An Islamist cleric who has defended suicide bombings and the execution of homosexuals is to be allowed to enter the UK, sparking a major row between government departments.
The Observer understands that senior civil servants in the Home Office and Foreign Office have recommended that ministers approve an application by Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who is banned from entering the United States, to come to London for medical treatment.
The news has prompted unease in the Department for Communities and Local Government, which fears that allowing Qaradawi in might offend other faith groups as well as many Muslims.
There were calls last night for ministers to reject Qaradawi’s application. “Qaradawi has been banned from the US since 1999,” said Dr Irfan al-Alawi, international director of the Centre for Islamic Pluralism. “Why should the British government allow him to come here?”
See also “Foreign Office approves visit by anti-semitic Muslim fascist” by Adrian Morgan. The irony of a self-proclaimed admirer of Nick Griffin denouncing fascism will not be lost on readers of Islamophobia Watch.
For the views of actual fascists on Qaradawi see Stormfront.