable positions in support of Islamic issues and helped Muslims everywhere."
In a January 24 sermon, al-Qaradawi, the head of the International Union for Muslim Scholars, lashed out at countries – including the UAE – that had backed Egypt's army-backed interim administration.
His comments were met with anger in the UAE, which summoned the Qatari ambassador in protest at the Doha-based scholar's assertions.
Qatari Foreign Minister Khalid bin Mohammad Al-Attiyah had earlier said that al-Qaradawi's comments did not reflect the official view of the state of Qatar.
By Ahmed al-Masri
englishnews@aa.com.tr
