Following is an excerpt from a Friday sermon delivered by leading Sunni scholar Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi. The sermon aired on Qatar TV on December 31, 2010.

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: A few weeks ago, I spoke in a sermon about the need for a unified Sudan. Someone asked me, on the "Shari'a and Life" program, whether a Muslim is permitted to vote against (sic) the secession of South Sudan, and I said "no," because this secession is a crime.

Unity is an Islamic obligation and a necessity. We must strive for unity and reject secession everywhere. The great Sudan must remain a great Sudan. It is prohibited for a Muslim to vote for the secession, and it is a disgrace for a non-Muslim to do so. Sudan should remain united for all the Sudanese. This is in the best interest of both the south and north Sudanese. There is no benefit to partitioning and disintegration.

The whole world is becoming united. How come we are the only ones to disintegrate? Why don't we follow the examples of Europe, Asia, and all those who unite?

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