Dubai police Chief Dhahi Khalfan al-Tamim threatened to arrest Shiekh Yousef al-Qaradawi, after the Qatar-based cleric criticized the United Arab Emirates for revoking the visas of anti-regime Syrians.

Dubai police Chief Dhahi Khalfan al-Tamim threatened to arrest Shiekh Yousef al-Qaradawi, after the Qatar-based cleric criticized the United Arab Emirates for revoking the visas of anti-regime Syrians.

“We are going to issue an arrest warrant against Sheikh Qaradawi” Khalfan said in short messages on the Twitter.
“If he insults the UAE will we leave him?” the police chief wondered, adding: “whoever insults the state or the government of the UAE, I will pursue him”.

Al-Qaradawi branded the decision to revoke the Syrians’ visas as “forbidden” under religious law, reminding the rulers of the United Arab Emirates that the protesters were only “human”.

Appearing live on Al Jazeera, the Doha-based satellite TV channel, Sheikh al-Qaradawi said the leader of the Syrian opposition had asked him to raise the issue of around 100 families that face the threat of expulsion from the UAE after taking part in a February rally against President Bashar al-Assad outside the Syrian consulate in Dubai.

The UAE government has said the visas of around 30 Syrians were revoked for unidentified political activity unrelated to the demonstration.