Category Archives: Yusuf al-Qaradawi

Distorted MEMRI

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi, who is currently visiting the UK, is one of the most prominent clerics of Sunni Islam, and is among the top spiritual leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood movement. He is also a spiritual guide for many other Islamist organizations across the world, including supporters of Islamist terrorist organizations such as Al-Qa’ida.”

The Middle East Media Research Institute’s Special Report No.30 offers an “analysis” of Yusuf al-Qaradawi – who is, of course, one of Al-Qa’ida’s fiercest opponents.

Mayor’s statement at MQT on the visit of Dr Al Qaradawi

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Speaking at Mayor’s Question Time today, Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London said:

“Last week I welcomed Sheikh Yusuf Al Qaradawi, President of the European Council of Fatwa and Research, to London.  Professor Qaradawi is widely respected as one of the most eminent and moderate Muslim scholars in the world.  I welcomed him to London just as I would the leader of any of the other great world religions to promote understanding between London’s diverse communities.  I welcome dialogue with all religious leaders in London without necessarily agreeing with all of their views.

“I was appalled by the outpouring of lies and Islamaphobia against Professor Al Qaradawi in the tabloid media.  I would point out that the Professor visited Britain at least five times during Michael Howard’s time as Home Secretary and Mr. Howard has never before raised any objections to his visits. Al Qaradawi has made at least 17 visits to Britain during the 18 years of the last Conservative government and again no questions were raised in the media by any members of parliament whatsoever.

“The hysterical outburst of racism and Islamaphobia generated by the tabloid media, with some politicians (who had spent previous weeks courting Muslim votes) now falling over themselves to echo the Sun and the Mail, was remarkable given that none of them took the trouble to ask Dr. Al Qaradawi himself for his real views.

“Virtually everything printed about Dr. Qaradawi by the tabloids was a lie.  The Daily Telegraph for example attributed remarks about the victims of rape, repeated on BBC Newsnight, which it turned out had nothing whatsoever to do with the Professor.

“My staff have looked at the various websites, including those in Arabic, spoken to the Arab experts at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, monitored all of Dr Qaradawi’s statements while he was in Britain.  The conclusion is that he is not anti-Semitic, he does not call for the execution of homosexuals and he does not advocate domestic violence. In fact, in Islam, Al Qaradawi is known for his moderate views.

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Cleric hits back at uninformed critics

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The Muslim cleric at the centre of a storm over comments attributed to him on homosexuality and wife-beating hit back yesterday, and claimed that coverage of his comments was “totally inaccurate and unfair”. Speaking exclusively to the Guardian, Yusuf al-Qaradawi said he could not fathom the purpose behind the “misleading” stories in some newspapers last week.

Faisal al Yafai speaks to Dr al-Qaradawi.

Guardian, 12 July 2004

Qaradawi and rape victims

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“I abhor the views of Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi … but I’m not happy with what the London Telegraph did to him this morning. It attributed to Qaradawi an accusatory view of rape victims: ‘To be absolved from guilt, the raped woman must have shown some sort of good conduct.’ These words actually belong to someone else, a consultant to the website Islamonline. Even if Qaradawi is ostensible head of the committee that oversees this website, a Muslim jurist can only be deemed responsible for his own fatwas…. Today’s Telegraph article establishes nothing.”

Even anti-Qaradawi commentator Martin Kramer baulks at false accusations against Dr al-Qaradawi in the Daily Telegraph. See ‘Qaradawi non-quote’, 11 July 2004,  in Kramer’s Sandbox blog.

Kramer was responding to an article in the Telegraph, 11 July 2004

But the false accusation originated in an OutRage! press release, 10 July 2004

Scholar with a streetwise touch defies expectations and stereotypes

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, as respectful supporters address him, is a complex, international figure, whose religious pronouncements address the dilemmas confronting Muslims in the modern world. To many in the Middle East, the 77-year-old scholar is recognised more for having spoken out in condemnation of al-Qaida’s indiscriminate massacres than for supporting suicide bombers in Israel. He does not fit into the common stereotype of fundamentalist, militant preacher.”

The truth about Dr al-Qaradawi starts to get through.

Guardian, 9 July 2004

Tories call on Blair to bar Muslim ‘extremist’

Posted on by Eddie Truman

A government drive against religious extremism was mired in controversy last night over the presence in Britain of a fundamentalist Muslim cleric who allegedly supports suicide bombings and beating women.

On the day that David Blunkett proposed tougher laws against Islamists – and far-Right evangelical Christians – who preached hatred of other religions, the Home Office said it was not right to keep Yusuf al-Qaradawi, a Qatar-based imam, out of the country on the grounds of his views alone.

However, Tory and Labour MPs said Mr Blunkett should reconsider his position and exclude the cleric.

The row overshadowed a wide-ranging speech on race and integration by the Home Secretary, in which he said extremist religious leaders undermined efforts to establish better community relations in Britain.

Daily Telegraph, 8 July 2004

Daily Star: Welcome to get-tough Britain, Your Evilness!

Posted on by Eddie Truman

Welcome to get-tough Britain, Your Evilness!

By Macer Hall, Political Editor

Daily Star, 8 July 2004

JUST AS David Blunkett was pledging a crackdown on religious hatred yesterday a fanatical Muslim cleric was welcomed into Britain.

The Home Secretary promised a new law to jail extremists who incite hate and violence against other faiths. The new offence is likely to be closely modelled on the existing crime of inciting racial hatred, which carries a maximum penalty of seven years’ imprisonment. But his crackdown was branded a “nonsense” as rabble-rouser Yusuf al-Qaradawi waltzed into Britain.

The Qatar-based sheik – who supports attacks on Jews and backs suicide bombers – is banned from the US but allowed to speak at Muslim conferences here. Al-Qaradawi was born in Egypt, like hook-handed fanatic Abu Hamza, the Finsbury Park preacher the Home Office has been trying to kick out of the country.

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The Sun: You’re crazy, Ken

Posted on by Eddie Truman

You’re crazy, Ken

By Trevor Kavanagh, Political Editor

The Sun, 8 July 2004

* KEN: Prosecute The Sun for saying this cleric spouts evil
* CLERIC: Suicide bombers are OK to kill Coalition troops in Iraq … they are God’s martyrs

SLIMY Ken Livingstone mounted an astonishing defence of a hardline Muslim cleric who yesterday launched a new rant backing suicide bombings. The London Mayor shared a platform with Yusuf al-Qaradawi – who The Sun yesterday exposed as a terror supporter.

Livingstone welcomed the sheik to the capital as an “honoured guest” – ignoring the cleric’s support for child suicide bombings, executing homosexuals, wife-beating and killing Jews. And he even turned on The Sun accusing US of fanning the flames of “Islamaphobia”.

He suggested we should be prosecuted – even though we have only pointed out what the cleric has been calling for. He claimed media coverage of the sheik’s visit showed a need for new laws against religious discrimination. Livingstone said: “British Muslims make an enormous contribution to the capital and this outcry in the tabloid press shows why legislation is necessary.”

Egyptian-born al-Qaradawi said he had been visiting London for 30 years and was baffled by the fuss. But last night, in a pre-recorded TV interview, the rabble-rouser called for suicide bombers to kill Allied soldiers in Iraq. And in London he spoke in support of suicide bombings by Palestinians in Israel.

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