“Declaring takfir on the jihadist leaders is the rhetorical equivalent of fighting terror with terror. The practice of takfir is the hallmark of the most radical, totalitarian fringe of Islamism: the assumption of the right to unilaterally declare a Muslim a non-Muslim and thereby condemn him or her to death (literally or figuratively). Any vision of a liberal or moderate Islamism should reject takfir on principle.”
Marc Lynch goes on to criticise MEMRI’s “exposure” of Yusuf al-Qaradawi for his refusal to call for the excommunication of Bin Laden: “His rejection of the act of takfir, even when it might be politically expedient to do otherwise, should be applauded for what it is: an important stand for moderation and against extremism.”