Muslim World League backs Qatar isolation by terminating Qaradawi membership

The Muslim World League announced the termination of the membership of Qatar-based Egyptian cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi on Friday, following his inclusion on a so-called "terror list" by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt.

The Saudi-backed organisation tweeted the announcement, saying that "based on the classification issued, the Islamic World League has ended the membership of Yusuf al-Qaradawi in the Islamic Fiqh Academy".

It also supported the states isolating Qatar with regards to their list of proscribed "terrorists" in a statement.

"This classification confirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to fight terrorism and to block its sources of funding and support," the statement said.

"The international community must intensify its efforts to counter the activities of terrorist organisations, as well as its feeders and the incubators."

Qaradawi, 90, was named on the list of alleged terrorists, despite having been hosted and celebrated in Saudi Arabia not too long ago.

Once considered a spiritual guide of the Brotherhood, Qaradawi has in the past condemned terror and described the Islamic State group's 'caliphate' as "void under the sharia".

The list included 59 people and 12 entities who are accused of terrorist activity and posing a threat to the security of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE and Bahrain.

The Muslim World League, which is known for its loyal backing of Saudi foreign policy, called upon people connected to those on the list to reject their ideologies.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE have both banned the Muslim Brotherhood as a "terrorist organisation" along with charities, scholars and thinkers with ties to the group.

The UAE is believed to have backed the 2013 coup in Egypt which led to the overthrow of the country's first democratically-elected government headed by Muslim Brotherhood-linked Mohamed Morsi.

Egyptian-born Qaradawi is one of the world's leading Sunni scholars and has backed revolutionary movements in Syria, Libya and Egypt which spread through the Arab world in 2011.

He criticised Lebanese movement Hizballah's role in Syria backing Bashar al-Assad, describing it as the "party of Satan" for "sowing discord among Muslims".

Qaradawi also criticised Iran for its role in backing the Syrian regime.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE launched media wars against Qatar after a fake news story was publised on Doha's national news agency claiming Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani spoke favourably about Iran and Hizballah.

The Gulf states launched an embargo on Qatar this week and demanded Doha cut ties with the Muslim Brotherhood and Iran.