ISTANBUL (AA) – The Doha-based International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) on Friday condemned a recent decision by a Saudi-led bloc of Arab states to add the union to its list of “terrorist” organizations.
“Since it was established, the IUMS has stood as a bulwark against terrorism and extremism and has consistently advocated the principles of freedom, justice and equality around the world, ” according to a statement issued by the IUMS.
Last week, a four-nation bloc led by Saudi Arabia — which also includes Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain — announced it had added the IUMS to its list of “terrorist” groups.
“These accusations against the union are illegitimate and unfounded, ” the IUMS statement read.
“The union sees this move as an attempt to undermine the religious and scholarly standing of an institution that represents some 90,000 Muslim scholars and hundreds of millions of Muslims worldwide, ” it added.
It went on to describe the move as “unacceptable, illogical and political in nature”.
The IUMS statement added: “These false allegations [of terrorism] have been fabricated by people pursuing a policy of desperation “.
The move comes amid an ongoing political crisis between the four-nation Arab bloc and Qatar.
In June, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain all abruptly cut diplomatic and commercial ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorist groups in the region.
Qatar, for its part, has denied the accusations, describing the attempts to isolate it as a breach of international law.
