World

Al-Bashir's World Gets Smaller, Advised Not to Travel

by Barbara McPherson | March 22, 2009 at 09:09 am

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The president of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir has received notice from Islamic scolars that he must not travel abroad. The risk of his arrest for crimes against humanity is too great.

The International Criminal Court has issued a warrent for his arrest accusing him of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. While Qatar is not bound by the ICC ruling, the scholars have declares the trip to the Arab League summit on March 30 to be too risky.

Influential Islamic scholars have advised Omar al-Bashir, Sudan's president, not to travel to an Arab League summit in Qatar after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant for his arrest.

The scholars from the Sudan Ulema Authority issued a fatwa, or Islamic legal ruling, on Saturday saying it was "impermissible for you [al-Bashir] to travel for this mission, which others can do in your place".