“I have decided to submit my resignation from the presidency of the International Union of Muslim Scholars,” Raissouni said in a statement published on his website.

“My resignation comes from my adherence to my firm positions and views, which do not accept compromise, and in order to exercise my freedom of expression without conditions or pressure,” he added.

Earlier this month, Raissouni sparked controversy after he said Mauritania should be part of Morocco.

“I previously mentioned that even Mauritania's existence is a mistake. This is a colonial construct. The question of the Sahara, and the question of Mauritania,” Raissouni said in a TV interview.

Moroccan scholar Ahmed al-Raissouni was elected president of the Doha-based International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) in July 2018, replacing outgoing president Youssef al-Qaradawi. (ILKHA)