"Scholars will ask Muslims to withdraw their money from these banks if they continue to block aid transfer," Qaradawi threatened.

By Farahat Al Abbar, IOL Correspondent

DOHA, May 11, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) – Prominent scholars are threatening to rally world Muslims to boycott countries and banks blocking aid to the starving Palestinian people.

"We will call for a boycott of banks that refuse to transfer donated funds to the Palestinian people," leading scholar Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi told the opening session of a conference for the support of Palestinian people on Wednesday, May 10.

"Scholars will ask Muslims to withdraw their money from these banks if they continue to block aid transfer and be part of the scheme to starve the Palestinians," he threatened.

Several banks have refused to transfer millions of dollars donated by Arabs and Muslims or some governments to the Palestinian Authority fearing American sanctions.

The Arab Bank, which holds some 30,000 accounts of PA workers, refrained from accepting such transfer after the US threatened to deem this as assistance to Hamas.

The two-day Doha conference is attended by a galaxy of Muslim scholars including renowned Saudi scholar Sheikh Salman Al-Odah and Harith al-Dari, chairman of Iraq's Association of Muslim Scholars (AMS).

A number of Palestinian leaders are also attending including Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal.

Boycott

Sheikh Qaradawi, president of the International Union of Muslims Scholars (IUMS), said millions of dollars have been raised for the Palestinians.

"But these funds were not transferred to the Palestinians because banks are refusing to cooperate fearing US sanctions," he said.

"If this continues, we will urge Muslims to withdraw their money from these banks."

Egyptians have raced to donate for the Palestinians, raising LE7 million ($1.2 million) in just a couple of hours at the beginning of an ambitious campaign launched by the Arab Doctors Union in Cairo on Friday, May 5, to raise one billion euros for the Palestinians.

Qaradawi also called for pressuring Arab governments to allow the transfer of funds to the Palestinians.

The Palestinian government needs $170 million a month, out of which $115 million goes to 165,000 civil servants.

Danish Example

Odah urged Muslim businessmen to funnel investments into the Palestinian territories.

The leading Muslim scholar threatened to rally Muslims to boycott countries that refuse to deal with the Hamas-led government.

"We will boycott any country that severs ties with the Palestinian government as we did with Denmark following the Prophet cartoons," he said.

Prominent Muslim scholars, led by Qaradawi, have championing an international boycott of Danish products following the publication of twelve drawings lampooning Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) by a Danish daily.

The boycott has inflicted huge losses on a number of Danish companies doing business in Arab and Muslim countries.

"Boycott is a powerful weapons and we will use," said Qaradawi.

The Palestinians have been facing serious shortages of food and medicine since the US and the EU suspended direct aid to the Hamas-led government.

Israel has further stopped transferring customs duties worth around $50 million a month and previously collected for the Palestinian Authority.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees warned on Friday, May 5, that a humanitarian crisis was now "on our doorstep" in the Gaza Strip due to the aid freeze.

Practical Steps

Sheikh Salman Al-Odah urged Muslim businessmen to funnel investments into the Palestinian territories.

He called for encouraging Muslims to help the Palestinians and urged the Palestinians to close ranks and avoid in-fighting.

The Saudi scholar also urged the media to highlight developments in the occupied territories.

The Hamas leader on his part, exhorted Muslims to stand by the Palestinians in their struggle against the Israeli occupation.

He asserted that the international campaign to starve the Palestinians would not discourage them from struggling to regain their inalienable rights.

Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya said the West's blockade only meant to push the Palestinians to make concessions.