Forcing scholars to support boycott of Qatar is ‘intellectual terrorism’

Attempts to force scholars and Muslim leaders to support the Arab boycott of Qatar amount to “intellectual terrorism”, the Vice President of the World Union of Muslim Scholars, Ahmad Al-Raysouni, has said.

“It is sad and regrettable that some Muslim countries have reached this point of stifling freedoms and suppressing voices,” he said during an interview with Al Jazeera.

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He added that “in Muslim countries, especially Saudi Arabia, there are a number of scholars who have been kidnapped and forcibly disappeared and suffer from torture and abuse which reminds us of the Inquisition.”

Al-Raysouni warned that extremism and suppressing freedoms will lead to civil unrest.