Syrian President Bashar Assad
Syrian President Bashar AssadIsrael news photo: Flash 90

A senior Muslim leader has called to boycott Russian and Chinese products as a response to the two countries’ veto of a UN Security Council resolution on Syria over the weekend.

Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi made the comments in a television program which aired on the Al Jazeera television network on Sunday. The comments were translated into English by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).

“Allah will punish [the Syrian regime] for what it did by means of the people,” Al-Qaradhawi said. “He will send it His wrath, which is never withheld from criminals. The people will soon take revenge upon it, Allah willing.”

He then added, “They were, unfortunately, supported in the Security Council by the Russians and Chinese, who saw Truth with their own eyes, but insisted on supporting Falsehood. They insisted upon supporting injustice over justice, Falsehood over Truth, and darkness over light. The Arab people in its entirety will oppose them.”

“I call upon the entire Arab people and the entire Islamic people, and upon all the honorable and free people of the world, to oppose those evil [Syrian] rulers and those who supported them,” Al-Qaradhawi added. When asked by the interviewer in what way they should be opposed, he replied, “The Russians and Chinese acted unjustly towards the Syrian people. The [Arabs and Muslims] must not buy their products. They must not give them a single penny, because this penny turns into a weapon that kills the Syrians. We should not give them a single penny, which they'd use against the people of Truth.”

“I call upon the Syrian people, the Arab peoples, and the Islamic peoples to boycott them, to refrain from cooperating with them or helping them in any way,” he added. “May Allah bring disgrace upon them.”

Al-Qaradhawi is affiliated with the extreme Muslim Brotherhood and is considered its leading jurist. He has previously called for killing U.S. soldiers in Iraq and has vowed that Islam “will conquer Europe [and] will conquer America,” whether by force or by the spread of radical Islam.

Despite his past statements against the U.S., it was recently reported that President Barack Obama asked Al-Qaradhawi to mediate secret talks between the United States and the Taliban.

Meanwhile on Monday, the violence in Syria continued as forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad renewed their attack on the city of Homs, killing at least 50 people.

The Syrian opposition reported that Syrian Air Force combat helicopters were firing missiles at targets in the city. Ground forces have been firing tank shells and mortar rounds at various locations in the city as well.