Libya’s extremist cleric calls for boycotting moderate Arabs for Turkey’s sake

Ahmed Adel

Extremist sheikh, al-Sadek al-Gheriani, is coming to the limelight once more. This time he is making pronouncements and issuing edicts against moderate Arab states that take a position against terrorism committed by the International Organization of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Al-Gheriani encouraged people recently to refrain from buying products made in the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Egypt, as well as from other countries that take a stand against the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA), an amalgam of terrorist militias backed by Turkey, also known to be the principal sponsor of Islamist militias in the region and in Africa.

Al-Gheriani considered the aforementioned states “enemy states.” He said buying their goods would strengthen their economies.

“Each dollar paid to these countries will turn into a bullet that will be fired on our children,” al-Gheriani claimed.

He added on a TV channel funded by and broadcast from Turkey on June 11 that people would rather strengthen their relations with the “Turkish ally.”

“We tested the Turks and made sure of their honesty,” he added.

He even praised the GNA for signing a maritime boundary delimitation deal and another on security cooperation with Turkey in November last year.

He called for enlisting Turkish support in training Libyan security personnel and developing the restive North African state.

Al-Gheriani even chided Libyan officials who deal with what he described as “enemy state,” instead of Turkey.

This is not the extremist cleric makes controversial and venomous remarks. In May this year, he called for giving Turkey the right to explore Libya’s oil and gas.

The terrorist militias fighting in Libya depend on al-Gheriani’s edicts to justify their crimes. He once considered the members of the Libyan House of Deputies and the personnel of the LNA as “infidels.”