A Princeton professor has joined a group of US intellectuals offering to take 100 lashes each for a Saudi blogger who is being punished over his criticism of the country's hardline clerics.

Robert P George, who is the McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University and the vice-chairman of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, has volunteered to take the penalty on behalf of Raif Badawi.

He joins six other advocates for religious freedom, including Dr Zuhdi Jasser, who is the President of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy.

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Robert P George, left, a leading professor at Princeton University, has joined six other advocates for religious freedom who have offered to take 100 lashes each on behalf of Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, right

Dr Zuhdi Jasser, who is the President of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, a Syrian-American Muslim activist and a US Navy veteran, is also offering to take a flogging for Mr Badawi

Mr Badawi was sentenced to 10 years in prison, a £177,000 fine and 1,000 lashes after criticizing Saudi Arabia's powerful clerics on his blog.

The 31-year-old is facing 20 weekly floggings of 50 lashes each. The first was almost two weeks ago - but the second was postponed on medical grounds.

In a letter to the Saudi ambassador to the United States, Professor George and his fellow advocates call for the immediate release of Mr Badawi.

They ask that if Mr Badawi is not relieved of his punishment, they will take the flogging for him.

The other signatories are Mary Ann Glendon, of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, Hannah Rosenthal, CEO of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation, Daniel Mark, an assistant professor at Villanova University, Eric Schwartz, Dean of the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota and, Katrina Lantos Swett, President of the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights & Justice.

Mary Ann Glendon, left, of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, and Hannah Rosenthal, right, CEO of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation, are calling for an end to the 'grave injustice'

Saudi Arabia has been accused of 'outrageous inhumanity' for delaying Mr Badawi's sentence so his wounds could heal before he was whipped again

In the letter, the hypocrisy of Saudi Arabian officials is highlighted.

They note that officials attended the recent march in Paris in support of human rights and civil liberties and in memory of the victims of the Charlie Hebdo and Hyper Cacher market massacres - while in their country, Mr Badawi has been dealt an 'unjust' punishment which violates those same rights.

'Raif Badawi stands condemned under rules that flagrantly violate these human rights and civil liberties and is being subjected to an unspeakably cruel punishment of 1000 lashes,' the letter says.

'We call on the government of the Kingdom to put a halt to this grave injustice.'

It adds: 'Compassion, a virtue honored in Islam as well as in Christianity, Judaism, and other faiths, is defined as “suffering with another.”

'We are persons of different faiths, yet we are united in a sense of obligation to condemn and resist injustice and to suffer with its victims, if need be.

'We therefore make the following request. If your government will not remit the punishment of Raif Badawi, we respectfully ask that you permit each of us to take 100 of the lashes that would be given to him.

'We would rather share in his victimization than stand by and watch him being cruelly tortured.'

The letter, posted on the American Islamic Forum for Democracy's website, dated January 20, is addressed to Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir, Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to the US.

The letter, dated January 20, is addressed to the Saudi ambassador to the US. Pictured, signatories Daniel Mark, left, and Katrina Lantos Swett, President of the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights & Justice

Professor George and his fellow advocates, including Eric Schwartz, pictured, ask that if Mr Badawi is not relieved of his punishment, they will take the flogging for him

The group said: 'AIFD has long stood with Raif and has been calling for the U.S. to do more on his behalf since his egregious arrest, conviction, and sentencing.

'AIFD finds no difference between the crimes committed by the Islamist terrorists in Paris who assassinated cartoonists at Charlie Hebdo in Paris and the crimes against humanity committed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the name of blasphemy against innocent heroes for religious liberty like Raif Badawi.

Mr Badawi's official crime was to insult Islam but supporters say his real offence was to criticize the country's powerful Sunni clerics on his blog.

Leaked video footage taken on a mobile phone is believed to show the first flogging session, as a shackled and standing Mr Badawi is hit on his legs and back by a policeman with a switch.

Mr Badawi's wife Ensaf Haider, who fled to Canada, said after seeing the video: 'Every lash killed me'

The father-of-three faces being flogged 50 times each Friday for 20 weeks. His wife is living as a refugee in Canada with their three children, and fears the floggings may kill him

Mr Badawi's wife Ensaf Haidar, who fled to Canada with their children, says he started a forum that was simply meant to encourage discussion of the Muslim faith.

After seeing the video, she said: 'Every lash killed me.'

Yesterday, Amnesty International repeated its calls for the 'torture' so be unconditionally stopped.

The organisation's Middle East deputy director, Said Boumedouha, said: 'Instead of continuing to torment Raif Badawi by dragging out his ordeal with repeated assessments the authorities should publicly announce an end to his flogging and release him immediately and unconditionally.

'Raif Badawi is still at risk, there is no way of knowing whether the Saudi Arabian authorities will disregard the medical advice and allow the flogging to go ahead.'

Raif Badawi, pictured, his children Najwa, 11, Terad, 10, and Miriam, seven, has won international support