How Muslims take over

Mary Boyce, emeritus professor of Iranian studies at the University of London has described the ongoing Islamisation of Iran in the 1960’s.

“Either a few Moslems settled on the outskirts of a Zoroastrian village, or one or two Zoroastrian families adopted Islam. Once the dominant faith had made a breach, it pressed in remorselessly, like a rising tide. More Moslems came, and soon a small mosque was built, which attracted yet others. As long as Zoroastrians remained in the majority, their lives were tolerable; but once the Moslems became the more numerous, a petty but pervasive harassment was apt to develop. This was partly verbal, with taunts about fire worship, and comments on how few Zoroastrians there were in the world, and how many Moslems, who must therefore posses the truth; and also on how many material advantages lay with Islam. The harassment was often also physical; boys fought, and gangs of youth waylaid and bullied individual Zoroastrians. They also diverted themselves by climbing into the local tower of silence and desecrating it, and they might even break into the fire-temple and seek to pollute or extinguish the sacred flame. Those with criminal leanings found too that a religious minority provided tempting opportunities for theft, pilfering from the open fields, and sometimes rape and arson. Those Zoroastrians who resisted all these pressures often preferred therefore in the end to sell out and move to some other place where their co-religionists were still relatively numerous, and they could live at peace; and so another village was lost to the old faith. Several of the leading families in Sharifabad and forebears who were driven away by intense Moslem pressure from Abshahi, once a very devout and orthodox village on the southern outskirts of Yazd; and a shorter migration had been made by the family of the centenarian “Hajji” Khodabakhsh, who had himself been born in the 1850s and was still alert and vigorous in 1964. His family, who were very pious, had left their home in Ahmedabad Oust to the north of Turkabad) when he was a small boy, and had come to settle in Sharifabad to escape persecution and the threats to their orthodox way of life. Other Zoroastrians held out there for a few decades longer, but by the end of the century Ahmedabad was wholly Moslem, as Abshahi become in 1961″

source: Andrew Boston, The Legacy of Jihad, Chapter 1

Jihad – the consensus view of the four Sunni Schools of Islamic Jurisprudence and Shia Islam

This should put to rest the lie that jihad is a merely internal spiritual struggle or a merely defensive war or not mainstream.

“The essential pattern of the jihad war is captured in the great Muslim historian al-Tabari’s recording of the recommendation given by Umar b. al-Khattab to the commander of the troops he sent to al-Basrah (636 CE), during the conquest of Iraq. Umar (the second “Rightly Guided Caliph”) reportedly said: “Summon the people to God; those who respond to your call, accept it from them, (This is to say, accept their conversion as genuine and refrain from fighting them) but those who refuse must pay the poll tax out of humiliation and lowliness. (Qur’an 9:29) If they refuse this, it is the sword without leniency. Fear God with regard to what you have been entrusted.”15

Jihad was pursued century after century, because jihad, which means “to strive in the path of Allah,” embodied an ideology and a jurisdiction. Both were formally conceived by Muslim jurisconsults and theologians from the eighth and ninth centuries onward, based on their interpretation of Qur’anic verses (e.g., 9.5, 6; 9.29; 4.76-79; 2. 214-15; 8.39_42),16 and long chapters in the Traditions (i.e., hadith, acts and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad, especially those recorded by al-Bukhari [d. 869] 17 and Muslim [d. 874] 18). The consensus on the nature of jihad from all four schools of Sunni Islamic jurisprudence (i.e., Maliki, Hanbali, Hanafi, and Shafi’i) is clear.

Ibn Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani (d. 996), Maliki jurist:

• Jihad is a precept of Divine institution. Its performance by certain individuals may dispense others from it. We Malikis [one of the four schools of Muslim jurisprudence] maintain that it is preferable not to begin hostilities with the enemy before having invited the latter to embrace the religion of Allah except where the enemy attacks first. They have the alternative of either converting to Islam or paying the poll tax (jizya), short of which war will be declared against them.19

Ibn Taymiyya (d. 1328), Hanbali jurist

• Since lawful warfare is essentially jihad and since its aim is that the religion is God’s entirely and God’s word is uppermost, therefore according to all Muslims, those who stand in the way of this aim must be fought. As for those who cannot offer resistance or cannot fight, such as women, children, monks, old people, the blind, handicapped and their likes, they shall not be killed unless they actually fight with words (e.g., by propaganda) and acts (e.g., by spying or otherwise assisting in the warfare).20

From (primarily) the Hanafi school, (as given in the Hidayah of Shaikh Burhanuddin Ali of Marghinan (d. 1196):

• It is not lawful to make war upon any people who have never before been called to the faith, without previously requiring them to embrace it, because the Prophet so instructed his commanders, directing them to call the infidels to the faith, and also because the people will hence perceive that they are attacked for the sake of religion, and not for the sake of taking their property, or making slaves of their children, and on this consideration it is possible that they may be induced to agree to the call, in order to save themselves from the troubles of war…. If the infidels, upon receiving the call, neither consent to it nor agree to pay capitation tax, it is then incumbent on the Muslims to call upon God for assistance, and to make war upon them, because God is the assistant of those who serve Him, and the destroyer of His enemies, the infidels, and it is necessary to implore His aid upon every occasion; the Prophet, moreover, commands us so to do 21

Al-Mawardi (d. 1058 ), Shafi’i jurist:

• The mushrikun [infidels] of Dar al-Harb (the arena of battle) are of two types: First, those whom the call of Islam has reached, but they have refused it and have taken up arms. The amir of the army has the option of fighting them … in accordance with what he judges to be in the best interest of the Muslims and most harmful to the mushrikun…. Second, those whom the invitation to Islam has not reached, although such persons are few nowadays since Allah has made manifest the call of his Messenger … it is forbidden to … begin an attack before explaining the invitation to Islam to them, informing them of the miracles of the Prophet and making plain the proofs so as to encourage acceptance on their part; if they still refuse to accept after this, war is waged against them and they are treated as those whom the call has reached 22

Ibn Khaldun (d. 1406), Maliki jurist, renowned philosopher, historian, and sociologist, summarized these consensus opinions from five centuries of prior Sunni Muslim jurisprudence with regard to the uniquely Islamic institution of jihad: “In the Muslim community, the holy war is a religious duty, because of the universalism of the [Muslim] mission and [the obligation to] convert everybody to Islam either by persuasion or by force…. The other religious groups did not have a universal mission, and the holy war was not a religious duty for them, save only for purposes of defense…. Islam is under obligation to gain power over other nations .-23

Finally, Shiite jurisprudence was in agreement with the Sunni consensus on the basic nature of jihad war, as reflected in this excerpt from the Jami-i-Abbasi (the popular Persian manual of Shia law) written by al-Amili (d.1622), a distinguished theologian under Shah Abbas I: “Islamic Holy war [jihad] against followers of other religions, such as Jews, is required unless they convert to Islam or pay the poll tax.”24

By the time of the classical Muslim historian al-Tabari’s death in 923, jihad wars had expanded the Muslim empire from Portugal to the Indian subcontinent. Subsequent Muslim conquests continued in Asia, as well as on Christian lands in eastern Europe. The Christian kingdoms of Armenia, Byzantium, Bulgaria, Serbia, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Croatia, and Albania, as well as parts of Poland and Hungary, were also conquered and Islamized. When the Muslim armies were stopped at the gates of Vienna in 1683, more than a millennium of jihad had transpired.25 These tremendous military successes spawned a triumphalist jihad literature. Muslim historians recorded in detail the number of infidels slain or enslaved, the cities and villages that were pillaged, and the lands, treasure, and movable goods seized. Christian (Coptic, Armenian, Jacobite, Greek, Slav, etc.), as well as Hebrew sources and even the scant Hindu and Buddhist writings that survived the ravages of the Muslim conquests independently validate this narrative, and complement the Muslim perspective by providing testimonies of the suffering of the non-Muslim victims of jihad wars.26″

source: Andrew Boston, The Legacy of Jihad, Chapter 1

Sheikh Yusef Al Qaradawi – moderate Muslim

The following is an extract from the testimony of Steven Emerson, director of Terrorism Newswirer before the Subcommittee on Immigration and Claims of the Committee on the Judiciary House of Representatives one hundred sixth congress second session January 26, 2000 online here

[page 27]

Sheikh Yusef Al Qaradawi:

Sheik Yusef Al Qaradawi currently resides in Qatar and is one of the most popular clerics in the Muslim Brotherhood movement. In the past ten years, Qaradawi has been hosted in the United States by numerous radical Islamic organizations. In the month of November 1999 alone, he was hosted at three conferences in the United States: the conference of the Shariah Scholars Association of North America (SSANA) in Detroit, Michigan; the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA—Southeast Conference in Atlanta, Georgia; and the Muslim Arab Youth Association (MAYA) Convention held in Los Angeles, California.

Qaradawi possesses a worldwide following as a cleric; however, statements by him indicate his support of terrorist activities of such groups as Hamas and Islamic Jihad. He has even gone so far as to suggest that if one cannot actively participate in the armed struggle, then he or she should provide financial support such that the mujahideen can fight on behalf of all Muslims.

In an interview that appeared in the September 1999 edition of the Palestine Times, Qaradawi states his support for the “Islamic resistance in Lebanon and Palestine” which he says, “represents the glorious face of the Muslim Umma and serves as an example to that effect.” Furthermore, Qaradawi blesses “the martyrdom operations in which a given Muslim fighter turns himself or herself into a human bomb that casts terror in the hearts of the enemy. . . . If we can’t carry out acts of Jihad ourselves, we at least should support and prop up the Mujahideen financially and morally so that they will be steadfast until God’s victory.”

In a speech delivered by Qaradawi at the 1995 Muslim Arab Youth Association (MAYA) conference held in Toledo, Ohio, Qaradawi made the following statements:

. . .–[T]his is what is told in the Hadith of Ibn-Omar and the Hadith of Abu-Hurairah: “You shall continue to fight the Jews and they will fight you, until the Muslims will kill them. And the Jew will hide behind the stone and the tree, and the stone and the tree will say: ‘Oh, servant of Allah, oh Muslim, this is a Jew behind me. Come and kill him!’ The resurrection will not come before this happens.

[In a question referring to the state of Islamic movements, Qaradawi responded]

. . . Our brothers in Hamas, in Palestine, the Islamic resistance, the Islamic Jihad, after all the rest have given up and despaired, the movement of the Jihad brings us back our faith. . . .

In response to a question about suspension of Hamas’ military actions, Qaradawi responded]

In regard to Palestine, I would like to say that we are in a standstill for a while, but that does not mean the end of history. As Sheikh Ahmed Yassin [of Hamas] . . . has said: “It is possible to make a truce limited in time, and this will never mean surrendering. We can bide our time, we can stand still for a while, get some rest, but the Jihad continues . . . until the Day of Resurrection.

[page 28 begins]

In a sermon (Khuttba) Qaradawi delivered in March 1996, and that was made available at the official website of the Hamas terrorist organization (http://www.palestine-info.net), Qaradawi states that Hamas and Islamic Jihad suicide bombers are not engaged in terrorism, but rather in martyrdom, and that all members of Israeli society are valid targets for terrorism due to Israel’s universal conscription policy.

[end of extract]

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Two quotes from Qaradawi speaking in 1995, at a conference held by the Muslim Arab Youth Association (MAYA) in Toledo, Ohio, al-Qaradawi :

“…the movement of the Jihad brings us back to our faith.”

What remains, then, is to conquer Rome. The second part of the omen. “The city of Hiraq [once emperor of Constantinople] will be conquered first”, so what remains is to conquer Rome.’ This means that Islam will come back to Europe for the third time, after it was expelled from it twice… Conquest through Da’wa [proselytizing], that is what we hope for. We will conquer Europe, we will conquer America! Not through sword but through Da’wa. … But the balance of power will change, and this is what is told in the Hadith of Ibn-Omar and the Hadith of Abu-Hurairah: “You shall continue to fight the Jews and they will fight you, until the Muslims will kill them. And the Jew will hide behind the stone and the tree, and the stone and the tree will say: ‘Oh servant of Allah, Oh Muslim, this is a Jew behind me. Come and kill him!’ The resurrection will not come before this happens.” This is a text from the good omens in which we believe.”

http://www.investigativeproject.org/profile/167

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Early Relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood

Qaradawi, born in Egypt in 1926, graduated from Al Azhar University in Cairo. In 1942, during his time as a student, Qaradawi signed membership papers formally joining the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamic extremist movement founded in Egypt that has spawned and inspired global terrorist groups, including the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.
He was arrested several times by Egyptian government authorities between 1949 and 1961 due of his activities with the Muslim Brotherhood. In 1951, Qaradawi toured Egypt giving political speeches in support of Brotherhood candidates for the parliamentary elections that year. Egypt banned the Muslim Brotherhood in 1954 because of its opposition to the Egyptian government.

In 1961, Qaradawi moved to Qatar, where he currently resides. Despite his departure from Egypt, Qaradawi’s theological influence on the Muslim Brotherhood continued. Qaradawi participated in developing the educational and cultural structure of the Brotherhood, publishing essays and books that were absorbed into the educational curriculum by its Tarbiyya (Education) Department. In addition, a number of Qaradawi’s essays relating to Thaqafat ad-Da’iya (The Culture of the Preacher) were published in the Brotherhood magazine, Da’wa, during in the 1970s. Another of his books, at-Tarbiya al-Islamiyya wa Madrasat Hassan al-Banna (Islamic Education and Hassan al-Banna’s school), published in 1979, was officially incorporated into the educational curriculum by the Brotherhood.

Although Qaradawi has built a media empire formally independent of the Muslim Brotherhood, he remains the premier spiritual guide to the Islamist movement. The Brotherhood offered Qaradawi their highest leadership position of “General Guide” in 1973, after the death of the group’s second General Guide, Hassan Al-Hudaybi, which Qaradawi declined in 1976. Qaradawi declined the position again in 2002, following the death of organization’s fifth General Guide Mustafa Mashhur.
Despite refusal to formally adopt the helm of the Brotherhood, Qaradawi maintains a close cooperation with the organization and its members. According to his memoirs, Ibn al-Qarya wa’l-Kuttab (Son of the Village and the Village Schools, vol. 2002, 2004, 2006). Qaradawi continues to regard Hassan al-Banna, the founder of the Brotherhood, as the teacher who had the most significant influence on him.

Qaradawi’s Activities over Last Decade

Qaradawi has established a worldwide following through television appearances and by utilizing the Internet. He was relatively quick to take advantage of the Internet, launching a site in his name in 1997. The site includes several of his fatwas supporting terror. In 2006, Qaradawi used his Web site to denounce a Danish newspaper’s cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad and declared February 3, 2006, an “international day of rage.”

Qaradawi hosts a weekly television show called “Shariah and Life” on the Arabic-language television news network, Al Jazeera, where he also expresses his support for terror. For example, during an April 2004 show, he credited Allah with providing Palestinians “human bombs,” instead of the planes, missiles and weapons that Zionists have. In addition, his Friday sermons at the Umar bin al-Khattab mosque, a government-sponsored mosque in Doha, have been regularly broadcast live on Qatar television. In a 2005 sermon, while speaking about notable Hamas leaders killed by Israel, Qaradawi asserted, “Their fate was paradise. They died martyrs. They met the death that every Muslim wishes for himself, which is martyrdom in the cause of God.”

Qaradawi is also influential through a wide network of affiliations. In the U.S., he is the chairman (in abstenia) of the Michigan-based Islamic American University (IAU), a subsidiary of the Muslim American Society (MAS), according to the MAS Web site. The university aims to provide Islamic higher education, especially to converts and non-practicing Muslims, according to the IAU Web site. Qaradawi is also listed by the IAU as a faculty member.

Prior to being banned from the U.S. in 1999, Qaradawi reportedly spoke to several Muslim organizations around the country. For example, Qaradawi spoke at the now-defunct Muslim Arab Youth Association (MAYA) conference in Toledo, Ohio, in 1995, where he stated, “If everyone who defends his land and dies defending his sacred symbols is considered a terrorist, then I wish to be at the forefront of the terrorists. And I pray to Allah if that is terrorism, then O Allah make me live as a terrorist, die as a terrorist, and be raised up with the terrorists.”
Despite the ban, Qaradawi’s message still reaches the American public via satellite television and the Internet, in particular IslamOnline, a Web site published in both Arabic and English. The site contains articles and religious rulings which support violence against non-Muslims, as well as anti-Semitic, anti-Israel and anti-American content.

Recent Selected Books

Qaradawi has also written over 40 books, many of which have been published in different languages and disseminated throughout the world. In Qaradawi’s Fiqh of Jihad, published in 2009, he chastises those Muslims who do not observe the obligatory duty of jihad, including violent jihad, and attempt to “cast a veil of oblivion on jihad and drop it from the life of the Ummah [the Muslim community].” In the introduction to the book, Qaradawi writes, “Without jihad, the Ummah’s boundaries will be violated, the blood of its people will be as cheap as dust, its sanctuaries will be less worthy than a handful of desert sand, and it will be insignificant in the eyes of its enemies.” A significant portion of the work is dedicated to legitimizing suicide bombing, or “martyrdom operations,” which Qaradawi casts as a “defensive jihad against oppression.” He encapsulates his view of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with anti-Semitic rhetoric, attesting that the “Zionist massacres of today” are a continuation of alleged Jewish calls to genocide in the Old Testament.

In another of his books, Fatawa’ Min Ajl Falastin [Fatwas for the Sake of Palestine], published in 2003, Qaradawi provides a warning that Muslims should not befriend “Jews, in general, and Israelis, in particular” due to the current Palestinian-Israeli conflict. “Receiving enemies in our own countries and visiting them in the occupied lands,” he writes, “would remove such a psychological barrier that keeps us away from them, and would bridge the gap that keeps the desire for Jihad against them kindled in the hearts of the Ummah.”

http://www.adl.org/main_Arab_World/al_Qaradawi_report_20041110.htm

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Frank Gaffney– Muslim Brotherhood in America

• 1 Muslim Brotherhood in America, Part 1: The Threat Doctrine of Shariah & the Muslim Brotherhood — http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bs0xw5hPWVQ
•  2 Muslim Brotherhood in America, Part 2: ‘Civilization Jihad’ in America  — http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PENiSQF-aJ8
•  3 Muslim Brotherhood in America, Part 3: Influence Operations Against Conservatives & the GOP — http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuV5_CxHNnM
•  4 Muslim Brotherhood in America, Part 4: Suhail Khan, A Case Study in Influence Operations — http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIfp11jaB98
• 5 Muslim Brotherhood in America, Part 5: The Organizations Islamists Are Using to Subvert the Right  — http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZopkTICceus
•  6 Muslim Brotherhood in America, Part 6: Electing Islamist Republicans — http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1G0mnDKi1U
•  7 Muslim Brotherhood in America, Part 7: Advancing the Islamists’ Agendas  — http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUZeOHFgjsM
• 8 Muslim Brotherhood in America, Part 8: Team Obama & the Islamists — http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhtG4k7sQbc
•  9 Muslim Brotherhood in America, Part 9: Team Obama & the Islamist Agenda — http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGWNrFQWyp0
•  10 Muslim Brotherhood in America, Part 10: What’s To Be Done? — http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lak8PLuI0gU

Fox guards henhouse: Muslim infiltration of the Department of Homeland Security

Glenn Beck: Muslim Brotherhood inside Homeland Security Council

One of the most shocking scenes in Rumors of War 3: Target U.S. is an exchange between U.S. Representative Louie Gohmert and The Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano. In the clip, Napolitano is testifying in front of Congress about Mohamed Elibiary, a man affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, being granted security clearance and access to sensitive documents. Glenn asked Gohmert to come onto the show to discuss the exchange.

In the film, the narrator explains, “In 2002 Mohamed Elibiary founded the Freedom and Justice Foundation in Plano, Texas. Freedom and Justice is the political party of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. He was appointed a member of the Homeland Security advisory council which meant Elibiary had access to security documents. In October of 2011, it was reported he took sensitive reports from the Texas Department of Public Safety.”

source: Muslim Brotherhood appointed to Homeland Security Council

Stakelbeck on Terror: Is the Muslim Brotherhood Winning? – CBN.com

Did Mohammed exist?

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradawi – on record

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradawi

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http://www.memritv.org/clip_transcript/en/2793.htm

February 4, 2011 Clip No. 2793

Egypt Uprising: Leading Sunni Scholar Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi Calls Upon All Young People of Egypt to Join the Revolt

Following are excerpts from a Friday sermon delivered by Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, chairman of the International Union for Muslim Scholars, which aired on Qatar TV on February 4, 2011:

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: These youth revolted, demanding liberty and honor, as well as their right to live a life of dignity. It is inconceivable that some people should place their hands on their bellies and groan with hunger, while other people place their hands on their bellies and complain that they have eaten too much, and ask for medicine to ease their indigestion.

Eat all you can, but don’t eat what rightfully belongs to the people. The poor have [revolted] because the rich have eaten what is rightfully theirs. 40 percent of the young people of Egypt live beneath the poverty line, while others speculate with millions.

[…]

They took to the streets on Tuesday, January 25, in a popular uprising not set in motion by anyone – neither from within Egypt, nor from abroad. Now they are talking about external elements and domestic elements, and about the Muslim Brotherhood…

They use the words “Muslim Brotherhood” to intimidate the people in the West – in America and Europe. The boogeyman, Islam, the Islamic movement, the Muslim Brotherhood… The Muslim Brotherhood are just one group among the people, and do not comprise more than perhaps 10 percent.

[…]

All the young people of Egypt who can take to the streets should do so, in order to strengthen the good and pure youth, in order to confront the oppression. Anybody who is capable and has no good reason not to should join these young people.

[…]

The best form of Jihad is to say a word of truth to a tyrannical ruler. It is the best form of Jihad, because by waging Jihad against internal corruption, you are fending off colonialism, occupation, and foreign invasion.

[…]

If Hosni Mubarak were indeed a father to the people, as he claims to be, he would not allow the killing of his children. He would not remain in power, while millions of his children say: “No. Enough.”

[…]

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http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/2774.htm

January 20, 2011 Clip No. 2774

Leading Sunni Scholar Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: People Must Take Action to Confront the Corrupt Arab Rulers

Following are excerpts from a speech delivered by leading Sunni scholar Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, which aired on Al-Jazeera TV on January 20, 2011.

Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: Oppression is the reason for corruption on Earth. It is the root of all evil – the oppression that people inflict one upon the other, as well as people’s silence in the face of the oppressors. Why doesn’t Allah take revenge upon the oppressors? Because people must take action. They must confront the oppressor. One must not allow the oppressor to behave unjustly, and people to follow him, applauding him, and saying: “Long live so-and-so,” while poets venerate him, and journalists heap praise upon him. It is inconceivable that Allah will take revenge upon such an oppressor, as long as people behave this way.

A ruler is expected to protect the people, not steal from them or kill them. It’s like the fox guarding the chicken-coop. The shepherd protects the sheep from the wolf, so what can be said of shepherds who have their own wolves? The shepherd should protect his herd from being devoured by the wolves. He protects his herd, and watches over it with vigilance. But when he himself turns into a wolf, devouring the herd… We are seeing more and more of this in our lives, I’m sad to say: The fox guards the chicken-coop. The people will be hungry while his belly is full. People starve, while he grows fat from eating all that flesh of God’s creatures.

We have seen those rulers who transfer millions and billions from their countries to banks abroad – in Switzerland, in the US, and elsewhere. They transfer billions. This is what we are seeing in our countries, I’m sad to say. These people will get their comeuppance from Allah in this world and the Hereafter.

If only the policemen in our Arab and Islamic countries knew that they are prohibited from killing people who have not committed any crime… Demonstrations take place in all countries throughout the world. How come people are not killed there? How come in our countries alone, people are killed because of peaceful demonstrations? Because we have brought up these soldiers upon a culture of… Not us, but these rulers have brought them up to believe that they are slaves, who must do as they are told. This is a poisonous culture, a culture that leads one astray, a culture that is wrong, which has absolutely no root in Islamic law.

It is a sin to kill people, in order to protect a tyrant, to protect such a great idol. You kill the people in order to protect idols!? We must raise our sons in all countries upon a new culture: You are absolutely prohibited from killing an innocent person, for killing is the worst crime after polytheism. “Whoever kills a believer intentionally – his punishment is Hell, to abide therein. The wrath and curse of Allah are upon him, and a dreadful penalty is prepared for him.”

I advise my brothers in Tunisia to continue on their path until they realize all their demands. It is inconceivable for the people in power to be a political party that has made the people miserable for so long. The idol worshippers and priests, who used to burn incense to the Great Idol – how can they remain in power after he is gone? How can they rule? I call upon the Tunisian people… Some people may say: What do you have to do with the Tunisian people? No, I belong to the Tunisian people, and the Tunisian people are a part of me. I am from Palestine, I am from Morocco, I am from Algeria, I am from Egypt, I am from Qatar. All the Islamic countries are my country, and all these peoples are my people.

I advise the Tunisian people not to let these people remain in the government. Only [Fouad] Mebazaa, the interim president of the republic, should remain, so that there will not be a constitutional vacuum. But none of them should be the prime minister. How can Muhammad Al-Ghannouchi, the prime minster of a government that killed and shed blood, be in power? How can the Interior Minister remain in power… They fired one interior minister and appointed one who is even worse. He continues to defend… How can Ghannouchi remain in power, after contacting Ben Ali in exile and reporting to him on the situation? How can he betray his people by contacting [Ben Ali]?

These people must go. The government must be completely free of these people. All the prisoners and detainees must be set free, all the exiled should return, and things should be restored.

Zitouna University must be restored to its former status as an Islamic university, not merely a college. It has become the Islamic Zitouna College. It was the first university – even before Al-Azhar. Zitouna University has turned into a place where girls who study Islamic law come without a hijab, wearing short sleeves and mini- and micro-skirts. It has a mixed swimming pool for boys and girls. Zitouna University must be restored to… The hijab must return. At the very least, it should be permissible.

The hijab-clad women should be treated the same as the others. It is inconceivable that a government that prohibits the hijab and considers it sectarian clothing will remain in power. All these things must change.

We ask Allah to bestow grace upon our nation, and to make this lesson one from which all our people can benefit, as well as the rulers – those deaf who cannot hear, those blind who cannot see, and those madmen who cannot heed reason. We would like these people to benefit from this lesson, to open their eyes the better to see, to open their ears the better to hear, and to open their minds the better to understand. There is a lesson to be learned from this major event.

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http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/2764.htm

January 18, 2011 Clip No. 2764

Tunisian Uprising: Islamic Scholar Abd Al-Fattah Idris Responds to Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: The Tunisian Who Committed Suicide Was Acting Out of Free Will

Following are excerpts from an interview with Abd Al-Fattah Idris, an Islamic scholar at Al-Azhar University, which aired on Al-Hayat 2 TV on January 18, 2011:

Interviewer: Sheik Al-Qaradhawi said in a recent interview that the Tunisian who committed suicide was not free, and did not act out of free will, and therefore, he will not be reckoned with as someone who committed suicide.

Abd Al-Fattah Idris: That man was completely free. It cannot be claimed that he was forced to commit suicide. He had freedom of choice and free will. The fact that he chose to take his life in such a manner means that he was not denied his free will. Therefore, he chose to commit suicide, out of complete free will, without any pressure being exerted upon him.

He could have chosen another path, like pleading his case to someone. If he had kept knocking on the doors of the officials, they may have listened to him. He chose, however, to commit suicide, rather than turning to another option. Therefore, he was not devoid of free will.

[…]

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http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/2761.htm

January 16, 2011 Clip No. 2761

Tunisian Uprising: Leading Sunni Scholar Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi Says to Ousted President Ben Ali: “You Idiot! It Took Four Weeks and Hundreds of Casualties for You to Get It?!”

Following are excerpts from an address by leading Sunni scholar Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, which aired on Al-Jazeera TV on January 16, 2011.

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: We salute the [Tunisian] people, which has taught the Arab and Islamic peoples, as well as the oppressed peoples in general, the following lesson: Do not despair, and do not fear the tyrants, for the tyrants are weaker than a fly, and more feeble than a spider-web. They quickly collapse in the face of the power of steadfast and resolute peoples.

[…]

After these words of salutation, we would like to advise the Tunisian people to protect its achievements, which it gained only with the blood of free people, with the lives that were lost, and with the pure blood that was shed.

The thieves of the revolutions must not deceive or make a mockery of the people. There are people who steal revolutions from their owners. They excel at this.

I would like to warn the Tunisians to be on the lookout for such people.

[…]

Let me ask the new president, Mr. [Fouad] Mebazaa, why he hasn’t published, since he came… He should have begun by releasing the political prisoners, who were unjustly thrown into prison, merely because they held opposing views. They must be set free.

The detainees who have been held without trial and without evidence must be released immediately. Some things must not be postponed. Freedom must be made available to all – to all those whose hands were shackled or whose tongues were silenced, so that they would not speak or express a view regarding the building and revival of their country. All these people must be set free.

I have often said, on this TV show as well as on others, that as far as I am concerned, freedom takes precedence over the implementation of the shari’a. There must be no restrictions on liberties.

How is it possible that the tyrant has been toppled, yet liberties remain [restricted]? I am astounded by this. The tyrant has fallen, yet his followers remain in power.

[…]

Interviewer: This revolution began when a young man set himself on fire, in protest against the injustice he suffered, and so on. One of our viewers, Abdallah Ja’far, asks: Is the case of Mohamed Bouazizi, which led to the Tunisian uprising, an exceptional form of Jihad against the oppressor, or was it suicide?

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: Anybody who considers the matter in a comprehensive manner undoubtedly sees that this young man and others like him had mitigating circumstances. These [rulers] have brought the people to a state of psychological crisis. In my view, he was not free when he made this decision. He was seething from within.

[…]

The tyrants never listen and never heed advice, until they are toppled. Once they are toppled… After four weeks, Ben Ali said: I get it. You idiot! It took four weeks and hundreds of casualties for you to get it?! Why didn’t you get it during all this time? This is the case with all the tyrants.

[…]

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http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/2757.htm

December 31, 2010 Clip No. 2745

British Salafi Abu Waleed: Aafia Siddiqui Will Be Released over the Dead Body of Barack Obama

The following are excerpts from a lecture titled “The Swords of Brotherhood,” delivered in English by British Salafi cleric “Abu Waleed.” The video was posted on the Internet in 2010.

Abu Waleed: Nowadays, we have a problem of people saying we need unity. We’ve got so many problems around the world. We’ve got the problems of Gaza, of Iraq, and of Afghanistan. We got the problem of disagreements amongst our own so-called scholars. Some say voting is allowed, some say voting is not allowed. Some say to join the parliament is allowed. Some say: No, you can’t. Some say you must destroy the parliament. Some say you must overthrow regimes. Some people say that no Dar Al-Islam exists. Other people believe that Britain is Dar Al-Islam as long as you’ve got a nice camise on and a carrot in your mouth, and a jar of honey, and a packet of condoms, there is nothing to worry about. You just live comfortably.

You just live your life and walk around as if you were living inside the Caliphate. However, that is not the case. So people want to talk about unity. How can we have this unity? One of the things which will unite us and cause unity – is what? The Caliphate, shari’a, it could be the economic system, it could be you driving a BMW, or you having this conference… or event… or being part of this group, or having that title, none of that will bring unity. The number one thing that will bring unity among the Muslim community will be the tawhid [monotheism].

[…]

Allah said that the believers are brotherhood. This verse causes a lot of controversy nowadays. Why? Because some people say: We are going to have a “Global Peace and Unity Conference.” Oh my God, what is this global peace and unity all about? It sounds like some funky rave in the Stratford Rex, or something like that. It’s not talking about that. The Global Peace and Unity they are talking about is how can we establish peace within the Earth, and unity among humanity. You become brothers in humanity. When the verse says the complete opposite of that. It never said the “brothers in humanity,” but rather, it said: “The believers, they are brotherhood.”

The hadith of the Prophet said: “A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim.” He never said anything else. He never said the British and the Americans. He never said the blacks, the whites, the Chinese, the brown, the coconut, the coffee, the cappuccino. The yellow, the pink, the brown, the strawberry, the gateau. Nothing like that, No. He said: “The believers, they are a brotherhood.”

[…]

So when I talk about loving Allah I will love Him completely, and in my heart there is no room for love for anybody else. For the sake of Allah, I will love those whom He orders me to love, not for my own sake. It could be that this man has big ears and a long nose. Maybe he likes chicken doner, while I like lamb diner – I do like lamb doner, it’s true, but this doesn’t mean I am going to disavow him. “Oh, he doesn’t like lamb doner, I’m not going to be friends with him.”

This is what the infidels have. They have this unity based upon a football club. Your mum slept with my dad, something like that, come on in, you might as well do it as well. Do it in the back alley, whatever, something like that. They have unity based upon this. But rather, we are talking about the love that must be based upon “for the sake of Allah,” and my hatred must be for the sake of Allah.

[…]

I was speaking to a person once. We were talking about the American troops being let into the holy land [Saudi Arabia]. I said, listen brother: The hadith of the Prophet says that no two religions can exist within the Arabian Peninsula. He said: “But Ibn Al-Uthaymeen said…” I said: “I’m telling you what the Prophet said, and you’re telling me what Ibn Al-Uthaymeen said. I don’t give a damn about what Ibn Al-Uthaymeen said. I’m telling you what the Prophet said.”

You find many people who are like that. They want to use the statements of their religious scholars to comment about the divine text, to comment about what the Koran says. You say to them: No, the verse said this. The verse said that the [infidels] will never be pleased with me until I follow their religion. He says: No, but that was for then. Let’s put a little Tippex out there.

Oh, and you need to go to the Al-Salam chapter of the Koran. That’s how you catch people out. They’ll say: “What are you talking about? Trying to teach me the Koran. I’ve read the Koran one million times.” [I say]: “Okay, you’ve read the Al-Salam chapter?” [He says]: “Yeah.” [I say]: “You’re a fool, a liar. There is no such thing as the Al-Salam chapter.” This person is a complete disaster.

Like this one guy, he’s a police officer, he tried to arrest me once, he’s a Muslim, a “Moslem”, he’s an infidel anyway… He said to me: “The Prophet said we need to obey the law of the land.” I said: “Really? Where did he say that?” He said: “it’s in some book of hadith.” I said: “Okay, some book of hadith.”

This other fool, who’s like a state’s witness, he’s an MP or something like that, is even more of an idiot than this police officer. He said that the Prophet said in the Koran that we need to obey the law of the land. The Prophet said so in the Koran – that’s going too far. You know what I mean? That’s completely foolish. Like a person who phones you up, and says: “Hello? Yeah. I lost my mobile phone, I don’t know where it is.” This man is a complete loony. He’s completely crazy.

Like this fool, Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, we call him “Qirdawi”, the laughing monkey… He passed a fatwa in the European Council of Fatwas, which is based in Ireland. [He said]: I believe that so long as there is 1% alcohol in the drink, just a minority, you have a minority and a majority, then you can drink it. The verse never said so.

[…]

When it comes to discrimination or oppression, Islam is anti-discrimination and anti-oppression. That doesn’t mean that I do not discriminate based upon your faith. Of course I do. Even Christians and Jews do that. You’re telling me some Jewish man comes, or Christian or Hindu, or Sikh-Meek-Weak-Freak and says: “I want to marry your daughter.” Are you going to give your daughter to him?

I would discriminate even among the Muslims as well. Somebody from Hizb Al-Tahrir comes, and says: “I want to marry your daughter,” or somebody from the Muslim Brotherhood or one of those Salafi-Talafis, says: “I want to marry your daughter”, I’d say: “Yeah? You’re in terrorism.” – I’ll show you terrorism. Don’t touch me. What are you talking about? – I would marry my daughter to somebody who is Sunni. So everybody discriminates based upon their own religious belief. Otherwise, why would you say that your religion is the truth, if you didn’t discriminate?

The head of the European Council of Fatwas, this man Qirdawi… How can it be that sheik – he is a sheik, and people refer to him – how did he become an infidel? Because he says something, or does something, without even realizing it, and he goes outside the fold of Islam.

This man, this fool, this Qirdawi, said that it’s allowed for you to join the US army so long as your intent is to command good and forbid the evil. What are you talking about? So don’t be impressed by somebody who has got a Ph.D. and a degree, and all of these certificates. You know, seven-storey turbans and a beard down to his belly-button… These people are nothing but lap-dancers, hookers, slags for the kings and for the prime ministers – which is what we find today. Completely in bed with them… Completely… You know, when I talk about giving a pole dance for the king, I literally mean that. They’re giving a pole dance and lap dance for the king. They just rub [the king] up, and he slips ten riyals inside their pocket, gives them a slap on the bottom, and says: Go give me a fatwa, and come back next week, and we’ll do it again.

The king is a pimp, and the scholar is a prostitute. And America is just the police because the police are not interested in ending prostitution. You know they are not. They just go there, and they just say: “What’s that?” It’s a massage parlor. Oh, that’s all right. Close the door. It’s just a massage parlor, it’s not prostitution. They just change the name of it. It sounds quite nice.

[…]

Although the infidels don’t have brotherhood, they are still united in their war against Islam. So what we need is to establish the brotherhood between theory and practice, and have this reformation. So when we talk about the brotherhood, it manifests on a global scale, meaning that when my brothers are bombed inside Iraq and Afghanistan, I stand up for them, and I say: “They are my brothers, they are my sisters, and I am with them.”

When you call somebody a terrorist, I say: “No, he’s not a terrorist, you are the terrorist.” This man, he’s not a freedom fighter because we don’t believe in freedom anyway, but he is my brother, working to liberate his land, and I will stand with him. Maybe I’m not a terrorist or whatever you accuse him of or maybe he is a terrorist. But irrespective of that, I will never put him down, and I will never sell him out, and I will never hand him over to the infidels.

[…]

I say to Musharraf: Are you proud to be Pakistani? Go suck the private part of your father. Even if you’re not proud to be Pakistani, still go suck the private part of your father. Obviously, the man is what we call in Urdu a kuttah – a dog. So you can go there, and he’ll say: “Yeah, I’ll go there, and I’ll suck the private part…” But I heard this man likes dogs, anyway, so we don’t know what’s going on.

[…]

The last and final example which I want to give you is that of Hakam Bin Hisham, who was from Andalusia. At that time, the Christians used to have bandits and they used to go out… This was around Andalusia, around Spain – around that region. At that time, the Christians used to go out like bandits and kidnap people. The Christians, at that time, captured one caravan. This caravan was carrying one Muslim sister, her mother and father, and two brothers. The infidels killed all of them, and they captured this one sister, 19 years old.

They took her to the king, at that time. When the sister was brought to the king, the king said: What have you got for me today? Meaning, what have you got – some Barclay card, some money, some booty… They said: We’ve got for you one Muslim woman, one sister. The king said: I’ve tried all women of the world, but I’ve never tried a Muslim woman. He held her in captivity, and he raped her. From her cell, she said: Where are you, oh Hakam Bin Hisham?

The news spread from city to city, until it reached this governor, Hakam Bin Hisham. The news spread to him, and he said: Where has she been captured? They said: All we know is that she’s been captured by the infidels. Do you know what he did? He rallied an army of 60,000 Muslims. He said: I don’t know what city she’s been captured in, I don’t even know where she is, but we will go from city to city to try and find her.

Just before he left, he said to his wife: By Allah, you are forbidden to me until I rescue this sister. He conquered three cities along the way, before he even got to the place where the sister was captured. For one entire year he fought. For one entire year, he took an army of 60,000 mujahideen. He conquered three cities, turned them completely upside down, and got all of the booty. When he reached the gates of the area where the sister was in captivity, he said he would offer them money, all the booty that they got from these three cities, in exchange for this one sister. The messenger went and he took it to the king.

Do you know what the king said? He said: “Over my dead body.” Barack Obama says: “Over my dead body we will give you Aafia Siddiqui.” You say over your dead body? Indeed, over your dead body it will happen.

Hakam Bin Hisham entered the city, destroyed the entire city, completely took it upside down. He got the king and beheaded him publicly. Then he went to the sister, and he said to her: “Oh my sister, did I not respond to the call?” She said: “Are you the one who they call Hakam Bin Hisham?” He said: “My sister, I respond to the call of Allah. Come with me.”

When he went back, he went to Granada, which is where he was from. He went to his wife. Do you know what his wife said? She said: “Do you remember when you left, and you said to me that I am forbidden to you until you release the sister? By Allah, I am still forbidden to you, until you marry the sister.” And she gave her money as dowry for Hakam Bin Hisham to marry the sister.

[…]

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http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/2745.htm

December 31, 2010 Clip No. 2745

Leading Sunni Scholar Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: It Is Prohibited for a Muslim to Vote for the Secession of South Sudan

Following is an excerpt from a Friday sermon delivered by leading Sunni scholar Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi. The sermon aired on Qatar TV on December 31, 2010.

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: A few weeks ago, I spoke in a sermon about the need for a unified Sudan. Someone asked me, on the “Shari’a and Life” program, whether a Muslim is permitted to vote against (sic) the secession of South Sudan, and I said “no,” because this secession is a crime.

Unity is an Islamic obligation and a necessity. We must strive for unity and reject secession everywhere. The great Sudan must remain a great Sudan. It is prohibited for a Muslim to vote for the secession, and it is a disgrace for a non-Muslim to do so. Sudan should remain united for all the Sudanese. This is in the best interest of both the south and north Sudanese. There is no benefit to partitioning and disintegration.

The whole world is becoming united. How come we are the only ones to disintegrate? Why don’t we follow the examples of Europe, Asia, and all those who unite?

[…]

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http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/2731.htm

December 17, 2010 Clip No. 2731

Leading Sunni Scholar Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi Supports Suicide Bombings in Palestine and Declares: “I Am Against the Peace Process”

Following are excerpts from an interview with leading Sunni scholar Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, which aired on Al-Hayat 2 TV on December 17, 2010.

Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: I conduct dialogue with the Christians, but if the Jews join the dialogue, I say “no” – until they lift their injustice from upon us.

[…]

I am not against Judaism. I am not anti-Semitic or anti-Jewish. How can I be anti-Semitic, when I am Semitic myself? I am an Arab, and it is well known that the Arabs are Semites. From the racial perspective, the Jews are our cousins. We are the descendants of Ishmael, and they are the descendants of Jacob [sic]. We Muslims are not racists.

[…]

Islam maintains relations with Jews and Christians, on condition that they are not hostile to the Muslims. A Muslim man cannot marry an Israeli woman. He can marry a woman from among the [Jews] who are against Israel, but not a Jewish Israeli woman, or a Jewish woman who supports Israel.

[…]

Some people believe that we should fight and kill any infidel. This is not true. We fight only those who fight us.

[…]

French colonialism settled in Algeria and annexed it to France, but it did not harm the local people. The Zionist settlement, in contrast, is replacing the local people.

[…]

According to Islamic law, in any country that is invaded and occupied by foreign infidels, all the local people should conduct resistance against the occupation, using all the means at their disposal. The jurisprudents said that a woman can set out on Jihad without her husband’s permission, a child can set out on Jihad without his father’s permission, and a slave can set out without his master’s permission. All the people should set out on Jihad. “There is no obedience to a creature in disobedience to the Creator.”

The right of the collective supersedes the right of the individual. if the local people are incapable of confronting the [enemies], who are stronger and better prepared than them, their neighbors need to help them.

All the Muslims must help, each according to his ability – with money, with weapons, with expertise. If they have no expertise in anti-tank warfare, they can offer their expertise in the manufacturing of missiles. In such a case, a collective duty becomes an individual duty, incumbent upon all Muslims.

[…]

[The Jews] are the most miserly of all people and the most protective of their lives, yet they devote their lives and their money [to their cause]. The Muslims worldwide must contribute to the regaining of Palestine. Palestine is not merely Islamic land. It is the land of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and of the holy places.

[…]

I am against the hudna, as I have written. I have debated this with the leading Islamic scholars, like Sheik Abd Al-Aziz Ibn Baz and the Sheik of Al-Azhar. They sanctioned peace with Israel. I am against the peace process. I consider this to be a false peace, because this is an Israeli peace, in keeping with the Israeli will, not in keeping with what we want.

What kind of peace is this? From the days of Madrid and Oslo to this day, have we achieved anything? We have achieved nothing but illusions.

[…]

The martyrdom operations which I approve are the ones that target the occupiers. That is why I sanctioned martyrdom operations in Palestine. When I was asked, in London, how I could permit martyrdom operations in Palestine, I said that they are a necessity, because these people want to defend themselves, the things that are holy to them, and their land. I said to them: “You want them to stop the martyrdom operations? Then give them Apache helicopters, planes, tanks, and missiles, and then they will abandon martyrdom operations.” They do not have bombs, so they turn themselves into human bombs. This is a necessity.

I permit this for the Palestinians, but not for those who attacked the Twin Towers in the US, because in that case, the passengers of four civilian planes were killed, who were not to blame. In what way were those passengers to blame? Many of them were Arabs or Muslims, and were from various countries, and had nothing whatsoever to do with politics. Take the people inside the towers – they were just employees in companies, and some were even Muslims, who prayed on Fridays. How were they to blame?

I only sanction martyrdom operations in defense of a plundered and occupied land.

[…]

The [Shiites] are more organized than us, and they were able to confront the US. They did so when they took hostages in the US embassy [in Tehran], and again with their [uranium] enriching capabilities.

I have often said that I am against the Shiization of Sunni communities, but that I defend Iran’s right to possess nuclear power for peaceful purposes, and that I will fight anyone who fights it. After all, Iran is an Islamic country, and we are happy that it is strong. It should reassure its neighbors, as we have often heard it say that its power is not directed against the Arabs.

They want to pit us one against the other, but we must not pay any heed to these words and these Satanic insinuations. The Islamic countries should all be a single force, and support one another, despite the differences between the various denominations and groups.

We have a single goal – the regaining of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and of Palestine from those plunderers.

[…]

The worst disease from which our nation suffers is the loss of freedom. We are not free to think or do what we want. Most of our countries have been ruled by emergency laws for decades. We cannot establish political parties. There were times when anybody could establish a party.

[…]

Nobody can establish a political party. The [rulers] will say that a certain party reeks of religion. What, is religion something that is forbidden? Just because I say: “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His messenger,” I am forbidden to participate in the political process in my own country?

They warn that the Copts might establish a political party. Let them do so. Who said that only the Church can speak for the Copts? I see no problem in having an Islamic or a Christian party.

[…]

I prefer to let people have the maximum freedom, in political, civic, and economic matters, over the implementation of the shari’a. I do not believe that the shari’a can be implemented in a just and proper manner in the shadow of tyranny and oppression.

[…]

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http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/2712.htm

December 3, 2010 Clip No. 2712

Sunni Scholar Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi on FIFA’s Selection of Qatar to Host 2022 World Cup: “America Wants to Have a Monopoly on Everything”

Following are excerpts from a Friday sermon delivered by Sunni scholar Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, which aired on Qatar TV on December 3, 2010:

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: I sat down yesterday, along with the people of Qatar, awaiting the results of the FIFI… What’s it called? FIFA. So I was watching, until it got to the point where Qatar was competing with America. I was taken over by excitement, and I said: May God eliminate America, and grant success to Qatar. Indeed, America was eliminated and Qatar was successful. Allah be praised. This is the first time we beat America in anything.

My excitement was increased by Obama’s statement. Obama appeared a little bit later, and delivered a really bad statement. He said that the FIFA decision was the “wrong decision.”

This is an indication of the bad politics of this man. He interfered in something that was done through elections and voting. It is inconceivable that Qatar can buy all these countries’ votes, while the US cannot. This demonstrates that America wants to have a monopoly on everything.

These people are the most arrogant on the face of the Earth. They refuse to allow us to have anything. They want to have a monopoly on politics, a monopoly on the economy, a monopoly on weapons, a monopoly on soccer and other sports, a monopoly on everything, without leaving us anything, as if we were not part of this world.

[…]

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http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/2670.htm

October, 2010 Clip No. 2670

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi Joins Crowds in Jihad Chants at Rally in Mauritania

Following are excerpts from a video-clip of a rally in Mauritania attended by Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, which was posted on the Internet on October 2010.

Omar Wild Hamadi: Don’t dream of a peaceful solution,

forget these dreams.

In the world, there are eagles and wolves,

but no doves.

Don’t dream of a peaceful solution,

forget these dreams.

In the world, there are eagles and wolves,

but no doves.

Rise and leave your home, don’t sit idly by.

Carry your grenades.

Leave the seat for the cowards,

put down the pens.

Rise and leave your home, don’t sit idly by.

Carry your grenades.

Leave the seat for the cowards,

put down the pens.

You shall write in your precious blood:

Long live Islam, long live Islam.

Don’t gaze into your heart,

take the path of the heroes.

Forget your wife, forget your father,

forget the children.

Don’t gaze into your heart,

take the path of the heroes.

Forget your wife, forget your father,

forget the children.

God Almighty will protect your child,

And the black-eyed virgins call you passionately:

Come on, come on.

God Almighty will protect your child,

And the black-eyed virgins call you passionately:

Come on, come on.

Even if your enemy is mighty, the war has its vicissitudes.

Even if your enemy is mighty, the war has its vicissitudes.

If canons are rare,

don’t despair, and grab a stone.

To the tyrant, a stone of your land

is like a flame of fire.

If canons are rare,

don’t despair, and grab a stone.

To the tyrant, a stone of your land

is like a flame of fire.

The enemy has killed your brothers –

rise to avenge their blood.

Avenge the blood of your brother,

your friend, and your neighbor.

The enemy has killed your brothers –

rise to avenge their blood.

Avenge the blood of your brother,

your friend, and your neighbor.

Avenge the honor of our nation,

wash away the shame.

Avenge the honor of our nation,

wash away the shame.

The tyranny of your enemies has lasted too long,

you must respond.

Rise and wage a resounding war,

like a roll of thunder.

The tyranny of your enemies has lasted too long,

you must respond.

Rise and wage a resounding war,

like a roll of thunder.

Rise and wage a resounding war,

like a roll of thunder.

You Lord has promised you victory

or eternal life.

You Lord has promised you victory

or eternal life.

If you live in a free man, with the support

of Allah, you will gain glory,

or else you will die a martyr and be blessed

with the fulfillment of the promise.

Audience member: Say: “Allah Akbar.”

Crowd: Allah Akbar.

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http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/2514.htm

April 16, 2010 Clip No. 2514

Egyptian Expert on Islamic Law Malika Zarrar Blasts Fatwas Permitting “Shameful” Sexual Practices

The following excerpts are from an interview with Malika Zarrar, an Egyptian expert on Islamic law, which aired on Al-Faraeen TV on April 16, 2010.

TV host: Today, we will talk about a Saudi Islamic scholar, who appeared on TV. This was a very strange event, which I will recap briefly. This was a televised lecture by a Saudi Islamic scholar, in which he described the black-eyed virgins of Paradise in explicit sexual terms. The sheik described the life of comfort that Allah awards Muslim men in Paradise and the 70 black-eyed virgins who would fall all over him. The sheik described the beauty of these virgins and their sexual drive: “One would place her lips on his, another would lay her cheek against his, and a third would place her breasts on his chest.”

[…]

Is this description of the virgins accurate, or is it exaggerated?

Malika Zarrar: This amounts to challenging Allah. I have one question. Where is the Saudi Authority for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice?! Where are all the Islamic scholars of Saudi Arabia?! They let such a person make a mockery of the Book of Allah?

[…]

He should be executed.

TV host: You are calling for him to be executed?

Malika Zarrar: Yes. I am addressing the Saudi king. What is this? The authority for prevention of Vice only knows how to catch girls without veils. Where are they now?! They should send me to Saudi Arabia.

[…]

Caller: My problem is that my husband is a very strange man. He’s not normal. He asks very bizarre things of me. He asked me to be together with him and his other wife. He put a lot of pressure on me. My problem is that I have nobody. Where would I go with my two children? I have nobody. My father is dead.

TV host: How long have you been married?

Caller: I’m his second wife. We’ve been married three and a half years.

TV host: During all that time, he has acted normally in bed, or has he asked bizarre things of you?

Caller: It happened a year ago, and I said okay once or twice.

TV host: Twice?

Caller: Yes. The problem is that then he asked me to do something else. The other wife has no problem with this. She goes along with it. She does whatever he tells her to do. He wanted to watch me and her having sex.

TV host: How old is he?

Caller: He’s putting pressure on me, and threatening to divorce me. I don’t have anybody. I haven’t seen the world. He’s the only man I’ve known.

[…]

Malika Zarrar: Divorce is inevitable in this case, because he is a pervert. The Islamic scholars and jurisprudents concur that if during sex, a woman cannot avoid being watched, touched, or heard – she must refrain from having sex.

TV host: This has nothing to do with obedience to the husband, right?

Malika Zarrar: What obedience? They are making fun of us. They took this business of obedience from Justinian, and they incorporated it in the French law of Napoleon Bonaparte. That law was abolished, but we cling to it with our teeth, because there is no clear ruling on this in Islamic law. There is no such thing as obedience to a human being while defying Allah.

TV host: I agree, but what should she do? Should she divorce him?

Malika Zarrar: You should divorce him, but that’s not all. You should take him to court, and I call upon the judiciary in Egypt and the judges not to rely upon the letter of the law. Even in the US, where they know nothing about Islam, matrimonial life is bound by the constitution.

TV host: Why don’t you say that the man is mentally ill and could be cured?

Malika Zarrar: He can go get cured at his family’s place or in a mental asylum. He can go to hell and take the other wife with him. What they are doing is a deliberate sin. Sexual relations between a man and a woman is a form of worship.

TV host: We will continue to discuss the topic, but we have some phone calls.

Malika Zarrar: What’s happening in Egypt, man?

TV host: What do you mean?

Malika Zarrar: What are these catastrophes we are hearing about? I heard that those accused of wife-swapping got off scot-free.

TV host: What?

Malika Zarrar: They got off scot-free because there is no law on this.

TV host: The case of the veiled teacher? They were found innocent?

Malika Zarrar: That’s right. There’s no law on this. They left the courthouse all smug.

[…]

TV host: Last week, it was said on a TV show that the female religious instructors focus so much on the hymen that high-school girls are driven to engage in lesbian relations with their peers. They think it is better for them to have perverted sexual relations – even with guys – than to have their hymen torn. Do you think that your exaggerated focus on the hymen has led to girls resorting to anal sex…

Malika Zarrar: Ahmad, you were in high school, just like me, and you could see for yourself. When did we ever talk about such things? By the way, you deserve the Egyptian State Prize or a Nobel Prize for raising topics that interest people. You remember the days when we would talk and they would cut us off the air…

[…]

TV host: Let’s talk about a peculiar fatwa that was discussed five years ago. We discussed it again two years ago and then again last week. The Mufti of Egypt permitted hymen reconstruction on wedding anniversaries. We are not talking about Valentine’s Day or the Sham Al-Nasim holiday, but about the wedding anniversary that each couple celebrates. What is your view on this?

Malika Zarrar: Whose ruling was this?

TV host: The Mufti of Egypt, Dr. Ali Gum’a, said that this is allowed if it makes the couple happy.

Malika Zarrar: By God, Dr. Ali Gum’a, don’t deal with trivial things. Instead of undergoing surgery, she can use that crap they sell for 15 Egyptian pounds… How much does it cost now? 25 Egyptian pounds…

TV host: By “crap” you are referring to the Chinese-made artificial hymen?

Malika Zarrar: Yes. Honorable Mufti, if you’ve got spare time on your hands, I’ll find you something to do.

[…]

A woman should do whatever she decides. She doesn’t need Dr. Ali Gom’a to adjust his turban and issue a fatwa.

TV host: 70,000 fatwas were issued by Dar Al-Iftaa. What’s the problem with this fatwa?

Malika Zarrar: It’s permitted. Anything is permitted except undergoing surgery.

TV host: How can you reconstruct the hymen without surgery?

Malika Zarrar: There’s an alternative – that rubbish they’re bringing from China. That crap.

[…]

TV host: Recently, Dr. Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi said that the jurisprudents had ruled that a woman may kiss her husband’s genitals and vice versa. But if it is done for the purpose of ejaculation, this is detestable. Do you agree with Sheik Al-Qaradhawi that this is permissible, or not?

Malika Zarrar: Agree?! What is this audacity? There is no shame left!

TV host: Forget about the shame for a moment – is it allowed or not?

Malika Zarrar: What did he say?

TV host: He said it was permitted.

Malika Zarrar: Then let him bear the responsibility.

TV host: So you think it’s forbidden?

Malika Zarrar: Let him bear the responsibility. What is this?!

TV host: What do you think, Dr. Malika? Is it forbidden?

Malika Zarrar: Anything that goes beyond the boundaries of shame… If you have no shame, do whatever you like.

TV host: Forbidden, then.

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http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/2482.htm

May 14, 2010 Clip No. 2482

Top Sunni Scholar Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: What Was Taken By the Sword Will Not Be Restored by the Pen

The following excerpts are from a sermon given by leading Sunni scholar Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, which aired on Qatar TV on May 14, 2010.

Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: “Allah has certainly heard the saying of those who said: Surely Allah is poor and we are rich.” This was said by the Jews, who affronted Allah. “The Jews said: Allah’s hands are bound. May their own hands be bound, and may they be cursed for saying so.” They said: “Allah is poor and we are rich, because He wants to borrow from us, when He says: ‘Who will lend Allah a goodly loan’.” They say: “We lend money to Allah, and whoever borrows money is poor, while whoever lends money is rich. We lend money to Allah, and therefore, we are rich and He is poor.” This is how insolent the [Jews] are, may Allah curse them.

[…]

We used to say that we would struggle, fight, and wage Jihad, until we regain our rights, because what was taken by force will only be restored by force, and what was taken by the sword will not be restored by the pen or the word. Unfortunately, however, we have abandoned this, and we have taken the path of the so-called “peaceful solution.” We have made one concession after another.

[…]

Some of us are still panting after that joke of peace, that mirage of peace, or that peaceful mirage. What have we gotten from this joke, from this lengthy process of negotiations, which fail and are resumed time and again? The negotiations are resumed under different names: “Indirect negotiations,” “direct negotiations,” “mediated negotiations,” “unmediated negotiations,” the “two-state solution,” “the Roadmap” – you name it. It is all utter nonsense. Only through resistance can we restore our rights.

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http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/2451.htm

April 2-5, 2010 Clip No. 2451

New Sheik of Al-Azhar Warns against Shiitization of Sunni Societies and States: A Copt Cannot Become the Leader of Egypt

Following are excerpts from interviews with the Sheik of Al-Azhar, Dr. Ahmad Al-Tayeb, which aired on Al-Arabiya TV on April 2, 2010 and on BBB Arabic TV on April 5, 2010:

Al-Arabiya TV:

Interviewer: With regard to the new fatwas on women’s issues – every day, we hear such fatwas, like allowing women to lead men in prayer. Where were these fatwas all this time, and why are they being issued now?

[……]

Dr. Ahmad Al-Tayeb: These fatwas on women’s issues were not issued by Al-Azhar. There is not a single Al-Azhar scholar who claims that it is permissible for women to lead men in prayer. Al-Azhar has always taught that women cannot lead men in prayer, but there is nothing wrong with leading women in prayer. These things are meant to cause confusion, and to undermine social and religious stability in Islamic societies.

[…]

We are against normalization of relations [with Israel]. We have declared, live on TV, that we oppose this normalization, and that we are against people visiting Jerusalem under Israeli colonialism. This is the position of Al-Azhar. We are independent.

[…]

I think it is important to allow [Iranian students] to study at Al-Azhar, so that they will get to know the Sunni doctrine. The only thing I am against is Shiite proselytizing in Sunni countries. I oppose this categorically. I am against proselytizing. I am against the formation of Shiite cells among the Sunni youth, in Egypt or elsewhere.

[…]

Interviewer: Don’t you think that the Shiite students who come from Iran might have a political agenda, rather than the desire to strengthen ties?

Dr. Ahmad Al-Tayeb: We will be vigilant about this, of course. We will neutralize any political agenda of the Shiite students. On this we are in agreement with many Shiite scholars in Iran. Just as they reject any Sunni attempt to convert Shiite youth to the Sunni denomination, we have the same right, and we must exercise it.

There is rapprochement in the theological aspect, but if traps are set for the Sunni youth, so that they will convert to Shia, and form a Shiite center, which will lead to fighting… This has nothing to do with Islam or with ideological matters. This is a purely political matter.

[…]

BBC Arabic TV:

Interviewer: Sheik Al-Qaradhawi has warned against a Shiitization campaign in Sunni societies. Do you share his fears?

Dr. Ahmad Al-Tayeb: Yes, absolutely. I have identified a plan or movement not toward Shiite-Sunni rapprochement, but toward the Shiitization of Sunni youth. Just as I would not accept a campaign in Tehran of Najaf to make Shiite youth convert to the Sunni doctrine, I will never agree to a similar Shiite campaign in any Sunni country.

[…]

For a non-Muslim to rule a country with a Muslim majority is illogical and unacceptable, in terms of religion, as well as democracy. Otherwise, you should let me make a Muslim the ruler of Britain. Would you accept such a thing?

Interviewer: Since you believe in democracy – what if a Copt presents his candidacy?

Dr. Ahmad Al-Tayeb: Sir, presenting candidacy is open [to everyone], within certain constraints. Nobody is preventing anyone from doing so. But if you are talking about a member of a minority ruling a country, bring a member of your Muslim minority, and make him or her British PM, Queen of England, or U.S. President. If this seems conceivable to you – you can ask me these questions when you have done this.

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http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/2394.htm

February 8, 2010 Clip No. 2394

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi Reiterates His Support of Suicide Bombings and States: Women and Copts Are Allowed to Run for President in Egypt

The following are excerpts from an interview with Islamic scholar Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, which aired on BBC Arabic on February 8, 2010.

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: If Egypt cares only about its own security, it is free to do what it wants. But Egypt bears Arab and Islamic responsibility. I believe that the defense of Gaza is not the duty of its people alone, but of all Arabs and Muslims.

[…]

Interviewer: Are you implying that Egyptian national security must be conditional upon Arab and Islamic security?

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: Brother, don’t you care about anything except for Egypt’s national security? Let me tell you something. If your fatwas correspond to the positions of the state, you are considered a great mufti and scholar, but if you disagree with them, they level accusations against you. For example, in Al-Azhar’s Islamic Research Council, we have been studying the issue of organ transplants for several months. The government was seeking a fatwa permitting organ transplants. When I agreed with the government, all of a sudden, I was great.

[…]

Interviewer: If we want to draw a relation between Egyptian national security, and Arab and Islamic national security…

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: Don’t you have anything else to deal with except Egypt’s national security?

Interviewer: Let me finish this point, please. If Egyptian national security…

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: This is very strange. You brought me here, just so you can waste the entire show on Egypt’s national security and the wall.

Interviewer: Let us conclude the issue with the following question: If Egypt’s national security depends upon Arab national security…

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: I won’t respond to this question.

[…]

I condemn the presence of the [US military] base in Qatar, as well as the presence of an official Israeli bureau in Qatar. I have condemned this publicly, as the people of Qatar, and especially the Emir of Qatar, know. I’m not embellishing the truth.

When Peres visited Qatar after the Qana massacre, I delivered a sermon, in which I said that those who shook hands with Peres should wash their hands seven times, one of those times in dirt.

[…]

It has been said that [Abbas] called for the [Israeli] invasion of Gaza. I said that if this is proven to be true, it is not enough to sentence him to death, but that he must be stoned, because he is the president of Palestine, and a president who calls for the invasion of his people has no right to live. His people should stone him to death.

[…]

I supported martyrdom operations, and I was not the only one. Hundreds of Islamic scholars supported these operations. When the Islamic Jurisprudence Council convened in Kuwait, hundreds of scholars signed their names to a fatwa [supporting such operations]. This is a necessary thing, as I told them in London. Give the Palestinians tanks, airplanes, and missiles, and they won’t carry out martyrdom operations. They are forced to turn themselves into human bombs, in order to defend their land, their honor, and their homeland.

Interviewer: Sheik Al-Qaradhawi, I’d like you to explain this point calmly, if possible. Does this necessity justify the killing of civilians in such operations?

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: The [Palestinians] has been making sure that civilians are not killed. They always look for concentrations of soldiers. If a civilian is killed, it is not intentional.

Interviewer: So your position is different when these operations take place in places with civilians, like markets, right?

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: They didn’t mean to do this, and in any case, they are not infallible. Mistakes can happen.

[…]

I will not sit down with anybody who approves of Israel. I have refused to participate in any Jewish-Christian-Islamic dialogue. I welcome Christian-Islamic dialogue, but if a Jew comes into it, I say that I will not sit on the same podium with a Jew who recognizes Israel.

Interviewer: But there are Arab countries and leaders who have recognized Israel, aren’t there?

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: Yes, there are.

Interviewer: And you are not prepared to sit down with them either?

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: With whom?

Interviewer: With the Arab countries and leaders who have recognized Israel?

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: Brother, are you comparing the Arabs with the Zionists who plundered my land, spilled my blood, and drove my people out?

Interviewer: Sheik Al-Qaradhawi, we hard you say: “anyone who recognizes Israel.”

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: I meant the Jews who recognize Israel. I will not share a podium with any Jew who recognizes Israel, in a dialogue or anything else.

[…]

Sheik Al-Qaradhawi, at the same time that you called for supporting Hizbullah – and indeed, you supported it – you also stated that you consider its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, to be a fanatic, like all Shiites. Did you say this?

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: Yes, I did.

Interviewer: On what basis did you say that he was fanatic?

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: There are things that indicate this. He did not have a clear-cut response when I attacked the Shiites for not… They do not implement things that we agree upon on Sunni-Shiite conferences. When I attacked them, they attacked me harshly. I expected him to say something that would do me justice. After all, we have good relations, and I have always stood in his defense against people who issued fatwas forbidding support for Hizbullah. But he did not say a word [in my defense]. However, he is not one of the extreme fanatics.

[…]

There was not a single Shiite in Egypt, since the days of Saladin. Now there are Shiites in Egypt, who write in newspapers, who pen books, and who appear on TV. Isn’t that poof [of Shiite proselytizing]? This is happening in several Arab countries, which did not have a single Shiite. This is proof. We are receiving information from various countries. I am not secluded from the world. I head an international institute with scholars from all countries, and we receive information. I am not making anything up. This is not what we agreed upon in our [interfaith] conventions. We agreed, among other things, that one denomination should not try to spread into countries of the other. They did not honor this.

[…]

Interviewer: Sheik Al-Qaradhawi, you described the Shiites as – and I quote – “heretics.” Then you call for Sunni-Shiite rapprochement. Do you want Sunnis to become close to “heretics,” as you call them?

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: Yes. We have conducted dialogue with the Christians, and we are not calling for dialogue with the Eastern idolatrous religions – Buddhism, Hinduism, and others. So how can we not conduct dialogue with Muslims, whose [ideology] contains heresy – for which we condemn them? This does not mean that they are not Muslims. The fact that they are heretics does not exclude them from the community of Muslims, unless their heresy is of the kind that turns a Muslim into an infidel.

[…]

Interviewer: Am I correct in saying that you are against Christian proselytizing?

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: Yes, I am. All Muslims are against Christian proselytizing. Who can accept Muslims being converted to Christianity? No one can accept this.

Interviewer: Are you also against spreading the call for Islam in the West, among non-Muslims?

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: Of course not. I support the spreading of the call for Islam. I believe that Islam is the true religions, with which Allah sealed the [monotheistic] messages. But this cannot be achieved by treating people as fools – by giving people money, like they do, in order to make them convert. They convert the poor to Christianity by paying them. We condemn this.

[…]

I support all liberties, and I consider freedom to be sacred. I have often said – and this has angered some Islamists – that freedom takes precedence over implementing Islamic law. I say that before we implement Islamic law, we must achieve freedom. We cannot implement Islamic law in a society devoid of liberties.

Interviewer: Do you believe that when a Muslim wants to convert to Christianity, this constitutes freedom of belief?

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: If a person is really free, he has the right to change his religion. However, we must give him a chance, try to get him to repent, understand why he is changing his religion. A Muslim cannot possibly want to change his monotheistic religion, unless there is something wrong with him. This has been proven by history. Those who try to leave the fold of Islam do so, I’m sad to say, for other – non-religious – considerations.

[…]

Interviewer: Sheik Al-Qaradhawi, you have criticized the ban [on building] minarets in Switzerland, haven’t you?

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: Yes, of course.

Interviewer: But do you accept, at the same time… Even if it has been permitted to build churches in some Arab countries, especially in the Gulf, [Christians] are forbidden to raise crosses or to build belfries, under the pretext that these are religious symbols. How can you accept one, but not the other?

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: Here in Qatar, the building of some churches has been permitted – each church belonging to a different denomination. I did not denounce this.

[…]

Interviewer: In some Islamic countries, there is a complete ban on building churches. What is your view on this?

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: Nowhere is there a complete ban on this, except in Hijaz, which has a special status in Islam. It is considered the fortress of Islam, and it belongs purely to Islam. It is like the Vatican. Nobody will build a mosque in the Vatican.

[…]

Interviewer: Would you accept a Copt as a candidate for the Egyptian presidency, just like you issued a fatwa permitting a woman’s candidacy to the position of judge?

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: Yes.

Interviewer: So you don’t have a problem with a Copt running for president in Egypt?

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: It is not a problem.

Interviewer: But isn’t it considered a position of “general rule”?

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: What is forbidden to non-Muslims and women is presenting their candidacy to the position of Caliph, who heads the Islamic nation. This is a religious position, not merely a political one. Egypt and the other [Muslim] countries are considered to be a region within the greater Islamic state.

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http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/2350.htm

January 7, 2010 Clip No. 2350

Sheik Al-Qaradhawi Suggests that Mahmoud Abbas Should Be Stoned to Death and Is Rebuked by PA Minister of Religious Endowments

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The following are excerpts from a statement by Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, which aired on Qatar TV on January 7, 2010, and a response by PA Minister of Religious Endowments Mahmoud Al-Habbash, which aired on PA TV on January 12, 2010.

Qatar TV, January 7, 2010

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: I have called upon the Arab League, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, and several objective dignitaries, to investigate this issue. If it is proven that [Mahmoud Abbas] incited Israel to strike Gaza, he deserves not merely to be executed, but to be stoned to death. That is what I said, and I do not think anybody can refute this – not even Mahmoud Abbas himself.

Can he possibly deny that someone who betrays his people, and calls upon his enemy to strike at his own people with air raids and bombs… Execution is not enough for someone who calls for this. He should be stoned to death, just like the man who guided Abraha to Mecca, in order to destroy Kaaba.

[…]

PA TV, January 12, 2010

Mahmoud Al-Habbash: The Prophet Muhammad said: “Cursing a Muslim constitutes moral depravity, and fighting a Muslim constitutes heresy.” When a person dares to curse a Muslim, he engages in moral depravity. This is not my own personal judgment, but the exact words of the hadith of the Prophet Muhammad.

According to this reliable hadith, the cursing of a Muslim constitutes moral depravity. When any Muslim dares to curse another Muslim, this amounts to moral depravity – all the more so when it is done by a scholar, who is considered by some to be a source of authority in Islamic law. He dares to curse, to slander, to make unfounded accusations, and to sanction the killing, execution, and stoning of people. He uses black incitement against a Muslim. This is the height of moral depravity.

[…]

Those who called for the stoning of President [Abbas] – and this is foolish and distasteful – are required by Islamic law to retract their words and apologize. I personally have demanded and continue to demand, an apology – in the name of the PA and in the name of every Palestinian, from Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, in particular. This is an Islamic, religious, and moral requirement. He must apologize for what he said against the president and the Palestinian people.

[…]

[Qaradhawi and other] Islamic scholars who went to Afghanistan in 2003 in order to save the Buddah statues – we did not hear a single one of them issue a condemnation, and none of them seethed with anger, when the house of Allah – the Ibn Taymiyyah Mosque – was destroyed in Rafah, with the people in it. People were killed inside the mosque. We did not hear anybody speak up.

This peculiar selectivity is based solely on partisan interests, not the interests of the Islamic nation. What is consistent with the party’s [agenda], we accept, and what runs counter to it, we reject, even if it pertains to the core of the Islamic faith, and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad.

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http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/2325.htm

January 1-3, 2010 Clip No. 2325

Islamic Scholar Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: US Responsible for Attempted Airplane Bombing; Egypt-Gaza Border Is “Artificial”

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The following are excerpts from interviews with Islamic scholar Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, which aired on Al-Jazeera TV (Qatar) on January 1 and 3, 2010.

January 1, 2010

Interviewer: A young Nigerian man tried to blow up an American airplane. What is the origin of this behavior? What is your reaction? Who bears responsibility for this behavior?

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: Look, responsibility for this lies, first and foremost, with America. It is America that provoked the Muslims of the world with its positions that have nothing to do with justice. America always supports injustice and tyranny. It supports the Zionist entity. Responsibility lies, first and foremost, with the American positions. Then, there are the positions of the Muslims. The Muslims and their religious scholars also bear responsibility, as well as their leaders and the shameful positions of these leaders.

Every day we witness more positions like this, the last of which was the steel wall – the Wall of Death – which they want to build between the brothers in the Egyptian Rafah and the Palestinian Rafah. I’d like to tell you a story. The first time I visited Gaza was in 1957, after my release from military prison. They told me: “This is the Rafah border.” It was merely a wooden barrier that they lift to let you through. I was standing there, between the two parts of Rafah – one foot in Egypt and the other in Palestine. There are no borders. These countries and borders are artificial. They were drawn up by Sykes and Picot and by colonialism. It was all one country, which the jurisprudents used to call Dar Al-Islam [“The House of Islam”], and not “The Houses of Islam.”

It is these positions that provoke these young men. I denounce this, of course. I denounce any action like the hijacking or bombing of an airplane. More than 20 years ago, I issued a fatwa, categorically prohibiting the hijacking of airplanes. What have the passengers done to deserve having their plane destroyed, or having any of them killed? It is not their fault. You should not punish them for something done by others. However, we must search for the deep-rooted reasons for this indiscriminate, futile, or violent behavior. This behavior has not emerged out of the blue. It has its reasons. If we want to treat something, we must treat its reasons.

January 3, 2010

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: A steel wall! Each unit of this wall is 50 centimeters thick, and it is sunk 20-30 meters into the ground. What is this for? They said: “For the sake of Egyptian national security. It is in order to defend Egyptian national security.” That poor Egyptian national security… The people of Gaza, who are poor, hungry, needy, and oppressed, jeopardize Egyptian national security!

Hear this, oh people – the people of Gaza, not Israel, jeopardize Egyptian security. Does this make sense? Have people lost their minds so much that they say such things? When have the people of Gaza ever jeopardized Egypt? All this was intended to give Israel an opportunity to tyrannize the Palestinians more and more. The Rafah crossing – the “lung of life” through which the Palestinians breathe – must be opened and must remain open. This is an obligation according to Islamic law, the norms, moral values, and common law. All the principles of this world necessitate this. But due to strange and peculiar considerations, the crossing is closed.

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http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/2300.htm

December 11, 2009 Clip No. 2300

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: Celebrating Christmas in Muslim Countries Is Prohibited; Obama Does Not Deserve the Nobel Peace Prize

Following are excerpts from a sermon delivered by Islamic scholar Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, which aired on Qatar TV on December 11, 2009.

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: Brothers, I would like to talk to you about two issues. First, I would like to talk about what is going on in our countries these days. I could almost ask what kind of society we are living in – Muslim or Christian. What is going on in the shops and on the streets of Doha – all these celebrations of the so-called birth of Jesus, the so-called Christmas? It is as if we are living in a Christian European country.

[…]

We do not even celebrate [the birth] of the Prophet Muhammad, but we celebrate Christmas?! Christmas trees, 4 or 5 meters high, are erected in shops, which are owned by families known to be Muslim. What is this?! It means that the nation is abandoning its Muslim identity. Islam wants us to maintain our Islamic uniqueness. They prevent us from building minarets… I was just talking about that last week. They banned the building of minarets, and they are about to ban the building of mosques. 41% of the people polled in France [support] preventing the building of mosques, while 47% support the banning of minarets as well as a mosques. Even the mosques…

Are the Muslims in Europe and America – and there are millions of them in some countries – able to celebrate Ramadhan and the Muslim holidays in the city centers, like some people do in our Arab and Muslim countries and cities, in the Arabian Peninsula? Is this conceivable?! What has happened to this nation?!

I call upon these shop owners… Just for a profit… They do it for money… People who want to buy will come without all this. Why do you pretend to celebrate a religion that is not yours, when they are preventing us from performing our rites? They prevent us from building a beautiful minaret, which is considered a beautiful piece of architecture, regardless of the religious aspect.

[…]

Brothers, I wanted to convey my message, and warn my people that this is prohibited, shameful, and inappropriate. It points to stupidity in the treatment of others, and ignorance of what Islam obliges us to do about this.

There is another issue that I wanted to talk about in brief. Obama received the Nobel Peace Prize. I don’t know why they gave him this prize. What did Mr. Obama accomplish to deserve this peace prize? There is no peace in Iraq. There is no peace in Afghanistan. There is no peace in Somalia. There is no peace in any country. He hasn’t even managed to force Israel to cease its settlement activity.

[…]

He withdrew some soldiers from Iraq, only to send them to Afghanistan – from one war to another, from one bloodshed to another. Blood continues to be shed in Iraq and in Afghanistan, and I should add Pakistan, Yemen, Sudan, and so on. The world is boiling with war, so what did Mr. Obama get the Nobel Peace Prize for?

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http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/2290.htm

December 7, 2009 Clip No. 2290

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi Threatens a Boycott on Switzerland if “We Despair of Other Measures”

Following are excerpts from an interview with Sunni scholar Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, which aired on Al-Jazeera TV on December 7, 2009.

Interviewer: As observers have noted, the war in Europe has shifted from fighting the so-called terrorism, extremism, and extremists to fighting Islam itself and its symbols. How did this change take place, and why?

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: I’m telling you, it’s a complex – a complex that has been passed down since ancient times, ever since Islam vanquished them. It is a complex that calls for psychological analysts. That is why they keep inventing something new.

At one stage, they talked about Islamic extremism and confronted it. Then they said… After saying: “Beware of the extremist Islam,” they began to say: “Beware of the moderate Islam. Extremist Islam is short-term and will not last long. What will continue to exist and to influence is moderate Islam.” They would warn about moderate Islam, and they considered it more dangerous and influential [then extremist Islam]. Then they began [to talk about] fundamental Islam and political Islam. Then the issue of terrorism arose, after incidents of September 2001, and the fanning of the flames of terrorism.

The truth is that whoever reads their statements, and collects them, and reads the lines and what’s between the lines realizes that they mean Islam, not terrorism. In some of his statements, Bush said that the Muslims are Fascist and deserve a new Crusade. When his advisors drew his attention to the danger underlying his statements against all Muslims, he apologized for them, and so on.

[…]

The complexes are what lead people to say: “Minarets today [will lead to] the implementation of the Shari’a tomorrow. What implementation of Shari’a? Even in countries that are purely Islamic, we have not been able to… The Organization of the Islamic Conference consists of 50-something countries. How many of them implement the Shari’a? If the original Islamic countries do not implement the Shari’a, how can we possibly implement it in Switzerland?!

[…]

The Muslims have a right to be angry. Today, Colonel Qadhafi said: “If that’s the situation, we must reconsider the building of churches [in Muslim countries], and our relations with Christianity.” Of course, everything… For every action there is a reaction.

[…]

If you are beaten, will you keep silent? Anyone who is oppressed must breathe, and anyone who is beaten must shout. If Switzerland does not comply [with the Muslims’ demands], it is the Muslims’ duty, not just their right, to withdraw their money from the Swiss [banks]. There are billions in Switzerland. Switzerland was known as a safe and neutral country of liberties, but it is no longer that kind [of country]. If it is no longer like that, we should treat it accordingly.

[…]

Tens of thousands of [Muslim] tourists visit Switzerland. This year, people must say: No. What happened has consequences. There are Swiss products [which can be banned]. I am saying this now, but only after we despair of all [other] measures. It is our right to use this method. These are all weapons in our hands, but we will not resort to them yet. At present, we will try to use the weapons of media and the law, and try to influence the others. We will try to change the stereotypical image of Islam, which is implanted in the minds of the Europeans.

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http://www.memritv.org/clip_transcript/en/2138.htm

June 5, 2009 Clip No. 2138

Sunni Scholar Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi Protests: Obama Drew a Parallel between the Koran and the Bible

Following are excerpts from a Friday sermon delivered by Sunni scholar Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, which aired on Qatar TV on June 5, 2009.

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: The man [Obama] tried to quote from the Koran, as well as from the Torah and the New Testament. He drew a parallel between the Koran and the Torah in their call for peace. He quoted the Talmud and the Torah as saying that the Torah calls for peace. Never have I seen a single verse, paragraph, or sentence in the Torah which calls for peace. Everything in the Torah constitutes a call for war. They even call God “Lord of Hosts” – they don’t call Him “Lord of the Universe” or “the Compassionate, the Merciful.”

[…]

[The Torah contains] the notion of annihilation. We saw it when the Europeans went to America – they tried to annihilate the Indians. When they went to Australia, they tried to annihilate the aboriginal people. Indeed, they annihilated them. This is a biblical notion – annihilate them totally, do not leave a living soul among them. How could Obama draw a parallel between the Koran and the Torah?

In any case, we must not be too optimistic about his speech, but perhaps it is a step [forward]. Perhaps the man will change American policy, even if partially and in stages. Unfortunately, however, we have seen him pulling the soldiers out from Iraq, only to send them to Afghanistan. He replaces one war with another – both against the Muslims.

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http://www.memritv.org/clip_transcript/en/2103.htm

May 8, 2009 Clip No. 2103

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi Criticizes Jordan for Hosting the Pope: He Should First Apologize for Affronting Islam and the Prophet Muhammad

Following is an excerpt from a Friday sermon delivered by Sunni Islamist scholar Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, which aired on Qatar TV on May 8, 2009:

Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: [With regard to] the Vatican Pope’s visit to the Jordanian kingdom – the Islamists there protested against the Pope’s visit, and I join them in their protest, because the Pope affronted the religion of Islam and its Messenger, when, in a sermon in Germany, a few months after his election – without any preliminaries or justifications – he attacked Islam, calling it a religion of violence, and attacked the Messenger of Islam, saying that he didn’t introduce anything new, and that he spread his religion by the sword.

Therefore, we in the World Association of Muslim Scholars protested against him, and demanded that he apologize to the nation of Islam for his affronts. Everybody makes mistakes. He had an opportunity to say: I didn’t mean it, I did not mean to affront the Muslims, it was a slip of the tongue, or something like that. But he did not do so. Therefore, the World Association of Muslim Scholars has decided to freeze its relations with the Pope and the Vatican, until he apologizes or says something that will cover or erase this. This has yet to happen. Therefore, we expected the Jordanian officials to say to him: Before you come here, we want you to say something to rectify your relations with the Muslims.

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http://www.memritv.org/clip_transcript/en/2057.htm

February 20, 2009 Clip No. 2057

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: The Arabs Should Obtain Nuclear Weapons for Deterrence

Following are excerpts from a sermon by Sunni Islamic scholar Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, which aired on Qatar TV on February 20, 2009.

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: The Prophet Muhammad wanted peace that is based on strength. He does not want the peace of the weak, the peace of those who disappoint, the peace of those who surrender – like the peace Israel wants to impose on us and the Palestinians. That is not peace. That is what Allah meant when he said: “And do not falter and cry for peace when you have the upper hand, for Allah is with you, and will not refrain from [rewarding] you for your actions.” Peace that is based on delusion and submission is not peace. The Prophet Muhammad wanted peace that is based on strength. Therefore, the Koran referred to this, saying: “Prepare against them what force and steeds of war you can, to strike terror in the hearts of the enemies of Allah and of your own enemies, and others besides them, whom you do not know, but Allah knows.” “Prepare against them what force and steeds of war you can.”

A few days ago, a Muslim asked me if we were allowed to possess WMDs – nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. I said to him: “Yes, we must possess such weapons, but not use them.” We must possess such weapons in order to strike terror in our enemies – “Strike terror in the hearts of the enemies,” and frighten them. If we had nuclear weapons, they would be afraid to attack us, as was the case between the Soviet Union and the Americans, and between India and Pakistan. This is armed peace.

We must acquire [military] strength. “Prepare against them what force and steeds of war you can, to strike terror in the hearts of the enemies of Allah and of your own enemies.” The “steeds of war” of our times are tanks, armored vehicles, and submarines. These are the steeds of our times. It is not enough to equip ourselves with horses in order to confront tanks. Horses can only be used for certain things. Each generation must prepare its own devices with which to strike terror in the enemies of Allah. We do not want to attack anybody, but to strike fear in our enemies, so that they will not attack us.

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http://www.memritv.org/clip_transcript/en/2005.htm

January 28-30 Clip No. 2005

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: Allah Imposed Hitler upon the Jews to Punish Them – “Allah Willing, the Next Time Will Be at the Hand of the Believers”

Following are excerpts from speeches delivered by Sunni Islamic scholar Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, which aired on Al-Jazeera TV on January 28 and 30, 2009.

January 30, 2009:

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: Throughout history, Allah has imposed upon the [Jews] people who would punish them for their corruption. The last punishment was carried out by Hitler. By means of all the things he did to them – even though they exaggerated this issue – he managed to put them in their place. This was divine punishment for them. Allah willing, the next time will be at the hand of the believers.

[…]

January 28, 2009:

To conclude my speech, I’d like to say that the only thing I hope for is that as my life approaches its end, Allah will give me an opportunity to go to the land of Jihad and resistance, even if in a wheelchair. I will shoot Allah’s enemies, the Jews, and they will throw a bomb at me, and thus, I will seal my life with martyrdom. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. Allah’s mercy and blessings upon you.

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http://www.memritv.org/clip_transcript/en/1979.htm

January 9, 2009 Clip No. 1979

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi Incites against Jews, Arab Regimes, and the U.S., and Calls on Muslims to Boycott Starbucks, Marks and Spencer

Following are excerpts from a Friday sermon delivered by Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, which aired on Al-Jazeera TV on January 9, 2009

:

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: I address my first message to the aggressor Jews, those arrogant plunderers, who act arrogantly toward the servants of Allah in the land of Allah.

[…]

In the past, the Jews spread corruption in the land twice, and Allah punished them both times, by setting as masters upon them people who tormented them, humiliated them, and made them bow their heads. This is what they did in history, and it is well known that Allah set as master upon them the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, who took them into captivity. He destroyed their homes, razed their temples, and burned their Torah, and took them into captivity in Babylon for seventy years. Then they repeated their deeds, so He set the Romans as masters upon them.

[…]

The Jews have lived as dhimmis in our land for a long time, and no Muslim violated the covenant with them. They were free, and were among the richest people of the nation. It reached the point that the Muslims envied them. They were close to the sultans, the kings, and the rulers of those times. Despite this, they were not faithful to the [covenant]. When they were banished from Europe, they found no compassionate bosom, no cave to shelter them, except for the lands of Islam. It was the Ottoman Empire, the Mameluke state, and the Islamic countries that received them with open arms, gave them shelter and protection, but when [the Jews] gained influence, they turned their backs on them, and we have become their victims.

This is one of the peculiarities of our times. The nation upon which abasement and humiliation was inflicted, and which drew the wrath of Allah – the people most covetous of life – we have become their victims. The cowards have grown bold in their attitude towards us, the weak and humiliated have grown strong in their dealings with us. The small birds in our land have turned into eagles, and the sheep have turned into wolves that devour us. What has befallen our nation?!

But Allah lies in wait for them, and He will not forsake this nation. He will not allow these people to continue to spread corruption in the land. We wait for the revenge of Allah to descend upon them, and, Allah willing, it will be by our own hands: “Fight them, Allah will torment them by your hands, and bring them to disgrace, and will assist you against them, and will heal the hearts of the believers, and you will still the anger of your hearts.” This is my message to the treacherous Jews, who have never adhered to what is right, or been true to their promises, who violate each time the promises them make to you.

My second message is addressed to the West, which collaborates with Zionism, and especially to America, which acts like a god on Earth. Nobody asks America about the things it does, and nobody holds it accountable for the things it says, because it is like a god in this world. It is America that supports Israel, whether right or wrong.

[…]

We say to the West, and especially to America, that Allah will not let you support falsehood. He will not let you support inequity against justice.

[…]

The USSR collapsed before their eyes. The USSR possessed military power, including a nuclear arsenal, but nevertheless, it collapsed. According to the law of Allah, they should collapse as well, unless they pull themselves together and stand by what is just. My message to the Muslim rulers in general, and to the Arab rulers in particular, is that they should be God-fearing with regard to their nation. The peoples have spoken, but the rulers have closed their ears, as if they cannot hear, and have covered their eyes as if they cannot see.

[…]

This nation is a great nation, but its problem lies with its rulers and its leaders, who are completely detached from the nation. If this goes on, these rulers will not be able to remain [in power], because they derive their legitimacy from the masses of their peoples, and if the peoples, these masses, leave them, they will lose all legitimacy. These rulers are desperate, powerless, and incapable of doing anything. They couldn’t even convene a summit. Is that so difficult?!

[…]

Oh rulers, this is a disgrace on your part. I do not want to say that this is prohibited, because many of you do not care about what is permitted or prohibited. But I say that it is a disgrace on your part to do nothing but watch while your brothers are being destroyed, slaughtered and tormented. This is extremely strange.

[…]

Are these [Arab rulers] the descendents of Abu ‘Ubayda, Khaled ibn Al-Walid, Tareq ibn Ziyad, and all our nation’s conquerors throughout the ages?! This is my message to our rulers: They should heed their peoples when they make their decisions, or else history will sweep them up with its broom.

[…]

Even though Gaza has no gateway except for Egypt, Israel is surrounded by several Arab states. Lebanon and Syria, Jordon, and Saudi Arabia are all neighbors of Israel, and whoever wanted to set out [on Jihad] from these countries could have done so, if the gateways were opened. But it is as if we have become the protectors of Israel.

[…]

Here in Qatar, we have a branch of Marks and Spencer, which regularly dedicates its Saturday revenue to Israel. We have a Starbucks, which serves coffee. They used to hand a sign on the doors of their shops: “We benefit our most important partner, which is Israel, we help in the education of students in Israel, we help build up the Israeli defense arsenal,” and so on. People go and drink their expensive coffee. Instead of paying 2 riyals for a cup of coffee, they pay 20 riyals. This Starbucks is Zionist. Why do we not teach the nation to make do with its own products, when possible, even if they are of lesser quality? This is the only way the nation will rise. My brothers, put the boycott against the nation’s enemies into action. Every riyal you pay turns into a bullet in the heart of your brothers in Gaza and in other Islamic countries.

[…]

Oh Allah, take your enemies, the enemies of Islam. Oh Allah, take the Jews, the treacherous aggressors. Oh Allah, take this profligate, cunning, arrogant band of people. Oh Allah, they have spread much tyranny and corruption in the land. Pour Your wrath upon them, oh our God. Lie in wait for them. Oh Allah, You annihilated the people of Thamoud at the hand of a tyrant, and You annihilated the people of ‘Aad with a fierce, icy gale. Oh Allah, You annihilated the people Thamoud at the hand of a tyrant, You annihilated the people of ‘Aad with a fierce, icy gale, and You destroyed the Pharaoh and his soldiers – oh Allah, take this oppressive, tyrannical band of people. Oh Allah, take this oppressive, Jewish, Zionist band of people. Oh Allah, do not spare a single one of them. Oh Allah, count their numbers, and kill them, down to the very last one.

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http://www.memritv.org/clip_transcript/en/1922.htm

October 17, 2008 Clip No. 1922

British Islamist Kamal Al-Hilbawi and Liberal Nabil Yassin Debate Whether Israeli Children Constitute Legitimate Military Targets

Following are excerpts from a TV debate featuring Dr. Kamal al-Hilbawi, director of the London Center for the Study of Terrorism, and political analyst Dr. Nabil Yassin, which aired on BBC Arabic TV on October 17, 2008:

Dr. Kamal Al-Hilbawi: I condemn the targeting of any civilian, but incidentally, I believe that every Israeli civilian is a future soldier.

Interviewer: He is what?

Dr. Kamal Al-Hilbawi: A future soldier.

Interviewer: Even if he is two years old?

Dr. Kamal Al-Hilbawi: Even if he is a child. A child born in Israel is raised on the belief that [the Arabs] are like contemptible sheep, and that this is a land without a people, and they are a people without a land. They have very strange concepts. In elementary school, they pose the following math problem: “In your village, there are 100 Arabs. If you killed 40, how many Arabs would be left for you to kill?” This is taught in the Israeli curriculum. What would you say about that? Should a child studying this be considered a civilian? He is a future soldier.

[…]

Dr. Nabil Yassin: What Kamal said is very dangerous. He is familiar with the case of the Kharijites. He takes us back to the Azariqa, the Kharijites who were most lethal to Muslims. They used to cut open the bellies of pregnant women, because they believed that the child would become an enemy of the Kharijites.

[…]

If we, as Arabs and Muslims, condemned every operation targeting civilians anywhere, we would be able to demand that all parties – not only the U.S. – commit themselves to the same position. I condemn the Israeli governments for teaching children such things, but I do not condemn the child, who still doesn’t know how he will kill the Arabs in 20 years’ time, when he becomes a soldier. We should differentiate… These things lead us back to the root of the problem: Who is a civilian, and who is a soldier, who is being targeted, and who is targeting me? We must not include civilians in the list of military targets.

[…]

Dr. Kamal Al-Hilbawi: We must first ask ourselves, with regard to the Polish or Russian Israeli, who came with his children to occupy a land and a home that are not his, expelling the Palestinians to America, Britain, France, and Lebanon – what is his status according to international law?

Interviewer: We don’t want to limit the show to the Palestinian cause and the Arab-Israeli struggle, we are talking about terrorism in general.

Dr. Kamal Al-Hilbawi: Allow me. I absolutely do not condone the killing of civilians. But those responsible for the killing of these civilians are sometimes their own relatives and their own country.

[…]

Dr. Nabil Yassin: In my view, Sheik Al-Qaradhawi is one of the people responsible for the development of religious violence, I’m sad to say.

Interviewer: Dr. Nabil, we don’t want to…

Dr. Nabil Yassin: Let’s be clear on that… Religious scholars issued fatwas…

Interviewer: We are not here to pass judgment on Sheik Al-Qaradhawi or anyone else.

Dr. Nabil Yassin: We need to be realistic. For 1,400 years, we’ve been speaking in the name of Islam, while concealing the facts of reality. There is a movement among the clerics – and I don’t believe in clerics, because there is not supposed to be any clergy in Islam… There is a group of clerics, or religious jurisprudents, who fuel the phenomenon of religious violence, provide religious justifications [for terrorism], and allow people to go to Paradise and marry the black-eyed virgins, by killing themselves and others, some of whom are Muslims.

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http://www.memritv.org/clip_transcript/en/1864.htm

September 05, 2008 Clip No. 1864

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: Muslim Nation Plagued by Tragedies, Like the Rule of the Cowardly Jews

Following are excerpts from a sermon by Sheik Yousef Al-Qaradhawi, former dean of Islamic law at Qatar University, which aired on Al-Jazeera TV on September 5, 2008.

Sheik Yousef Al-Qaradhawi: People are plagued by epidemics, they are stricken by tragedies, they are ruled by their enemies, they are defeated by [those who should be] the losers, they are treated with impudence by the cowards, and they are confronted with the insolence of the wretched, just as we see in the case of our nation in these times. The Jews, who were stricken with humiliation and misery – “Thou shall surely find them to be the most covetous of life of all people.” Those cowards have begun to tyrannize the Muslims, to rule the Muslims, and to do whatever they like in the land of the Muslims. Is there a catastrophe greater than this?

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http://www.memritv.org/clip_transcript/en/1783.htm

May 29, 2008 Clip No. 1783

Arab-American Psychiatrist Wafa Sultan Blasts Islam, the Prophet Muhammad and Sheik Al-Qaradhawi, and States: When You Criticize Their Prophet, It Is As If You Chopped Off Muslims’ Noses

Following are excerpts from an interview with Arab-American psychiatrist Wafa Sultan, which aired on Al-Hayat TV on May 29, 2008.

Wafa Sultan: When I examined the Koran, the hadith, and the Islamic books under a microscope, I came to the absolute conviction that it is impossible – impossible! – for any human being to read the biography of Muhammad and believe in it, and yet emerge a psychologically and mentally healthy person.

[…]

Do you remember the way that [the Prophet Muhammad] killed ‘Asmaa bint Marwan? His followers tore her body apart limb from limb, while she was breastfeeding her child. When they returned to him shouting “Allah Akbar,” he said: “No two goats will lock horns over her.” As you know, goals lock horns over the most inconsequential thing. For Muhammad, however, the killing of a woman while breastfeeding was too trivial a reason for goats “to lock horns over.” Is this a prophet of God?

[…]

It makes me very sad that Al-Jazeera TV allows an insane and terroristic creature like Al-Qaradhawi to use it as a medium for the spreading of his poisons, his terroristic fatwas, and his babbling. The words he used against me incited many young Muslims – who have been brainwashed and blindfolded, and who have been programmed to hate – to rain curses and threats upon me, right after the show in which he discussed my appearance on Al-Jazeera.

[…]

When Islam considers women to be deficient in reason, and I refute this assertion – in that case Islam attacks me, and I am merely attacking back. When Islam calls to kill whoever does not believe in it, and I refute this, in that case Islam attacks me, and I am merely attacking back. I do not attack Islam. I criticize it, but unfortunately, we, the victims of Islamic upbringing, view any criticism as an attack.

[…]

I always focus on the language – the language of Islam. The language of Islam is a negative, dead language, replete with violence, anger, hatred, and racism. Man is the product of language, the outcome of the negative and positive language to which he is exposed in this lifetime. If his life is dominated by negative language, he will emerge as a negative, reckless, and non-productive person, who rejects everything. On the other hand, if positive language dominates his life, he will emerge as a positive, happy, and productive person. This is why the negative language of Islam has failed. It has failed to produce people with a spontaneous and positive outlook. It has produced negative people. If we take a look at Islamic societies, we see what that negative man did.

[…]

I do not view Islam as a religion – according to my notion of religion. Islam is a political doctrine, which imposes itself by force. Any doctrine whatsoever that calls to kill those who do not believe in it is not a religion. It is a totalitarian doctrine that imposes itself by force. When I read, for example, the verse: “The adulterer and the adulteress – flog each of them with a hundred stripes, and do not let compassion for them move you” – I do not discern any spirituality in this verse. Whena certain faith manages to can strip its believers of their last grain of compassion, it strips them of their spirituality as well.

[…]

Jesus Christ is the symbol of peace. He did not carry a sword, chop off heads, or accuse anybody of heresy. The problem in Islam is that if we were to act similarly to the Christians of the Middle Ages, and we were to model our lives after the life, actions, and words of Muhammad, we would find ourselves in an even bigger mess than the one we are in, and we would end up like Osama Bin Laden and his ilk. Read about the life of Muhammad. What do you find there? Nothing but his raids and his wives, in addition to his hadiths, some of which make you shudder. I shudder when I hear the hadith: “A woman’s paradise is under her husband’s foot.”

[…]

The Islamic teachings have become dreadful in the skulls of the Muslims. I see no alternative but to open up these skulls, and to clean the life-threatening cancerous cells in these brains.

[…]

When the Syrian people swarmed the Danish embassy and burned it down, it burned my heart too. Why? The Syrian people are dying of hunger. The Syrians, despite their [ancient] civilization, chase after their daily bread. Why don’t they swarm the palace of their president, who has 40 billion dollars in European bank accounts, and burn down the palace, along with its occupant? They swarmed the Danish embassy, giving the West the wrong image of the moral and civilized Syrian people. Therefore, I describe their conduct as barbaric and backward.

[…]

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a religious conflict. I support the Palestinian cause. I support the Palestinian children. I lose sleep over the suffering of Palestinian women. I cannot even step on an ant, so how could I possibly be against them? This is inconceivable. This is a political conflict, and they should ask their leaders about what they have done to resolve the problem. But the problem is rooted in religion. A week or two ago, I read a short story in an Islamic book, according to which Muhammad was walking with some of his followers when they heard a commotion. They asked him: “What is this, Messenger of Allah?” He said: “These are the Jews being tormented in the grave.” Regardless of the conflicts Muhammad had with the Jews back then, this statement indicates that the graves of their ancestors were in Saudi Arabia, correct?

Interviewer: Yes.

Wafa Sultan: They are people of this region, as is evident from the Islamic books and the Koran itself.

[…]

The problem with the Muslims is that they do not distinguish between their prophet and their own noses. When you criticize Muhammad, his actions, and his life, it is as if you chopped off their noses.

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http://www.memritv.org/clip_transcript/en/1718.htm

March 16, 2008 Clip No. 1718

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi Accuses Arab-American Psychiatrist Wafa Sultan of Cursing Allah on Al-Jazeera TV

Following are excerpts from an Al-Jazeera TV program featuring, which aired on March 16, 2008:

Dr. Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: Many brothers here and abroad – more from abroad than from here – have called to ask me about the “Opposite Direction” [show on Al-Jazeera TV], and that woman [Wafa Sultan], who leveled accusations against Islam and the Muslims, and cursed Allah, His Prophet, the Islamic nation, the Shari’a, and the Islamic faith and culture. She did not omit anything. She was insolent and stopped at nothing. I know our colleague Dr. Faysal Al-Qassem apologized on the following show. I did not watch the [original] show, but I was given a recording. She said unbearable, ghastly things that made my hair stand on end. She had the audacity to publicly curse Allah, His Prophet, the Koran, the history of Islam, and the Islamic nation. She did not spare anything.

It was all based on ignorance. If only she had some knowledge… But she doesn’t have any knowledge. She doesn’t know the Koran or the Sunna. When she cited a hadith to back up her statements, she used a hadith that scholars consider unreliable. The Prophet said: “Allah has given me sustenance under the shadow of my sword.” This hadith is unreliable. The Prophet did not get sustenance by the sword. If she had read the Koran, she would have known that it forbids killing people: “Anyone who kills another person for any reason other than manslaughter or spreading corruption in the land – it is as if he has killed all of mankind.”

[…]

In all the raids conducted by the Prophet Muhammad, he was the one attacked. If she knew anything about the Koran and the Sunna… She should read the Torah and tell us what it says. With regard to distant cities, the Torah says: “Slay all their males by the sword.” It does not exclude elderly men or children. As for the nearby cities of Palestine, which they call the Promised Land, the Torah says: “When you enter them, annihilate everyone, and do not leave a breathing soul.” The concept of annihilation originated in the Torah. What does that woman have to say about this? This is the Torah in which Bush and the Christian Right believe.

What does that woman have to say about this? She defends the West and sanctions the killing of Muslims in Gaza and elsewhere, claiming that they deserve to be killed. I do not want to discuss this at length, but in my view, this woman had the audacity to affront all that is sacred – the entire Islamic nation, its past, its present, and its future. She had the audacity to affront the Prophet, the Koran, and Allah. She even said that Allah prattles in the Koran. She did not omit anything sacred. How was she allowed to appear on Al-Jazeera TV? I placed the blame on brother Faysal Al-Qassem. After all the things she said, he says: “I thank you very much, what do you think, Tal’at [Rmeih]?” What are you thanking her for? For her infamy or unheard-of audacity? For her complex ignorance? Some people are aware of their ignorance, while other are not. This is called “complex ignorance.” I place the blame on Al-Jazeera TV and its management and board of directors for allowing such a woman to appear on their channel and say such things.

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http://www.memritv.org/clip_transcript/en/1691.htm

February 15-18, 2008 Clip No. 1691

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, Recently Barred from the U.K., Reiterates His Position on Suicide Bombings and Declares: Jews Are Not the Offspring of Apes and Pigs

Following are excerpts from addresses by Islamic scholar Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, which aired on Al-Hiwar TV on February 15, 2008 and on Al-Jazeera TV on February 18, 2008.

Al-Hiwar TV, February 15, 2008:

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: I am known in the Islamic world as the preacher of the mainstream.

[…]

But the [British authorities] ignored this, and they focused on the issue of martyrdom operations, as if this was something new. I have [supported] this for more than 20 years. I am not the only one to support this. More than 300 Muslim scholars have supported it. I do not automatically permit martyrdom operations. I permit them under specific constraints, when necessary – like in the case of our Palestinian brothers, who are forced to defend themselves by turning themselves into bombs. I said to a British TV broadcaster in the summer of 1983: “Brother, you can prevent these martyrdom operations. Give the Palestinians just one percent of the tanks, missiles, and Apache helicopters that their adversaries have, and they will not resort to martyrdom operations.” They are forced to do so. God has given them this means as a kind of just and divine compensation. Their only way to defend themselves is for one of them to turn himself into a human bomb. This is divine justice.

I sanctioned these operations to anybody who is forced to carry them out in defense of his homeland. In my opinion, our brothers in Palestine are forced to do so. In Iraq, they have a wide variety of weapons. They are able to use weapons against their enemies. But the weapons of the Palestinian brothers are no match for their enemies’ weapons – they do not have even one percent or one permille of their weapons. That’s why I sanctioned these operations for [the Palestinians], but not for [the Iraqis]. In addition, I did not approve using this kind of operation in New York and Washington, on September 11, 2001. I did not approve of these operations in the London and Madrid bombings. I sanctioned bombings and sacrifice operations for the Palestinians only – not because their enemies are Jews, but because they are occupiers, and the Palestinians cannot fight them. They kill Palestinians on a daily basis, destroy their homes, burn their fields, uproot their trees, and so on.

Al-Jazeera TV, February 18, 2008:

I denounced some contemporary religious preachers, who curse the Jews and the Christians, saying: “Allah, annihilate the Jews and the Christians.” Where did this come from? There are Jews and Christians in our Muslim countries. There are Copts in Egypt, and Christians in Syria. So how can you curse them? Not only that, but they curse: “Allah, turn their children in orphans,” “Allah, destroy their homes.” Who sanctioned such prayers? The Koran does not call to turn children into orphans or to destroy homes. There are no such things in the prayers of the Prophet Muhammad.

I denounced some people who said that the Jews are the offspring of apes and pigs. That’s not true. When God transformed some people into apes and pigs, they did not have any offspring, as is written in the Al-Muslim compilation. When God transforms people into something else, they do not have offspring. They die and are annihilated straight away. Besides, this is a curse, and Islam forbids cursing.

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http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/1592.htm

July 28, 2007 Clip No. 1592

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: Islam’s “Conquest of Rome” Will Save Europe from Its Subjugation to Materialism and Promiscuity

Following are excerpts from a program with Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, which aired on Qatar TV on July 28, 2007.

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: “Some friends quoted a hadith that says Islam would conquer Rome. Does this mean that we will vanquish the Europeans once again?”

[…]

Al-Qaradhawi: The conquest of Rome – the conquest of Italy, and Europe – means that Islam will return to Europe once again. Must this conquest necessarily be though war? No. There is such a thing as peaceful conquest.

[…]

Al-Qaradhawi: The peaceful conquest has foundations in this religion, and therefore, I expect that Islam will conquer Europe without resorting to the sword or fighting. It will do so by means of da’wa and ideology. Europe is miserable with materialism, with the philosophy of promiscuity, and with the immoral considerations that rule the world – considerations of self-interest and self-indulgence. It is high time Europe woke up and found a way out from this. Europe will find no life saver or life boat other than Islam. Islam will save Europe from the raging materialism from which it suffers. The promiscuity, which permits men to marry men and women to marry women, is horrifying. All religions condemn this. [Islam] is capable of granting Europe and the entire West the world to come, without denying them this world. It can grant them faith without denying them science. It can grant them truth, without denying them power. It can connect them to the heavens, without tearing them away from the earth. It can grant them spirit, without denying them matter. The message of Islam is a message of global balance, and therefore, I believe the next conquest will be conducted through da’wa. But, of course, the Muslims must start acting in order to conquer this world.

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July 16, 2007 Clip No. 1515

Hamas Leader Khaled Mash’al Praises Sheik Yousef Al-Qaradhawi for His Support of Suicide Operations and States: The Holocaust Was Exaggerated and Is Used to Extort Germany. Zionist Holocaust against Arabs Much Worse.

Following are excerpts from speeches delivered by Hamas leader Khaled Mash’al and Sheik Yousef Al-Qaradhawi, at a conference in honor of Al-Qaradhawi, which aired on Al-Jazeera TV on July 16, 2007:

Hamas leader Khaled Mash’al: The support we got from Sheik Al-Qaradhawi is different from the support of anybody else, because of his religious status, his status in terms of morale, and his ability to draw the attention of the nation and the world to the issues of the nation, particularly the issue of Palestine. This support was of great value to us, to the Palestinian people, in the first and second Intifadas, and in all matters pertaining to the Palestinian cause. He has publicly declared his support for the resistance factions, unequivocally and without any hesitation or embarrassment, without fawning over anyone. From day one to the present, the sheik, may Allah reward him, has not hesitate to support the Jihad and the resistance, and to support the fighters, and the resistance factions. One of the most notable manifestations of this support was when we relied – after Allah – on his support of martyrdom operations. He never hesitated to issue rulings in support of these operations, and there were times when we were in dire need of these rulings.

[…]

This is because some of the nation’s religious scholars – and we do not underestimate them, for they are good people… But due to a certain confusion, they had dissenting views on the martyrdom operations, and this caused us great embarrassment. However, in his unequivocal fatwa, the sheik, may Allah reward him, considered martyrdom operations to be the most noble level of Jihad. That was unparalleled support for the people of Palestine, because, brothers and sisters, you cannot imagine how difficult it is psychologically for a young Palestinian man or woman to sacrifice themselves or what is most dear to them, only to encounter a conflict in their minds and hearts as to whether they are on the path of righteousness, or whether they are committing a religious violation.

[…]

I want to make it clear to the West and to the German people, which is still being blackmailed because of what Nazism did to the Zionists, or to the Jews. I say that what Israel did to the Palestinian people is many times worse than what Nazism did to the Jews, and there is exaggeration, which has become obsolete, regarding the issue of the Holocaust. We do not deny the facts, but we will not give in to extortion by exaggeration. As for the Zionist holocaust against the Palestinian people, and against the peoples of the Arab and Islamic nation – this is a holocaust that is being perpetrated in broad daylight, with the coverage of the media of globalization. Nobody can deny it or claim that it is being exaggerated.

[…]

Sheik Yousef Al-Qaradhawi: I support the Palestinian cause. I support the resistance and the Jihad. I support Hamas, the Islamic Jihad, and Hizbullah. I oppose the peace that Israel and America wish to dictate. This peace is an illusion. I support martyrdom operations, and this was the straw that broke the camel’s back… What am I supposed to do? This great terrorist next to me will get me into trouble… He gave me a picture of Jerusalem and of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and showed me respect – that’s it, my guilt has been proven.

[…]

Our brothers in Palestine were forced to resort to martyrdom operations. The divine destiny is just, and so it gave these brothers something the enemy lacks. Give them planes, tanks, missiles, and smart bombs, and they won’t have to use martyrdom operations. They use martyrdom operations because they don’t have all those things. Their enemy is bombing them from above and below, right left, and center, and all they want is [to sacrifice] their own lives. The Palestinian man or woman booby-trap themselves – they turn themselves into human bombs – and sacrifice themselves for the sake of Allah, in order to strike fear in the hearts of their enemies.

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April 20, 2007 Clip No. 1429

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: Virginia Tech Massacre Reflects American Philosophy of Violence. The Americans Kept Quiet about It Since the Shooter Was Not a Muslim

Following are excerpts from a Friday sermon delivered by Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi in Qatar, which aired on Qatar TV on April 20, 2007.

Sheik Yousef Al-Qaradhawi: The thing I detest most is unjustified bloodshed. I even felt great pain at what happened in America. An armed student killed 33 fellow students. What is this? This is the philosophy of violence, the outcome of violent films, the outcome of the violence used by America. America has made force the decisive factor in everything, and it uses its power to force peoples to do as it wishes. This philosophy has left its mark. We see in the schools of America… Even in high schools and junior high schools, we see youth who kill their fellow students. In that university, we saw that someone killed all those fellow students of his – and for no comprehensible reason. What is this? It is the philosophy of violence, which was instilled in these people. This philosophy of materialism and permissiveness does not instill in them religion, faith, moral values, compassion, or brotherhood. Instead, it instills in them selfishness and violence, and makes the rifle or the machine-gun rule supreme. This is the philosophy of American civilization, which it bequeaths to its sons.

I wondered, when this incident took place, and when they said that 33 people had been killed at a university… I said that I wish I knew who the killer was. My heart was filled with fear, but I realized that they were not saying anything. They knew who it was right from the start. When they realized it was a South Korean, they kept silent. What would have happened if it had been an Arab or a Muslim? If it had been an Arab Muslim who had killed 3 people – not 33 – what would have happened? The world would have turned upside-down. There would have been commotion and turmoil, and all hell would have broken loose. But since he is neither an Arab nor a Muslim, they accepted it somewhat quietly. They did not talk about it much. This is what is called a double standard. A double standard, a triple standard, or even more… That’s America for you.

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January 21, 2007 Clip No. 1366

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qarahawi Calls Upon Iraqi Kurds to Join Sunni Fight against Shiites Once Mediation Fails

Following are excerpts from an address by Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, which aired on Qatar TV on January 21, 2007.

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: I call upon our Kurdish brothers in Iraq to fulfill their duty, to carry out their role, and to do what is required of them. Forever taking a neutral position is unacceptable. They have taken a neutral position for a long time, but some events are now taking place in Iraq, which might lead to catastrophic results, and might stir up the entire Islamic world, dividing it into rival groups. I call upon our Kurdish brothers, I call upon Jalal Al-Talabani, Mas’oud Al-Barazani, and the Islamic and national Kurdish leaders… I call upon them to fulfill their duty – first of all, through mediation. They should mediate between the two sides. They constitute an influential force. They hold the posts of president and foreign minister, and they have significant power. They should mediate. “If two parties of believers fight one another, make peace between them. And if one party acts unjustly towards the other, fight the one acting unjustly, until it complies with Allah’s command.” This is Allah’s decree to the nation. The Kurds are now required to take this stand. If their mediation is rejected, they must fight the party that acts unjustly. In my opinion, the Sunnis will not reject this mediation, because they are the oppressed ones. They are the ones being attacked. They are the ones being expelled from their homes. They are the ones whose mosques are being plundered. They are the ones who are being kidnapped from their homes. They are the ones whose decapitated heads are rolling in the streets. They are the ones who are severely tortured before being killed. They are the ones who suffer these tragedies. If the Shiite brothers reject [the mediation], the Kurds are required to support the oppressed.

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January 5, 2007 Clip No. 1354

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi Eulogizes Saddam Hussein and Declares: In Recent Years, Saddam Was a Changed Man, Did Charitable Work and Helped People Build Mosques

Following are excerpts from an address by Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, which aired on Qatar TV on January 5, 2007.

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: I would have liked the Iraqi people to be interested, first and foremost, in the resistance against the occupation, in liberating its land from the American occupation, and in liberating its will from the new American colonialism, and only after liberating its land and its will – to place Saddam and others on trial. But when the American ruler gives the order to set up the tribunal, and when the Americans supervise the trial, and their generals are present in it – this is unacceptable to us.

I do not accept the trial of Saddam under American rule. This is not an Iraqi trial, but an American one. The Americans want to quench their thirst for vengeance against this man, whose neck they could not twist, and whose will they could not bend. This is the man who launched 39 missiles against Israel, and Israel has not forgotten this. This is the man whose nuclear reactor they destroyed, so that there would be no nuclear power in the region, whether peaceful or military, except for Israel. This is the man who adopted the Palestinian cause throughout his life. This is the man who said “No” to the Americans, and who never agreed to be blindly subservient or grovel. He could have settled for partial solutions, or to meet them halfway and show flexibility, and they might have been content with this – but this man refused. That is why the Americans insisted that he be tried and executed. Then, the death sentence was carried out on the holiday. The Americans denied responsibility for this, and their ambassador said: “I asked the Iraqi government to postpone the execution for two weeks, but the government insisted that it be carried out on the holiday.” Unfortunately, some of the [Shiite] religious and political leaders said that this was not their holiday, and that their holiday was celebrated the next day – on Sunday, not Saturday. Accursed be he who said this.

[…]

A human soul must be respected. These people did not respect the human soul. The man was calm and kept his cool. He refused to be blindfolded, and insisted upon facing death with open eyes. They covered their faces, while his face was not covered. He stood solid as a mountain, and said the two parts of the shahada: “I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His messenger.” “I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His messenger.” He said: “I bear witness that there is no god but Allah,” but they did not let him complete it, and they beheaded him. The man died saying: “There is no god but Allah.” How can anyone curse a man, who says: “There is no god but Allah”? Anybody whose last words are “There is no god but Allah” goes to Paradise.

[…]

The thing that improves [the record] of Saddam Hussein is that in his final years – as the brothers in Iraq tell us – he was a changed man. He began to strictly observe the prayers, to read the Koran, and to do charitable work. He would hasten to do anything that may help people. He used to help build mosques, and he would say that if anybody wants to build a mosque, the government should pay half the cost of the building materials. When they entered his secret hideout and caught him, they found a prayer carpet and an open Koran.

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http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/1324.htm

August 31, 2006 Clip No. 1324

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: If the Shiite Doctrine Is Preached in Egypt, There Will Be Civil Strife and Endless Massacres

Following are excerpts from an interview with Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, which aired on Al-Jazeera TV on August 31, 2006.

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: Eight years ago, I visited Iran, in the days of President Khatami. He held a grand reception for me, as did all the officials and ayatollahs in Iran. They received me in a great way, and welcomed me, but I said to them: If we really want to get closer, several things are unavoidable. For one, we must avoid provocations, about which we cannot reach an agreement. One such thing is that you must stop saying that the Koran is incomplete. Most of the Shiites believe that the existing Koran is the word of God, and they interpret it, and rely on it in their jurisprudence and everything. But they say that this Koran is not the entire Koran. They say that the Koran was twice the size of this Koran, that the Al-Ahzab chapter was twice the size of whatever, and this or that chapter was twice the size of whatever… All this talk about the Koran is unacceptable. Some of them reject these things, while others believe in them. I said to them: We must be quiet about the Koran and about the Sunni imams – Al-Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Hanifa, Al-Maalik, Abu Hanbal. Even more important is to refrain from cursing the Prophet’s companions.

[…]

Sheik Al-Ghazali, may he rest in peace, was told once by some Shiites that Ali was more worthy of become a Caliph than Abu Bakr and Omar. He said to them: Ali is dead, Abu Bakr is dead, and Omar is dead. All of this is now history, and we are ruled by foreigners. The colonialists rule us, whether directly or behind the scenes, so why are we talking about these things? Cursing the Prophet’s companions is part of their belief. They get closer to Allah by cursing the Prophet’s companions. A Shiite cannot be called Abu Bakr, Omar, Othman, or Aisha.

[…]

In addition, I told them that in order to become closer, one must refrain from preaching one’s doctrine in the countries that completely adhere to the other doctrine. I will not go and preach the Sunni doctrine in Qom or in a purely Shiite country. I told them it was unacceptable to preach the Sunni [sic] doctrine in Egypt, Sudan, Algeria, and so on. These are purely Sunni countries.

I asked them: What will you gain? You will gain one person? Two, ten, or twenty, a hundred, two hundred, or even a thousand or two thousand, but this will create antagonism towards your doctrine. The entire country will be hostile to it.

[…]

In recent years, the Shiites have penetrated Egypt. Two years ago, I wrote a book, Lies Told about Our History.

[…]

Someone decided to respond to this book. Several months ago, one of the brothers asked me: “Did you see this book?” I said: “No, what book is that?” The book was called Al-Qaradhawi, Agent of Allah or Agent of the Umayyad Dynasty? He said this was a response to my book, Lies Told about Our History. I thought it must be someone from Iran, Iraq, or Lebanon, but at the end of the book, it was written: Egypt, Al-Mansoura, phone number such-and-such, e-mail such-and-such. Al-Mansoura?! Egypt?! There is a Shiite there who has the audacity to respond to Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi?! I told my secretary to call Al-Mansoura and ask about this catastrophe. He called, and they said that one brother had become Shiite, and had begun to to back and forth between Egypt and Tehran. Brothers, I advocate closer ties between Sunnis and Shiites, and I support the resistance of Hizbullah, but under no circumstances will I allow it to serve as a reason for Shiite penetration of Sunni countries, because this will lead to civil strife and a fire that will consume everything.

We Egyptians are not familiar with this. Egypt is a Sunni country, and we have never known any conflict. Hanafi, Shafi, and Maliki – they are all Sunni doctrines. But the conflict now raging in Iraq – the daily massacres among Sunnis and Shiites… The same could happen [in Egypt] if this continues. If there is preaching of the [Shiite] doctrine, the others will stand up against them. Then there will be civil strife and endless massacres. Therefore, I say we must be vigilant

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http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/1308.htm

October 28, 2006 Clip No. 1308

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi on the Risks of Female Masturbation

Following are excerpts from a lecture by Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, which aired on Qatar TV on October 28, 2006.

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: Female masturbation is more risky than male masturbation. Male masturbation is not as risky. Sometimes women insert finger, and some women insert objects that may be risky, especially since the hymen is very sensitive, and any playing with it may tear it. This might expose the woman to accusations. She may tell them this or that, but they will not believe her. They will think she must have had forbidden relations with some guys. This way, a person exposes himself to accusations of fornication, a woman might be accused of fornication. She will bring disgrace upon herself and her family. This will be a disaster, and some relatives might kill her. Some people do not stop at the boundaries of religious law. Driven by jealousy and rage, they might commit a crime and kill the girl. Obviously, killing her is forbidden and is a grave sin. Even if she did fornicate, she does not deserve to be killed. At most, she should be flogged, if she confesses four times, or if there were witnesses. Therefore, I do not advise the girls ever to resort to this. A girl must be patient. The thing that tempts such girls, I am sad to say, is that they teach one another. One says to the other: “I did this and that,” or “I saw a film, in which they did this and that. ” Some TV channels, especially European ones, show outrageous sexual things, which are unacceptable by our standards, our moral values, and religious law. These things are rejected. These scandalous, nude films… A girl might learn things from these people. A Muslim girl must commit herself to what her God decreed. She must take care of herself, fast, pray, be God fearing, keep herself busy. She can read a useful book, prepare her homework, join a charity, and spend her time doing things that are useful to her in this world and the world to come, instead of thinking about satisfying her urges, especially in a manner forbidden by religious law

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August 26, 2006 Clip No. 1249

Sheik Yousef Al-Qaradhawi: The Jews of Today Bear Responsibility for Their Forefathers’ Crime against Jesus

Following are excerpts from an interview with Sheik Yousef Al-Qaradhawi, which aired on Qatar TV on August 26, 2006.

Sheik Yousef Al-Qaradhawi: In this film [“The Passion of the Christ”], there is an important positive aspect. The positive aspect lies in its exposing the Jews’ crime of bringing Jesus to the crucifixion. Even though we [Muslims] believe that Jesus was not crucified, a crime was committed, and the people who paved the way for this crime, who helped to commit it, who brought Jesus to the crucifixion, and kept pursuing the issue, until the governor on behalf of the Romans in Jerusalem at that time sentenced him to death…

[…]

More than 30 years ago, the Vatican issued a document, exonerating the Jews of [spilling] the blood of Jesus. Not all Christians accepted this document. The Pope in the Vatican and the Catholics are the ones who exonerated them. They exonerated them under political pressure. But the Protestants did not exonerate them, the Orthodox did not exonerate them, and Patriarch Shinoda in Egypt did not exonerate them, and kept saying that they bear the responsibility.

[…]

Do the Jews of yesterday [sic] bear responsibility for the crimes committed by the Jews of the past? The principle is that they indeed bear responsibility for these crimes, as long as they do not renounce them. If they glorify and take pride in what their forefathers did, if they write about it, quote it, record it, and teach it to their children, and if they consider it to be part of their religion and heritage, they bear the responsibility. As we can see, the Koran held the Jews of the Prophet Muhammad’s time responsible for what their forefathers did. It addressed them, saying: “We made Moses a promise extending over forty nights, then you took the calf for worship, wrongfully.” It says, “you took,” but it was their forefathers, not them. But they adopt the deeds of their forefathers, and so they bear responsibility for them – unless they renounce them.

[…]

They adopt the deeds of their forefathers, and they take pride in them. Therefore, I say that the Jews of the 21st century adopt what the Jews of the first century did. They adopt what [their forefathers] did to Jesus, and so they bear responsibility for it, unless they renounce it, saying: This was a crime, and we ask Allah to absolve us of it. But they have not said this, and therefore, the Jews of today bear responsibility for the deeds of the Jews of yesterday.

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June 5, 2006 Clip No. 1170

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: Homosexuals Should Be Punished Like Fornicators But Their Harm Is Less When Not Done in Public

Following are excerpts from an interview with Dr. Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, which aired on Al-Jazeera TV on June 5, 2006.

Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: Kerry, who ran against Bush, was supported by homosexuals and nudists. But it was Bush who won [the elections], because he is Christian, right-wing, tenacious, and unyielding. In other words, the religious overcame the perverted. So we cannot blame all Americans and Westerners.

But unfortunately, because the Westerners – Americans and others – want to flatter these people on account of the elections, a disaster occurs. In order to succeed and win the elections, he flatters these people, rather than saying to them: No, you are sinning against yourselves, against society, and against humanity. This is forbidden. Instead of leveling with them, people flatter them to win their votes. This is the disaster that has befallen humanity.

[…]

Interviewer: How should a homosexual or a lesbian be punished? We mentioned the story of the people of Sodom and how Allah punished them, but how should someone who commits this abomination be punished today?

Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: The same punishment as any sexual pervert – the same as the fornicator.

[…]

The schools of thought disagree about the punishment. Some say they should be punished like fornicators, and then we distinguish between married and unmarried men, and between married and unmarried women. Some say both should be punished the same way. Some say we should throw them from a high place, like God did with the people of Sodom. Some say we should burn them, and so on. There is disagreement.

[…]

The important thing is to treat this act as a crime.

Interviewer: There is an issue that some people may find strange. If homosexuals and lesbians belong to the same category – an inclination towards the same sex – why are there different punishments for men and women, for homosexuals and lesbians?

Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: A punishment for who?

Interviewer: For homosexuals and lesbians – the punishment for a woman who favors women, and for a man who favors men.

Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: Lesbianism is not as bad as homosexuality, in practical terms.

[…]

Interviewer: Should a man be punished for having homosexual tendencies?

Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: Yes, he should.

Interviewer: Or maybe he should be punished only for committing this sin?

Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: He should be punished just like a fornicator. What is fornication? It is a sexual perversion. A perversion cannot possibly be innate.

[…]

Interviewer: Some Arab authors have begun to discuss this openly, in newspapers and in their books. Homosexual characters appear in some Arab films. In addition, homosexuals gather in public, and show up at parties in a loathsome manner.

Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: Not in all countries, only a few…

Interviewer: In many Arab countries.

Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: Perhaps you in Morocco have that…

Interviewer: Not only in Morocco. Also in other countries, which I won’t mention.

What is the position of Islamic law on this public display?

Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: This is the calamity of societies. When sin and abomination are concealed, they don’t cause much harm.

[…]

But the calamity becomes widespread, when it stops being a secret and becomes public.

[…]

We are not hostile towards these people. On the contrary, we pity them. But we do not want to give them an opportunity, like the Westerners, who consider this a normal phenomenon, and it has become widespread, I’m sad to say.

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Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi Criticizes Fatah and Calls to Donate Money to the Hamas Government

Qatar TV – April 21, 2006 – 02:29

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March 12, 2006 Clip No. 1074

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi’s Conditions for Muslim Men Who Want to Marry Christian and Jewish Women in the West

Following are excerpts from a lesson given by Sheik Yousef Al-Qaradhawi, which aired on Qatar TV, on March 12, 2006.

Sheik Yousef Al-Qaradhawi: A Muslim in Europe or America can marry a Christian woman or a woman from among the People of the Book, under four conditions:

The first condition is that she is, in fact, of the People of the Book. In other words, she must not be a heretic – for example, a communist or a Bahai. She must be a believing woman from among the People of the Book.

Some people say a woman is Christian because her father is Christian, while she does not believe in any religion whatsoever. She doesn’t believe in God, in the prophet, in Judgment Day, in any values, or in worshipping God. Such a woman is not Christian, even if she is regarded as Christian. We have to make sure that she’s really of the People of the Book.

The second condition is that she must be chaste, in other words, honorable and pure – not a woman who sells her body to any man.

[…]

Is there a single honorable, chaste woman left in these countries? Don’t they reprimand a girl who is still a virgin at the age of 14? They say: How can this be? She becomes undesirable. Where are her boyfriends?

[…]

The third condition is that she must not belong to those who are hostile to Islam. That is why I say a Muslim is not allowed to marry a Jewish woman from Israel, or from among the Jews who support Israel.

[…]

Therefore, [one must not] marry a Jewish woman, unless she belongs to the Jews who are hostile to Israel.

In London, I have seen Jews who say Israel will annihilate the Jews. They believe that [Israel] runs counter to God’s desire to disperse the Jews, as punishment for their sins.

With the exception of these, a Muslim is not allowed, these days, to marry a Jewish woman, because he would be marrying a spy. He would be bringing a spy into his home.

The fourth condition is that this marriage would not cause harm to him, to his children, or to Muslim men and women. Sometimes, he is personally harmed, because she influences him. If one is weak in his faith, he might agree to have alcohol in his home, to have pork eaten there, to have moral depravity there, and then he might be affected without realizing it. This is dangerous for him.

Sometimes it is his children who are at risk. His children receive a non-Islamic upbringing, especially if he is preoccupied with his work or studies, and returns home only at the end of the day, and the wife does what she wants with the children. In this case, the children are lost, their faith is lost. They are not brought up as Muslims. This is dangerous.

Islam permits marrying a woman from the People of the Book, or a Christian, so that she will enter the Muslim family and society.

There is also a danger to Muslim women. Some religious authorities in Muslim communities have forbidden Muslims to marry out of the Muslim community. Why? If a Muslim marries a non-Muslim woman, and since a Muslim woman is only allowed to marry a Muslim man – who will she marry? If all the men go off and find themselves Western blondes to marry, our own daughters – Fatma, ‘Aisha, and so and so – will find no one to marry.

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http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/1052.htm

February 25, 2006 Clip No. 1052

Sheik Yousef Al-Qaradhawi: Our War with the Jews Is in the Name of Islam

Following are excerpts from a program with Sheik Yousef Al-Qaradhawi, aired on Qatar TV on February 25, 2006.

Yousef Al-Qaradhawi: Our war with the Jews is over land, brothers. We must understand this. If they had not plundered our land, there wouldn’t be a war between us.

[…]

We are fighting them in the name of Islam, because Islam commands us to fight whoever plunders our land, and occupies our country. All the school of Islamic jurisprudence – the Sunni, the Shiite, the Ibadhiya – and all the ancient and modern schools of jurisprudence – agree that any invader, who occupies even an inch of land of the Muslims, must face resistance. The Muslims of that country must carry out the resistance, and the rest of the Muslims must help them. If the people of that country are incapable or reluctant, we must fight to defend the land of Islam, even if the local [Muslims] give it up.

They must not allow anyone to take a single piece of land away from Islam. That is what we are fighting the Jews for. We are fighting them… Our religion commands us… We are fighting in the name of religion, in the name of Islam, which makes this Jihad an individual duty, in which the entire nation takes part, and whoever is killed in this [Jihad] is a martyr. This is why I ruled that martyrdom operations are permitted, because he commits martyrdom for the sake of Allah, and sacrifices his soul for the sake of Allah.

We do not disassociate Islam from the war. On the contrary, disassociating Islam from the war is the reason for our defeat. We are fighting in the name of Islam.

[…]

They fight us with Judaism, so we should fight them with Islam. They fight us with the Torah, so we should fight them with the Koran. If they say “the Temple,” we should say “the Al-Aqsa Mosque.” If they say: “We glorify the Sabbath,” we should say: “We glorify the Friday.” This is how it should be. Religion must lead the war. This is the only way we can win.

[…]

Everything will be on our side and against Jews on [Judgment Day], at that time, even the stones and the trees will speak, with or without words, and say: “Oh servant of Allah, oh Muslim, there’s a Jew behind me, come and kill him.” They will point to the Jews. It says “servant of Allah,” not “servant of desires,” “servant of women,” “servant of the bottle,” “servant of Marxism,” or “servant of liberalism”… It said servant of Allah.”

When the Muslims, the Arabs, and the Palestinians enter a war, they do it to worship Allah. They enter it as Muslims. The hadith says: “Oh Muslim.” It says “oh Muslim,” not “oh Palestinian, Jordanian, Syrian, or Arab nationalist.” No, it says: “Oh Muslim.” When we enter [a war] under the banner of Islam, and under the banner of serving Allah, we will be victorious.

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http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/1026.htm

February 3, 2006 Clip No. 1026

Sheik Yousef Al-Qaradhawi Responds to Prophet Muhammad’s Caricature: Whoever Is Angered and Does Not Rage in Anger Is a Jackass; We Are Not a Nation of Jackasses

Following are excerpts from a Friday sermon by Sheik Yousef Al-Qaradhawi, aired on Qatar TV on February 3, 2006.

Sheik Yousef Al-Qaradhawi: The nation must rage in anger. It is told that Imam Al-Shafi’ said: “Whoever was angered and did not rage is a jackass.” We are not a nation of jackasses. We are not jackasses for riding, but lions that roar. We are lions that zealously protect their dens, and avenge affronts to their sanctities. We are not a nation of jackasses. We are a nation that should rage for the sake of Allah, His Prophet, and His book. We are the nation of Muhammad, and we must never accept the degradation of our religion.

[…]

We must rage, and show our rage to the world.

[…]

The governments must be pressured to demand that the UN adopt a clear resolution or law that categorically prohibits affronts to prophets – to the prophets of the Lord and His messengers, to His holy books, and the religious holy places. This is so that nobody could cause them harm. They enacted such laws in order to protect the Jews and Judaism. Like some Danes have said: “We can mock Jesus and his mother.” They were asked: “Can you mock the Jews?” Here they stopped. The Jews are protected by laws – the laws that protect Semitism, and nobody can say even one word about the number [of victims] in the alleged Holocaust. Nobody can do so, even if he is writing an M.A. or Ph.D. thesis, and discussing it scientifically. Such claims are not acceptable. When Roger Garaudy talked about it, he was sentenced to jail, according to the laws. We want laws protecting the holy places, the prophets, and Allah’s messengers.

[…]

Before ending my sermon, I would like to issue several warnings. The first warning is directed at our feeble governments, which are trying to gauge America’s position: Will America be pleased with us or not if we rage about this? They fear the Creator more than they fear His creation [sic], and try to please people more than they try to please Allah. To those feeble governments we say: Take a courageous stand. Stand up and prove that you are Muslim, and that you protect this religion with zeal. We want our governments not to split from their peoples. The masses throughout the Islamic world have made their position clear, They have displayed their rage. The governments must not split away from these masses. The second warning I direct at the Westerners, the Americans, and the Europeans who follow them, who claim to be fighting terrorism, and struggling against violence throughout the world.

I say to them: Your silence over such crimes, which offend the Prophet of Islam and insult his great nation, is what begets violence, generates terrorism, and makes the terrorists say: Our governments are doing nothing, and we must avenge our Prophet ourselves. This is what creates terrorism and begets violence.

[…]

We say to those Europeans: We can get by without you, but you cannot get by without us. We can get by without your products. We will buy from China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, from the Asian countries. We will say what King Faysal – may he rest in peace – said in 1973, in the days of the petroleum war. He said to them: We can get by without the petrol, and return to our days of yore. We will make do with milk and dates. We will drink the milk of our camels, and eat the dates from our palm trees. King Faysal said this when there was a threat to Arab honor. It is all the more true when there is a threat to our Islamic honor, to our prophets, and our religion.

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http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/3854.htm

December 21, 2009 Special Dispatch No.2709

Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi on Christmas Celebrations in Muslim Countries: ‘I Wanted To Warn My People That This Is Prohibited, Shameful, And Inappropriate… Ignorance Of What Islam Obliges Us To Do…;’ ‘[Can] Muslims in Europe and America… Celebrate Ramadan… in the City Centers[?]’

In a recent Friday sermon from Qatar by Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, he condemned Christmas celebrations in Muslim countries, saying that they were forbidden and stating that the Muslim nation is abandoning its Muslim identity. He also commented on President Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize, calling it undeserved.

Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi, Sunni Islam’s most prominent cleric, is head of the European Council for Fatwa and Research, president of the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), and spiritual guide for many other Islamist organizations across the world, including the Muslim Brotherhood. He has been barred from entering the U.S., the U.K, and other western countries.[1] In recent years, he has called for Islam to conquer Rome;[2] in the past few months alone, he has threatened a boycott of Switzerland,[3] come out against interfaith dialogue,[4] and issued a fatwa stating that Iraqis must not become U.S. citizens.[5]

Following are excerpts from Al-Qaradhawi’s sermon about Christmas, which aired on Qatar TV.[6]

• To view this clip, visit

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http://www.memri.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/257/0/2300.htm.

• To view the MEMRI TV page for Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, visit

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http://www.memritv.org/subject/en/589.htm.

“What is Going On in the Shops and On the Streets of Doha – All These Celebrations of the So-Called Birth of Jesus [!]”

Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: “Brothers, I would like to talk to you about two issues. First, I would like to talk about what is going on in our countries these days. I could almost ask what kind of society we are living in – Muslim or Christian? What is going on in the shops and on the streets of Doha – all these celebrations of the so-called birth of Jesus, the so-called Christmas? It is as if we are living in a Christian European country!”[…]

“The Nation is Abandoning Its Muslim Identity – Islam Wants Us to Maintain Our Islamic Uniqueness”

“We do not even celebrate [the birth] of the Prophet Muhammad, but we celebrate Christmas?! Christmas trees, four or five meters high, are erected in shops, which are owned by families known to be Muslim. What is this?! It means that the nation is abandoning its Muslim identity. Islam wants us to maintain our Islamic uniqueness.”

Can “The Muslims in Europe and America… Celebrate Ramadan and the Muslim Holidays in the City Centers [?]”

“They prevent us from building minarets… I was just talking about that last week. They banned the building of minarets, and they are about to ban the building of mosques. 41% of the people polled in France [support] preventing the building of mosques, while 47% support the banning of minarets as well as a mosques. Even the mosques…

“Are the Muslims in Europe and America – and there are millions of them in some countries – able to celebrate Ramadan and the Muslim holidays in the city centers, like some people do in our Arab and Muslim countries and cities, in the Arabian Peninsula? Is this conceivable?! What has happened to this nation?!”

Why “Celebrate a Religion That Is Not Yours – When They Are Preventing Us From Performing Our Rites?… [It’s] Prohibited, Shameful, And Inappropriate”

“I call upon these shop owners… Just for a profit… They do it for money… People who want to buy will come without all this. Why do you pretend to celebrate a religion that is not yours, when they are preventing us from performing our rites? They prevent us from building a beautiful minaret, which is considered a beautiful piece of architecture, regardless of the religious aspect.

[…]

“Brothers, I wanted to convey my message, and warn my people that this is prohibited, shameful, and inappropriate. It points to stupidity in the treatment of others, and ignorance of what Islam obliges us to do about this.”

“What Did Mr. Obama Accomplish to Deserve This Peace Prize?”

“There is another issue that I wanted to talk about in brief. Obama received the Nobel Peace Prize. I don’t know why they gave him this prize. What did Mr. Obama accomplish to deserve this peace prize? There is no peace in Iraq. There is no peace in Afghanistan. There is no peace in Somalia. There is no peace in any country. He hasn’t even managed to force Israel to cease its settlement activity.

[…]

“He withdrew some soldiers from Iraq, only to send them to Afghanistan – from one war to another, from one bloodshed to another. Blood continues to be shed in Iraq and in Afghanistan, and I should add Pakistan, Yemen, Sudan, and so on. The world is boiling with war, so what did Mr. Obama get the Nobel Peace Prize for?”

[1] See MEMRI Special Announcement No. 63, “Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi Barred from U.K.,” February 20, 2008,

http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/3466.htm

[2] See MEMRI TV Clip No. 1592, “Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi: Islam’s ‘Conquest of Rome’ Will Save Europe from Its Subjugation to Materialism and Promiscuity,” Qatar TV, July 28, 2007,

http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/1592.htm ; MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 447, “Leading Sunni Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi and Other Sheikhs Herald the Coming Conquest of Rome,” December 6, 2002,

http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/774.htm.

[3] See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 2689, “Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi on Al-Jazeera Threatens a Boycott on Switzerland If ‘We Despair of Other Measures,'” December 11, 2009,

http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/3832.htm

[4] See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 2662, “Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi Explains His Objections to Muslim-Christian Interfaith Dialogue,” December 1, 2009,

http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/3790.htm.

[5] See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 2554, “Fatwa by Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi: Iraqis Must Not Become U.S. Citizens, October 5, 2009,

http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/3656.htm.

[6] December 11, 2009.

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http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/3832.htm

December 11, 2009 Special Dispatch No.2689

Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi on Al-Jazeera Threatens a Boycott on Switzerland If ‘We Despair of Other Measures’

Following are excerpts from an interview with Sunni scholar and International Union of Muslim Scholars head Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi. The interview aired on Al-Jazeera TV on December 7, 2009.

• To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit

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http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/2290.htm.

• To view the MEMRI TV page for Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi, visit

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http://www.memritv.org/subject/en/589.htm.

• To view the MEMRI TV page for Al-Jazeera,

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http://www.memritv.org/subject/en/166.htm.

They Consider Moderate Islam “More Dangerous And Influential” Than Extremist Islam

Interviewer: “As observers have noted, the war in Europe has shifted from fighting the so-called terrorism, extremism, and extremists to fighting Islam itself and its symbols. How did this change take place, and why?”

Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: “I’m telling you, it’s a complex – a complex that has been passed down since ancient times, ever since Islam vanquished them. It is a complex that calls for psychological analysts. That is why they keep inventing something new.

“At one stage, they talked about Islamic extremism and confronted it. Then they said… After saying: ‘Beware of the extremist Islam,’ they began to say: ‘Beware of the moderate Islam. Extremist Islam is short-term and will not last long. What will continue to exist and to influence is moderate Islam.’ They would warn about moderate Islam, and they considered it more dangerous and influential [than extremist Islam]. Then they began [to talk about] fundamental Islam and political Islam. Then the issue of terrorism arose, after incidents of September 2001, and the fanning of the flames of terrorism.

“The truth is that whoever reads their statements, and collects them, and reads the lines and what’s between the lines realizes that they mean Islam, not terrorism. In some of his statements, Bush said that the Muslims are Fascist and deserve a new Crusade. When his advisors drew his attention to the danger underlying his statements against all Muslims, he apologized for them, and so on.

[…]

“The complexes are what lead people to say: ‘Minarets today [will lead to] the implementation of the Shari’a tomorrow. What implementation of Shari’a? Even in countries that are purely Islamic, we have not been able to… The Organization of the Islamic Conference consists of 50-something countries. How many of them implement the Shari’a? If the original Islamic countries do not implement the Shari’a, how can we possibly implement it in Switzerland?!” […]

“There Are Swiss Products [Which Can Be Banned]… After We Despair of All [Other] Measures”

“The Muslims have a right to be angry. Today, [Libyan leader] Colonel Qadhafi said: ‘If that’s the situation, we must reconsider the building of churches [in Muslim countries], and our relations with Christianity.’ Of course, everything… For every action there is a reaction.

[…]

“If you are beaten, will you keep silent? Anyone who is oppressed must breathe, and anyone who is beaten must shout. If Switzerland does not comply [with the Muslims’ demands], it is the Muslims’ duty, not just their right, to withdraw their money from the Swiss [banks]. There are billions in Switzerland. Switzerland was known as a safe and neutral country of liberties, but it is no longer that kind [of country]. If it is no longer like that, we should treat it accordingly.

[…]

“Tens of thousands of [Muslim] tourists visit Switzerland. This year, people must say: No. What happened has consequences. There are Swiss products [which can be banned]. I am saying this now, but only after we despair of all [other] measures. It is our right to use this method. These are all weapons in our hands, but we will not resort to them yet. At present, we will try to use the weapons of media and the law, and try to influence the others. We will try to change the stereotypical image of Islam, which is implanted in the minds of the Europeans.

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http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/3790.htm

November 19, 2009 Special Dispatch No.2662

Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi Explains His Objections to Muslim-Christian Interfaith Dialogue

Following are excerpts from a sermon by leading Sunni cleric Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi, who heads the International Union for Muslim Scholars (IUMS). The sermon aired on Qatar TV on October 30, 2009.

To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit

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http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/2267.htm.

To view the MEMRI TV page on Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi, visit

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http://www.memritv.org/subject/en/589.htm .

“No Pope Has Ever Apologized to the Muslims for What Happened To Them in the Crusader Wars”

Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi: “We halted this Islamic-Christian dialogue. We were preparing for the third summit, when the new pope came into office and delivered his famous speech, affronting Islam, the Prophet of Islam, the Koran, the Islamic nation, and the history of Islam, without justification and without any preliminaries. He alleged that the Prophet Muhammad did not make any contribution other than spreading Islam by the sword. This is an utter lie.

“Therefore, we, in the International Union of Muslim Scholars, demanded, on more than one occasion, that he apologize, in one way or another, or else we would halt the dialogue with the Vatican. Indeed, I’m sad to say, the man did not utter a word of apology. Even if some Muslims tried to say it’s enough if he says I-don’t-know-what… He did not say anything straightforwardly.

“The Vatican apologized to the Jews, who said that Christ was a liar, that he was the son of a prostitute, that his mother was not a virgin, and that he was fathered by Joseph the carpenter. They absolved the Jews, who organized and took part in his killing. They exonerated the Jews of the spilling of the blood of Christ.

“No pope has ever apologized to the Muslims for what happened to them in the Crusader wars, which were hostile wars. They came to our countries from Europe, and did what they did in the nine Crusades. Therefore, we have halted our dialogue with these people, with the Vatican.”

“We Recognize Christianity… But These [Christians] Do Not Recognize Us”

“Let me tell you, with regard to the Christians, in general, there is a problem, which I raised at the third conference, held in Doha, as well as at the interfaith dialogue conference in Mecca, convened by the Saudi monarch a year and a half ago.

“I said: Brothers, the problem is that [although] we recognize Christianity, and we recognize Christ, his holy book, and his religion… A Muslim’s faith is not complete unless he believes in this, because it is incumbent upon him to believe in every book that was sent down and in every prophet who was sent [by God]. ‘And what was given to Moses and Jesus and other prophets from their Lord – we make no distinction between any of them, and to Him do we submit.’

“But these [Christians] do not recognize us. [They say]: “Muhammad was a liar. The Koran is a fabrication. They created the Koran and attributed it to Allah.’

“These things have practical implications. We were at a conference in Cairo, called The Christians of the Middle East. I wanted to say, in the closing statement: ‘The people of the divine religions agreed…’ But [the Christians] said: ‘Stop!’ I asked: ‘What is it?’ They said: ‘We do not recognize Islam as a divine religion. It is not a divine religion.’ They agreed to say all kinds of things, but not that Islam is a divine religion. I wanted to include another sentence, about ‘Godly values.’ They said: ‘No, we do not recognize Islamic values as being Godly. They are human values, brought by a guy who claimed to be a prophet.’ I exploded and said: ‘So what are we convening for? If you do not recognize our religion and our values as divine, what are we meeting for? Go away.’ And I left the meeting.”

I Cannot Find “One Practical Thing That These Conferences Have Achieved for the Benefit of the Islamic Nation”

“Brother, there is a problem with our dialogue with these people, who look at our Prophet, our Koran, and our nation this way, while we flock to them, and do not achieve a thing. Give me one practical thing that these conferences have achieved for the benefit of the Islamic nation. I cannot find a thing.”

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http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP255409

September 22, 2009 Special Dispatch No.2554

Fatwa by Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi: Iraqis Must Not Become U.S. Citizens

Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi, head of the International Union for Muslim Scholars (IUMS), recently issued a fatwa stating that an Iraqi exile may not become a U.S. citizen; the fatwa came in response to a question from a viewer during his Ramadan television special. Al-Qaradhawi explained that a Muslim must not become a citizen of a country that is occupying his homeland – and that the ruling was inspired by similar rulings issued by Muslim clerics during France’s occupation of Tunisia.

Al-Qaradhawi qualified his pronouncement by saying that it did not apply to Iraqis who had fled Iraq at the beginning of the occupation and had already taken foreign citizenship in the U.S. or Europe, but only from this day forward. [1] It also applied to Afghan exiles, he said. [2]

Al-Qaradhawi’s position sparked disagreement among clerics in Al-Azhar. Dr. Sayyed Al-Sili, lecturer in Islamic law at Al-Azhar University, said that Al-Qaradhawi’s ruling was correct and appropriate for the current circumstances, since an Iraqi who takes U.S. citizenship today is legitimizing the occupation. [3] Al-Azhar Academy of Islamic Research member Dr. Mustafa Al-Shak’a stated that a Muslim must not be a citizen of an enemy country that invades his land, and that “the Americans are not the enemies of Iraq alone, but of the entire Islamic nation, because they are fighting Islam in several locations [around the world].” [4]

In contrast, Al-Azhar Academy of Islamic Research member Dr. ‘Abd Al-Mu’ti Bayoumi took issue with Al-Qaradhawi’s pronouncement, saying clerics once feared that Muslims would join the occupying army, but that circumstances are different nowadays, since Iraqi exiles do not renounce their Iraqi citizenship and do not act against their own country. [5]

Al-Azhar University lecturer Dr. Ahmad Al-Sayeh also objected to Al-Qaradhawi’s view, saying: “As long as a Muslim preserves his Islamic faith, and is free to fulfill the rituals of his religion, he may accept U.S. or any other citizenship. This is useful to Islam and to the Muslims, because it helps to spread Islam in the West…” [6]

Another member of the Al-Azhar Academy of Islamic Research, Dr. Hamed Abu Taleb, stated that a Muslim is free to choose whatever citizenship he wants. He explained that Muslims are ordered, particularly in these days, to immigrate to where they can live with dignity, instead of living deprived and needy in their own countries. He also said: “As far as I know, the U.S. forces in Iraq, Qatar, and the other Arab and Islamic countries are not an occupation; they entered [those countries] in accordance with a responsible request… in order to rescue them.” [7]

Al-Arabiya TV director ‘Abd Al-Rahman Al-Rashed wrote an op-ed in the London daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat criticizing Al-Qaradhawi’s ruling. The following are excerpts from the English version of his article, as it appeared in the English edition of Al-Sharq Al-Awsat: [8]

“This Fatwa Contains More Political Absurdity Than It Does Religious Guidance”

“I do not know if what has been attributed to Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi is true; in any case, we have become accustomed to the politicization of religious fatwas. A news item reported in the Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper revealed that Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi issued a fatwa prohibiting Iraqis from acquiring U.S. citizenship on the grounds that this is the nationality of an occupier nation.

“However, this fatwa has nothing to do with the reality on the ground, and contains more political absurdity then it does religious guidance. Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi himself is an Egyptian who has Qatari citizenship – given to him after he opposed the peace agreement between Egypt and Israel. However, when an Israeli office was opened in Doha, Al-Qaradhawi did not renounce his Qatari nationality. This is a personal issue that does not concern us as much as we are concerned with the usage of religion, especially the weapon of the fatwa, in highly politicized cases.”

Obtaining U.S. Citizenship Is Not as Easy as Al-Qaradhawi Imagines

“Perhaps Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi would be right to resort to the dangerous weapon of fatwas if a large number of citizens were being naturalized, or if they were being forcibly relocated to America, or if Iraqi nationality was being revoked – but none of this is happening. In fact, the opposite is true, for of the thousands of Iraqi citizens who line up to apply for visas to Western countries, only a few are granted. Therefore, obtaining U.S. or European citizenship is not easy, as Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi imagines; rather, is a difficult process that is rarely granted to applicants. It is even more difficult for Iraqis, due to the large number of Iraqi refugees, including those seeking asylum abroad. The British Foreign Ministry raised the issue of repatriating its Iraqi refugees, as did the majority of Western countries. This is the opposite of what Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi seems to think [is happening vis-à-vis Western countries desiring to naturalize Iraqi citizens]. These countries are full of refugees and immigrants, and they are offered financial incentives to return to their countries of origin.

“After the U.S. announced its withdrawal from the Iraqi cities earlier this year, a group of Iraqi interpreters [employed by the U.S. military] asked for visas and employment in the U.S., on the grounds that they feared reprisal attacks following the withdrawal of U.S. troops. But only a few interpreters were granted visas. Similarly, the international organizations that seek to aid Iraqi refugees in Syria and Jordan by helping them to secure asylum in foreign countries have failed to do the same with regard to the U.S.

“Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi, and many of the religious figures… live in a world that is far from reality, and are unaware of the complete picture. There are over a million Iraqi refugees in Syria, and every country around the world has refused to allow them entry, while another million Iraqi refugees in Jordan line up outside consulates and are repeatedly refused visas of any kind. So where did Dr. Al-Qaradhawi conceive of this horror with regards to the U.S. [freely] granting citizenship to Iraqis and others?”

“The Truth Is That the Fear is From the Opposite Side”

“The truth is that the fear is from the opposite side. In the U.S. there is a strong lobby opposed to the naturalization of Muslims and Arabs, for racist and political reasons. Immigration to the U.S. eventually results in citizenship, and the granting of full citizens’ rights – something not granted to Arab refugees in any Arab country, regardless of the humanitarian situation.

“Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi should ask about the Palestinian refugees who live a tough life and are treated like animals in many Arab countries. They are forbidden from working and earning a livelihood – and some are even forbidden from traveling and visiting their families.

“In the future, before speaking, Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi should ask any Arab immigrant who has been lucky enough to gain citizenship in the [country of the] infidel, in order to find out the difference between myth and reality.”

Endnotes:

[1] Al-Masri Al-Yawm (Egypt), September 11, 2009. Al-Qaradhawi’s fatwa advisor Sheikh ‘Ali Abu Al-Hassan clarified that if the situation changed and the war ended, “the U.S. would become dar silm (i.e. a region in which non-Muslims reside and non-Islamic law applies, but which must not be attacked under international agreements). Its rights will be like those of other countries” – that is, Muslims will be allowed to become citizens. Al-Haqiqa Al-Dawliyya (Jordan), September 13, 2009.

[2] http://www.islamonline.net, September 9, 2009.

[3] Al-Sharq Al-Awsat (London), September 13, 2009.

[4] Al-Haqiqa Al-Dawliyya (Jordan), September 13, 2009.

[5] Al-Masri Al-Yawm (Egypt), September 11, 2009.

[6] Al-Sharq Al-Awsat (London), September 13, 2009.

[7] Al-Haqiqa Al-Dawliyya (Jordan), September 13, 2009.

[8] Al-Sharq Al-Awsat (London), September 15, 2009.

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http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP240109

June 14, 2009 Special Dispatch No.2401

In Friday Sermon, Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi Responds to Obama’s Cairo Speech

Following are excerpts from a Friday sermon delivered by prominent Sunni cleric and head of the International Union of Muslim Scholars Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi. The sermon aired on Qatar TV on June 5, 2009.

To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit

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http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/2138.htm.

To view MEMRI TV’s page on Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi, visit

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http://www.memritv.org/subject/en/589.htm.

Obama “Drew a Parallel Between the Koran and the Torah… But Everything in the Torah Constitutes a Call for War”

Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi: “The man [Obama] tried to quote from the Koran, as well as from the Torah and the New Testament. He drew a parallel between the Koran and the Torah in their call for peace. He quoted the Talmud and the Torah as saying that the Torah calls for peace. Never have I seen a single verse, paragraph, or sentence in the Torah which calls for peace. Everything in the Torah constitutes a call for war. They even call God ‘Lord of Hosts’ – they don’t call Him ‘Lord of the Universe’ or ‘the Compassionate, the Merciful.’ […]

“[The Torah contains] the notion of annihilation. We saw it when the Europeans went to America – they tried to annihilate the Indians. When they went to Australia, they tried to annihilate the aboriginal people. Indeed, they annihilated them. This is a biblical notion – annihilate them totally, do not leave a living soul among them. How could Obama draw a parallel between the Koran and the Torah?

“[Obama] Replaces One War With Another – Both Against the Muslims”

“In any case, we must not be too optimistic about his speech, but perhaps it is a step [forward]. Perhaps the man will change American policy, even if partially and in stages. Unfortunately, however, we have seen him pulling the soldiers out from Iraq, only to send them to Afghanistan. He replaces one war with another – both against the Muslims.”

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http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=subjects&Area=jihad&ID=SP236509

May 20, 2009 Special Dispatch No.2365

Al-Qaradhawi, Al-Sudayyis, Other Prominent Arab Islamic Scholars: Kashmiri Movement Is Jihad

Several prominent Arab Islamic scholars and Mecca imams, have criticized Taliban leader Maulana Sufi Muhammad for saying that the Kashmiri movement is not jihad because it does not seek to enforce Islamic shari’a. Among the critics are leading Sunni cleric Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi, head of the International Union of Muslim Scholars and Sheikh Abd Al-Rahman Al-Sudayyis, imam of Al-Haram Mosque in Mecca. The following is a summary of statements by these and other prominent figures:

The full text of this report is available to MEMRI’s Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor Subscribers.

Subscription information is available at this link.

JTTM subscribers can visit this page to view the report

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http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=subjects&Area=jihad&ID=SP229809

March 26, 2009 Special Dispatch No.2298

Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi Sermon on Qatar TV: The Arabs Must Obtain, But Not Use, Weapons of Mass Destruction- Nuclear, Chemical, And Biological – “In Order to Strike Terror In The Hearts of Our Enemies”

Following are excerpts from a sermon by Sunni Islamic scholar Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, which aired on Qatar TV on February 20, 2009.

To view this MEMRI TV clip, visit

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http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/2057.htm.

To view more clips of Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, visit

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http://www.memritv.org/subject/en/589.htm.

“The Prophet Muhammad Wanted Peace That is Based on Strength”

Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: “The Prophet Muhammad wanted peace that is based on strength. He does not want the peace of the weak, the peace of those who disappoint, the peace of those who surrender – like the peace Israel wants to impose on us and the Palestinians. That is not peace. That is what Allah meant when he said: ‘And do not falter and cry for peace when you have the upper hand, for Allah is with you, and will not refrain from [rewarding] you for your actions.’

“Peace that is based on delusion and submission is not peace. The Prophet Muhammad wanted peace that is based on strength.”

The Koran Says ‘Prepare Against Them What Force and Steeds of War You Can, to Strike Terror in the Hearts of the Enemies”

“Therefore, the Koran referred to this, saying: ‘Prepare against them what force and steeds of war you can, to strike terror in the hearts of the enemies of Allah and of your own enemies, and others besides them, whom you do not know, but Allah knows.’ ‘Prepare against them what force and steeds of war you can.'”

“If We Had Nuclear Weapons, They Would Be Afraid to Attack Us”

“A few days ago, a Muslim asked me if we were allowed to possess WMDs – nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. I said to him: ‘Yes, we must possess such weapons, but not use them.’ We must possess such weapons in order to strike terror in our enemies – ‘Strike terror in the hearts of the enemies,’ and frighten them. If we had nuclear weapons, they would be afraid to attack us, as was the case between the Soviet Union and the Americans, and between India and Pakistan. This is armed peace.

“We must acquire [military] strength. ‘Prepare against them what force and steeds of war you can, to strike terror in the hearts of the enemies of Allah and of your own enemies.’ The ‘steeds of war’ of our times are tanks, armored vehicles, and submarines. These are the steeds of our times. It is not enough to equip ourselves with horses in order to confront tanks. Horses can only be used for certain things.

“Each generation must prepare its own devices with which to strike terror in the enemies of Allah. We do not want to attack anybody, but to strike fear in our enemies, so that they will not attack us.”

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http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=subjects&Area=antisemitism&ID=SP222409

February 3, 2009 Special Dispatch No.2224

February 3, 2009 Special Dispatch No.2224

Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: Allah Imposed Hitler On the Jews to Punish Them – ‘Allah Willing, the Next Time Will Be at the Hand of the Believers’

Following are excerpts from speeches delivered by prominent Sunni scholar Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, which aired on Al-Jazeera TV on January 28 and 30, 2009.

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January 30, 2009: Hitler “Put The Jews In Their Place”

Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: “Throughout history, Allah has imposed upon the [Jews] people who would punish them for their corruption. The last punishment was carried out by Hitler. By means of all the things he did to them – even though they exaggerated this issue – he managed to put them in their place.

“This was divine punishment for them. Allah willing, the next time will be at the hand of the believers.” […]

January 28, 2009: I Will Die As A Martyr Shooting Jews

Al-Qaradhawi: “To conclude my speech, I’d like to say that the only thing I hope for is that as my life approaches its end, Allah will give me an opportunity to go to the land of Jihad and resistance, even if in a wheelchair.

“I will shoot Allah’s enemies, the Jews, and they will throw a bomb at me, and thus, I will seal my life with martyrdom. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. Allah’s mercy and blessings upon you.”

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http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=subjects&Area=jihad&ID=SP187608

March 20, 2008 Special Dispatch No.1876

Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi Accuses Arab-American Psychiatrist Wafa Sultan of ‘Cursing Allah’ on Al-Jazeera TV

In a program on Al-Jazeera TV, Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi accused Arab-American psychiatrist Wafa Sultan of “publicly curs[ing] Allah, His Prophet, the Koran, the history of Islam, and the Islamic nation.”

The following are excerpts from the program, which aired on March 16, 2008:

To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit:

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http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/1718.htm.

To view the MEMRI TV page for Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, visit:

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http://www.memritv.org/subject/en/589.htm.

To view the MEMRI TV page for Wafa Sultan, visit:

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http://www.memritv.org/subject/en/371.htm .

“She Said Unbearable, Ghastly Things That Made My Hair Stand On End”

Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: “Many brothers here and abroad – more from abroad than from here – have called to ask me about the ‘Opposite Direction’ [show on Al-Jazeera TV], and that woman [Wafa Sultan], who leveled accusations against Islam and the Muslims, and cursed Allah, His Prophet, the Islamic nation, the shari’a, and the Islamic faith and culture. She did not omit anything. She was insolent and stopped at nothing.

“I know that our colleague Dr. Faysal Al-Qassem apologized on the following show. I did not watch the [original] show, but I was given a recording. She said unbearable, ghastly things that made my hair stand on end. She had the audacity to publicly curse Allah, His Prophet, the Koran, the history of Islam, and the Islamic nation. She did not spare anything.

“It was all based on ignorance. If only she had some knowledge… But she doesn’t have any knowledge. She doesn’t know the Koran or the Sunna. When she cited a hadith to back up her statements, she used a hadith that scholars consider unreliable.”

“If She Had Read The Koran, She Would Have Known That It Forbids Killing People… She Should Read The Torah And Tell Us What It Says”

“The Prophet said: ‘Allah has given me sustenance under the shadow of my sword.’ This hadith is unreliable. The Prophet did not get sustenance by the sword. If she had read the Koran, she would have known that it forbids killing people: ‘Anyone who kills another person for any reason other than manslaughter or spreading corruption in the land – it is as if he has killed all of mankind.’

[…]

“In all the raids conducted by the Prophet Muhammad, he was the one attacked. If she knew anything about the Koran and the Sunna…

“She should read the Torah and tell us what it says. With regard to distant cities, the Torah says: ‘Slay all their males by the sword.’ It does not exclude elderly men or children. As for the nearby cities of Palestine, which they call the Promised Land, the Torah says: ‘When you enter them, annihilate everyone, and do not leave a breathing soul.’ The concept of annihilation originated in the Torah. What does that woman have to say about this? This is the Torah in which Bush and the Christian Right believe.

“This Woman Had The Audacity To Affront All That Is Sacred”

“What does that woman have to say about this? She defends the West and sanctions the killing of Muslims in Gaza and elsewhere, claiming that they deserve to be killed.

“I do not want to discuss this at length, but in my view, this woman had the audacity to affront all that is sacred – the entire Islamic nation, its past, its present, and its future. She had the audacity to affront the Prophet, the Koran, and Allah. She even said that Allah prattles in the Koran. She did not omit anything sacred.

“I Place The Blame On Al-Jazeera TV And Its Management And Board Of Directors For Allowing Such A Woman To Appear On Their Channel And Say Such Things”

“How was she allowed to appear on Al-Jazeera TV? I placed the blame on brother Faysal Al-Qassem. After all the things she said, he says: ‘I thank you very much, what do you think, Tal’at [Rmeih]?’ What are you thanking her for? For her infamy or unheard-of audacity? For her complex ignorance? Some people are aware of their ignorance, while others are not. This is called ‘complex ignorance.’ I place the blame on Al-Jazeera TV and its management and board of directors for allowing such a woman to appear on their channel and say such things.”

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http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP187608

March 20, 2008 Special Dispatch No.1876

Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi Accuses Arab-American Psychiatrist Wafa Sultan of ‘Cursing Allah’ on Al-Jazeera TV

In a program on Al-Jazeera TV, Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi accused Arab-American psychiatrist Wafa Sultan of “publicly curs[ing] Allah, His Prophet, the Koran, the history of Islam, and the Islamic nation.”

The following are excerpts from the program, which aired on March 16, 2008:

To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit:

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http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/1718.htm.

To view the MEMRI TV page for Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, visit:

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http://www.memritv.org/subject/en/589.htm.

To view the MEMRI TV page for Wafa Sultan, visit:

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http://www.memritv.org/subject/en/371.htm .

“She Said Unbearable, Ghastly Things That Made My Hair Stand On End”

Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: “Many brothers here and abroad – more from abroad than from here – have called to ask me about the ‘Opposite Direction’ [show on Al-Jazeera TV], and that woman [Wafa Sultan], who leveled accusations against Islam and the Muslims, and cursed Allah, His Prophet, the Islamic nation, the shari’a, and the Islamic faith and culture. She did not omit anything. She was insolent and stopped at nothing.

“I know that our colleague Dr. Faysal Al-Qassem apologized on the following show. I did not watch the [original] show, but I was given a recording. She said unbearable, ghastly things that made my hair stand on end. She had the audacity to publicly curse Allah, His Prophet, the Koran, the history of Islam, and the Islamic nation. She did not spare anything.

“It was all based on ignorance. If only she had some knowledge… But she doesn’t have any knowledge. She doesn’t know the Koran or the Sunna. When she cited a hadith to back up her statements, she used a hadith that scholars consider unreliable.”

“If She Had Read The Koran, She Would Have Known That It Forbids Killing People… She Should Read The Torah And Tell Us What It Says”

“The Prophet said: ‘Allah has given me sustenance under the shadow of my sword.’ This hadith is unreliable. The Prophet did not get sustenance by the sword. If she had read the Koran, she would have known that it forbids killing people: ‘Anyone who kills another person for any reason other than manslaughter or spreading corruption in the land – it is as if he has killed all of mankind.’

[…]

“In all the raids conducted by the Prophet Muhammad, he was the one attacked. If she knew anything about the Koran and the Sunna…

“She should read the Torah and tell us what it says. With regard to distant cities, the Torah says: ‘Slay all their males by the sword.’ It does not exclude elderly men or children. As for the nearby cities of Palestine, which they call the Promised Land, the Torah says: ‘When you enter them, annihilate everyone, and do not leave a breathing soul.’ The concept of annihilation originated in the Torah. What does that woman have to say about this? This is the Torah in which Bush and the Christian Right believe.

“This Woman Had The Audacity To Affront All That Is Sacred”

“What does that woman have to say about this? She defends the West and sanctions the killing of Muslims in Gaza and elsewhere, claiming that they deserve to be killed.

“I do not want to discuss this at length, but in my view, this woman had the audacity to affront all that is sacred – the entire Islamic nation, its past, its present, and its future. She had the audacity to affront the Prophet, the Koran, and Allah. She even said that Allah prattles in the Koran. She did not omit anything sacred.

“I Place The Blame On Al-Jazeera TV And Its Management And Board Of Directors For Allowing Such A Woman To Appear On Their Channel And Say Such Things”

“How was she allowed to appear on Al-Jazeera TV? I placed the blame on brother Faysal Al-Qassem. After all the things she said, he says: ‘I thank you very much, what do you think, Tal’at [Rmeih]?’ What are you thanking her for? For her infamy or unheard-of audacity? For her complex ignorance? Some people are aware of their ignorance, while others are not. This is called ‘complex ignorance.’ I place the blame on Al-Jazeera TV and its management and board of directors for allowing such a woman to appear on their channel and say such things.”

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http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP182408

January 24, 2008 Special Dispatch No.1824

Egyptian Businessman Yasser Salem Followed Al-Qaradhawi Fatwa, Sponsored Algerians to Go Fight Coalition Forces in Iraq

The following are excerpts from a report on Yasser Salem, an Egyptian businessman involved in financing Algerian jihadists. The report aired on Al-Arbiya TV on January 4, 2007:

The full text of this report is available to MEMRI’s Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor Subscribers.

Subscription information is available at this link.

JTTM subscribers can visit this page to view the report.

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http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP167207.

August 2, 2007 Special Dispatch No.1672

Hamas Leader Khaled Mash’al Praises Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi for His Support of Suicide Operations and States: Holocaust Exaggerated, Being Used to Extort Germany, and Zionist Holocaust Against Arabs Much Worse

The following are excerpts from speeches delivered by Hamas leader Khaled Mash’al and Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi at a conference honoring Al-Qaradhawi. The speeches aired on Al-Jazeera TV on July 16, 2007.

To view this clip visit:

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http://www.memritv.org/search.asp?ACT=S9&P1=1515.

Hamas leader Khaled Mash’al: “The support we got from Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi is different from the support of anybody else, because of his religious status, his status in terms of morale, and his ability to draw the attention of the nation and the world to the issues of the nation, particularly the issue of Palestine. This support was of great value to us, to the Palestinian people, in the first and second Intifadas, and in all matters pertaining to the Palestinian cause. He has publicly declared his support for the resistance factions, unequivocally and without any hesitation or embarrassment, without fawning over anyone. From day one to the present, the sheikh, may Allah reward him, has not hesitate to support the jihad and the resistance, and to support the fighters, and the resistance factions. One of the most notable manifestations of this support was when we relied – after Allah – on his support of martyrdom operations. He never hesitated to issue rulings in support of these operations, and there were times when we were in dire need of these rulings.”

[…]

“This is because some of the nation’s religious scholars – and we do not underestimate them, for they are good people… But due to a certain confusion, they had dissenting views on the martyrdom operations, and this caused us great embarrassment. However, in his unequivocal fatwa, the sheikh, may Allah reward him, considered martyrdom operations to be the most noble level of jihad. That was unparalleled support for the people of Palestine, because, brothers and sisters, you cannot imagine how difficult it is psychologically for a young Palestinian man or woman to sacrifice themselves or what is most dear to them, only to encounter a conflict in their minds and hearts as to whether they are on the path of righteousness, or whether they are committing a religious violation.”

[…]

“I want to make it clear to the West and to the German people, which is still being blackmailed because of what Nazism did to the Zionists, or to the Jews. I say that what Israel did to the Palestinian people is many times worse than what Nazism did to the Jews, and there is exaggeration, which has become obsolete, regarding the issue of the Holocaust. We do not deny the facts, but we will not give in to extortion by exaggeration. As for the Zionist holocaust against the Palestinian people, and against the peoples of the Arab and Islamic nation – this is a holocaust that is being perpetrated in broad daylight, with the coverage of the media of globalization. Nobody can deny it or claim that it is being exaggerated.”

[…]

Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi: “I support the Palestinian cause. I support the resistance and the jihad. I support Hamas, the Islamic Jihad, and Hizbullah. I oppose the peace that Israel and America wish to dictate. This peace is an illusion. I support martyrdom operations, and this was the straw that broke the camel’s back… What am I supposed to do? This great terrorist next to me will get me into trouble… He gave me a picture of Jerusalem and of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and showed me respect – that’s it, my guilt has been proven.”

[…]

“Our brothers in Palestine were forced to resort to martyrdom operations. The divine destiny is just, and so it gave these brothers something the enemy lacks. Give them planes, tanks, missiles, and smart bombs, and they won’t have to use martyrdom operations. They use martyrdom operations because they don’t have all those things. Their enemy is bombing them from above and below, right left, and center, and all they want is [to sacrifice] their own lives. The Palestinian man or woman booby-trap themselves – they turn themselves into human bombs – and sacrifice themselves for the sake of Allah, in order to strike fear in the hearts of their enemies. ”

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http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP142707.

January 17, 2007 Special Dispatch No.1427

Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi Eulogizes Saddam Hussein in Friday Sermon on Qatar TV

The following are excerpts from an address by Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, which aired on Qatar TV on January 5, 2007.

TO VIEW THIS CLIP:

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http://memritv.org/clip/en/1354.htm.

I Would Have Liked the Iraqi People to Liberate its Land From the Americans

Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: “I would have liked the Iraqi people to be interested, first and foremost, in the resistance against the occupation, in liberating its land from the American occupation, and in liberating its will from the new American colonialism, and only after liberating its land and its will – to place Saddam and others on trial. But when the American ruler gives the order to set up the tribunal, and when the Americans supervise the trial, and their generals are present at it – this is unacceptable to us.

“I do not accept the trial of Saddam under American rule. This is not an Iraqi trial, but an American one. The Americans want to quench their thirst for vengeance against this man, whose neck they could not twist, and whose will they could not bend. This is the man who launched 39 missiles against Israel, and Israel has not forgotten this. This is the man whose nuclear reactor they destroyed, so that there would be no nuclear power in the region, whether peaceful or military, except for Israel.

“This is the man who adopted the Palestinian cause throughout his life. This is the man who said ‘No’ to the Americans, and who never agreed to be blindly subservient, or to grovel. He could have settled for partial solutions, or met them halfway and showed flexibility, and they might have been content with this – but this man refused. That is why the Americans insisted that he be tried and executed. Then, the death sentence was carried out on the holiday. The Americans denied responsibility for this, and their ambassador said: ‘I asked the Iraqi government to postpone the execution for two weeks, but the government insisted that it be carried out on the holiday.’ Unfortunately, some of the [Shi’ite] religious and political leaders said that this was not their holiday, and that their holiday was celebrated the next day – on Sunday, not Saturday. Accursed be he who said this.”

[…]

He Stood Solid as a Mountain, and Said the Two Parts of the Shahada

“A human soul must be respected. These people did not respect the human soul. The man was calm and kept his cool. He refused to be blindfolded, and insisted upon facing death with open eyes. They covered their faces, while his face was not covered. He stood solid as a mountain, and said the two parts of the shahada: ‘I bear witness that there is no God but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His messenger.’ ‘I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His messenger.’ He said: ‘I bear witness that there is no God but Allah,’ but they did not let him complete it, and they beheaded him. The man died saying: ‘There is no God but Allah.’ How can anyone curse a man, who says: ‘There is no God but Allah’? Anybody whose last words are ‘There is no God but Allah’ goes to Paradise.”

[…]

Saddam Was a Changed Man, Did Charitable Work, and Helped People Build Mosques

“The thing that improves [the record] of Saddam Hussein is that in his final years – as the brothers in Iraq tell us – he was a changed man. He began to strictly observe the prayers, to read the Koran, and to do charitable work. He would hasten to do anything that may help people. He would help build mosques, and would say that if anybody wants to build a mosque, the government should pay half the cost of the building materials. When they entered his secret hideout and caught him, they found a prayer carpet and an open Koran.”

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http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=ia&ID=IA31106.

December 27, 2006 Inquiry & Analysis Series Report No.311

Debate over the Status of Shi’ites in Egypt

By: L. Azuri*

Recent statements in Cairo by Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi sparked public debate over the status of the Shi’ites in Egypt. Al-Qaradhawi said that the increasing infiltration of Shi’ite Islam into Egypt, which is predominantly Sunni, may lead to a civil war like the one in Iraq. This statement was denounced by Egyptian Shi’ites, as well as by the religious establishment in Egypt and by columnists in the Egyptian press. Conversely, there were some who supported Al-Qaradhawi’s position, saying that the spread of Shi’ism constituted a threat to Egypt and to the region as a whole.

Introduction: The Status of the Shi’ites in Egypt

There are no official statistics on the number of Shi’ites in Egypt. The Ibn Khaldun Research Center in Cairo estimated in January 2005 that the Shi’ites make up about 1% of the country’s Muslim population, which in turn constitutes approximately 90% of Egypt’s overall population of 73 million. According to this estimate, Egypt has some 657,000 Shi’ite citizens. [1] Leaders of the Shi’ite community in Egypt explain that the exact number of Shi’ites in the country is hard to estimate because many of them practice takiyya – i.e. hide their sectarian identity in order to avoid persecution. [2] Egyptian human rights organizations report that the country’s Shi’ite citizens are denied basic human rights like freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, and are persecuted by the security apparatuses. [3]

Muhammad Al-Darini, a Sunni who converted to Shi’ism and now serves as chairman of the Higher Council for the Protection of Ahl Al-Bayt in Egypt, [4] said that, according to the estimate of the Egyptian security apparatuses, there are about one million Shi’ites in Egypt, hiding behind 76 Sufi orders, [5] while he himself believes that their number is closer to 1.5 million. [6]

In an interview for the website http://www.alarabiya.net, Al-Darini said, “The large number of Shi’ites [in Egypt] today stems from [the fact that] many Egyptian Sunnis are converting to Shi’ism. This is due to the information, technology, and Internet revolution, to the many [new] books pouring [into Egypt], and to [the activities of] the Higher Council for the Protection of Ahl Al-Bayt which has been operating for eight years and publishing the paper Sawt Ahl Al-Bayt…” Al-Darini added that the Shi’ite community does not expose itself “because it fears the persecution which has been the Shi’ites’ lot in the past 25 years. Suffice it to mention [all] the [Shi’ites] who were arrested and tortured [in Egypt] in 1988-1989, 1994, 1996, 2000, and 2002-2004… [as well as] the hostility that is being spread by thousands of shari’a associations that endorse wahhabi Islam, and the violent groups that come out against the Shi’ites with all their might…”

Al-Darini told the website that he had been arrested and imprisoned for a year and a half for spreading Shi’ite propaganda. In prison, he reported, there were “[special] sessions for Shi’ite prisoners, aimed at converting them back to the Sunna in return for their release… [These Shi’ite prisoners] were arrested [simply] for belonging to the Shi’ite [community]. After six months of negotiations, the [authorities] agreed to release them on condition that they return to the Sunna, and they succumbed to these pressures…” Al-Darani added that he had refused to accept these terms, and said: “[The authorities] said they would release me [only] if I stopped the activities of the Higher Council for the Protection of Ahl Al-Bayt… They also prevented me from publishing our newspaper… I am the only prisoner in Egypt who has [ever] been labeled ‘especially dangerous.’ Even Sadat’s assassins did not receive such a label… The Ministry of Religious Endowments is still holding the Council’s property, including computers, papers and documents… even personal documents like birth certificates.” [7]

Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi: Shi’ite Infiltration of Egypt Will Ignite a Blaze That Will Destroy Everything in Its Path

Most of the debate regarding the status of the Shi’ites in Egypt was sparked by Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi’s statement which warned against the infiltration of Shi’ite Islam into Sunni countries, and vice versa. In an August 2006 speech to the Egyptian Journalists’ Union, delivered in Cairo immediately after the end of the Lebanon war, Al-Qaradhawi said that there was need for rapprochement between Shi’ites and Sunnis. He stressed, however, that “this rapprochement [must not be] a pretext for Shi’ite infiltration of the Sunni countries. [Such infiltration] will ignite a blaze that will destroy everything [in its path], and what has happened in Iraqbetween Shi’ite and Sunnis will [repeat itself] in all other countries… Rapprochement between the [two] sects requires that each of them refrain from [conducting] missionary activities in countries that adhere to the other.” [8]

According to the Egyptian daily Al-Masri Al-Yawm, Al-Qaradhawi “warned against Shi’ite infiltration of Egypt,” and said that the Shi’ites “are trying to spread their beliefs in Egypt owing to its love for Ahl Al-Bayt, and because Egypt has [many places holy to the Shi’a], such as the tomb of Hussein and Zaynab.” According to the daily, Al-Qaradhawi also stated that “the Shi’ites use Sufism as a bridge to Shi’ism, and have been exploiting it in recent years to infiltrate Egypt…” [9]

Al-Qaradhawi’s statements drew criticism from Sunnis and Shi’ites alike. This prompted the International Council of Muslim Clerics, which Al-Qaradhawi heads, to issue a clarification saying that “the statements that have been attributed to Al-Qaradhawi… [were part of] an answer to a question that had been posed to him, and his answer was influenced by the context and phrasing of the question. Al-Qaradhawi’s words were not meant as an accusation against the Sufis or against Sufism as such, [contrary to what was] understood by some conference participants and by some who read the [subsequent] reports… [Al-Qaradhawi] believes in the need for national unity. [He believes] that Twelver Shi’ism is one of the [legitimate] sects of Islam and that the Ja’fari school of thought is a respected Islamic school of thought… [In speaking against Shi’ites who attempt to convert Sunnis], Al-Qaradhawi was referring to the irresponsible attempts of certain individuals who sow division and civil strife among the Muslims by spreading Shi’ism in countries that are mostly Sunni, or by trying to spread [various] Sunni denominations in countries whose population is mostly Shi’ite…” [10]

Egyptian Shi’ites Denounce Al-Qaradhawi’s Statements

Dr. Ahmad Rasem Al-Nafis, a former Sunni who converted to Shi’ism and was arrested for it in 1987 and in 1989, came out strongly against Al-Qaradhawi’s statements. [11] In an editorial published in the Egyptian Culture Ministry weekly Al-Kahira, he wrote: “Alas, it turns out that [Egypt] is the land [of the Sunnis] and not our land, and that whoever has converted to Shi’ism and who follows the ways of the Shi’a should give up his Egyptian citizenship out of his own free will…. before Al-Qaradhawi’s Taliban state takes it away from him… Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi felt no qualms about [uttering words of] sectarian incitement when he warned against the spread of Shi’ism in Egypt… Then he went on to incite against Sufism… How has Shi’ism [come to be seen as] opposed to the love of Ahl Al-Bayt? What proof and confirmation does [Al-Qaradhawi] have for this nonsense, and who gave him the right to judge [our] intentions and examine our [aims]?… We would like to bring it to [the Sheikh’s] attention that the Shi’ites in Egypt have no militia… so there is no cause to fear them. [On the contrary], it is others who inspire fear: those armed with an immense arsenal of fatwas accusing [others] of heresy…” [12]

Al-Darini also criticized Al-Qaradhawi’s remarks. He told the website http://www.alarabiya.net: “Al-Qaradhawi’s statements constitute clear and blatant incitement against Ahl Al-Bayt in Egypt, since they go hand in hand with [certain] practical steps taken by the government, which, among other things, has instructed the preachers in the mosques to incite against Ahl Al-Bayt in general, and against the Shi’ites in particular… How is it that we constantly speak of freedom and its implications, while at the same time, we disregard the fact that the foundation of this freedom, and of international rules and customs, is respect for the individual’s [freedom] to worship God in his own unique manner? Why raise the issue of [a person’s] Shi’ite or Sunni [identity]? No man – be he Sunni, Shi’ite or anything else – is a viceroy of Allah who can judge [people] for their beliefs in this world…” [13]

Al-Darini also said: “We Egyptian Shi’ites suffer from [the fact that] many accuse us of having ties with Iran. We are not spreading Iran’s word, and these fears have no grounding in reality… It has become a habit with the Sunni Muslims that whenever a Shi’ite is mentioned, Iran is [also] mentioned. We receive no support and no assistance from Iran… It has no influence over us. [On the contrary], Iran has criticized us harshly for some of the statements we have made…” [14]

Egypt’s Religious Establishment Calls for Sunni-Shi’ite Rapprochement

The Egyptian Ministry of Religious Endowments and Al-Azhar University also took part in the debate. In an interview for the daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, Egyptian Minister of Religious Endowments Dr. Hamdi Zaqzouq said: “Egypt is among the leading countries in terms of rapprochement between religious sects… Al-Azhar University teaches some doctrines of Shi’ite scholars alongside those of Sunni scholars. It is always said that the Egyptians are among those who feel the greatest love for Ahl Al-Bayt, even though they are not Shi’ite. Egypt is a country of tolerance and acceptance of others…” [15]

The Sheikh of Al-Azhar, Dr. Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi, said to Al-Sharq Al-Awsat: “We have said again and again that the dispute between the Sunna and the Shi’a is a dispute over details, not over the tenets of the faith. Anyone who proclaims that there is no God but Allah is a believing Muslim. We support any call for rapprochement between the Muslim sects. Al-Azhar made this call a long time ago, and it is time, I think, for those who take care of the Muslims’ affairs around the world to endorse this call, in order to preserve Muslim unity and prevent disintegration…” [16]

As part of its efforts towards Sunni-Shi’ite rapprochement, Al-Azhar is examining the possibility of forming a rapprochement committee in partnership with Iran. Sheikh Mahmoud ‘Ashur of the Academy for Islamic Studies said to the Egyptian daily Al-Masri Al-Yawm that Al-Azhar has contacted several Iranian figures, including Sheikh Abdallah Al-Qummi, with the aim of re-establishing the Committee for Rapprochement Between the Islamic Sects, which was closed down after the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979. He added that “all [activities on this front] are conducted with the knowledge of the senior Al-Azhar [scholars], and especially [with the knowledge of] its Sheikh, Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi…” [17]

At the same time, however, Al-Azhar is cooperating with the security apparatuses in their attempts to shut down the paper Ahl Al Bayt, which has a Twelver Shi’ite orientation, claiming that it “denies many tenets of the Sunni faith, attacks the companions of the Prophet,… tries to inculcate Shi’ite thought in Egypt, and generates confusion.” [18] The Egyptian press reports that the Shi’ites in Egypt are trying to launch five additional papers, at a total cost of some $10 million, but that the state authorities will probably refuse to license their publication. [19]

Egyptian Journalist Critical of Al-Qaradhawi’s Statements: “No One Political View is Shared by All Shi’ites”

Among the Egyptian journalists who criticized Al-Qaradhawi’s remarks was Osama Al-Ghazouli, who wrote in the Egyptian weekly Roz Al-Yousef: “Al-Qaradhawi’s statements [run counter to] Egypt’s national culture, which cannot be reduced to the positions of the Muslim Brotherhood and to its political views regarding [various] faiths. The mindset of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is [the mindset] reflected by Al-Qaradhawi’s [statement], is based on dualism. Everything seen in terms of two opposing camps: Humanity [consists of] Muslims and infidels; the Muslims [are divided into] Sunnis and Shi’ites, and the Sunnis [are divided into those who support] the [Muslim] Brotherhood versus the enemies [of the Muslim Brotherhood]. The two camps [must] fight until one or both of them perish. This dichotomous view of the world is also shared by two [other] gentlemen who cause trouble and embarrassment in the world: Osama bin Laden and George Bush…

“But reality [shows] that there is no one political view that is shared by all the Shi’ites [who live in] different countries, with different languages and different circumstances… The Muslims – Shi’ite and Sunni [alike] – must pursue the path of parliamentary democracy, each people according to the methods that it wishes to adopt and which suit its national agenda…” [20]

Muhammad Foda, former editor of the Egyptian government daily Al-Masaa, wrote in his daily column: “What is it that compels [us Egyptians] to become so preoccupied with marginal issues that we ignore the essential issues?… Suddenly the issue of the Sunna and the Shi’a has come up… Why is that? The Sunna and the Shi’a have existed for over 1,000 years. Egypt follows the Sunni denomination, but that does not preclude the existence of a Shi’ite minority. So why does this issue have to burst open now? Who benefits from these arguments? In other words, is there some external force that, unbeknownst to us, compels us to blow our society apart from within?…” [21]

Egyptian Journalists Supporting Al-Qaradhawi’s Position

*Muhammad ‘Ali Ibrahim: Iran is Trying to Impose Shi’ism upon the Entire Region

Other Egyptian columnists endorsed Al-Qaradhawi’s position and warned of the spread of Shi’ism in Egypt. Muhammad ‘Ali Ibrahim, chief editor of the Egyptian government daily Al-Gumhouriyya, wrote: “Iran has recently set out on a religious-political campaign to convert Sunnis to Shi’ism, [exploiting] the wave of sympathy for Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah in his war against Israel…” Ibrahim added that Iran has chosen Syria as the starting point of this campaign, owing to Syria’s geographic proximity to Iran, and since it is ruled by an ‘Alawi minority which, in his opinion, will not oppose an attempt to convert the Syrian population to Shi’ism. “Iran,” he wrote, “gives $200 a month to Sunni citizens [who agree to convert]. It chooses these citizens carefully. First of all, they must be imams of Sunni mosques. Secondly, they must have at least three children. And thirdly, [they must be individuals] who wish to make a pilgrimage to the Ka’ba in Mecca, or to perform the ‘umra [pilgrimage to Mecca not during the Hajj] but lack the financial means to do so…

“However, there is no doubt that Egypt, citadel of the Sunna, is still in fairly good condition… We wish to expose the grave [phenomenon] of exploiting the religious sects for political purposes, and to warn against a Shi’ite takeover of the Arab media… Iran is now marketing to the Arab world the notion of ‘political salvation’ through adoption of the Shi’a. At this stage, [offering] this political salvation to the Arab world is a primary goal of Iran’s. However, this is not [Iran’s] real goal. Its real, secret [goal] is to completely eliminate the Sunni community, from the ocean to the Gulf…” [22]

*Mahmoud ‘Amer: “We Must Be More Wary of the Shi’ites Than of the Jews”

In an article published in the weekly Roz Al-Yousef, Mahmoud ‘Amer wrote that the Shi’a poses a religious and security threat that could undermine the Egyptian regime: “When the official religious establishment in Egypt publishes announcements in support of the Shi’ites and declares that the Shi’ite denomination is equal [in status] to the Sunni, this is a serious religious and security threat. In religious terms, the tenets of the Iranian Shi’ite school of thought are not identical to the tenets of the school that we Egyptian Sunnis [follow]. [So] our disagreement with the Shi’a is a disagreement over principles, not details… As for the security risk, it stems from the fact that the followers of Shi’ism recognize only a government [that is associated] with their faith. Therefore, those who convert to Shi’ism in Egypt are loyal to Iran, and only to Iran… The flag of Shi’ism has [now] been raised in Egypt, 700 years after Salah Al-Din Al-Ayyubi managed [to cast it down]. Who stands to gain from this?…

“Imagine a [community] in Egypt that does not recognize the leadership of the imam Caliph Abu Bakar, companion of the Prophet Muhammad… [23] Will [these people] recognize the leadership of [Egyptian] President Mubarak? The security [apparatuses] must therefore be aware that the loyalty of every Shi’ite… is given to Tehran, Qom, and Najaf. In other words, his loyalty lies with [Iranian President Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad and Hassan Nasrallah, rather than with President Mubarak, since hakimiyya [the rule of God], or imamiyya [the rule of an imam descended from ‘Ali], is the most important tenet of their faith, and the dream of every Egyptian who has converted to Shi’ism is [to witness in Egypt] a revolution similar to Khomeini’s [Islamic Revolution in Iran]…

“Iranian Twelver Shi’ism agreed with the Hawarij [24] in accusing the companions of the Prophet of heresy and in [waging] an armed struggle against the [Muslim] leaders. We must be more wary of the Shi’ites than of the Jews, because the matter of the Jews is well known, and their deceitful deeds are known from the Koran and the Sunna, as well as from modern history… But as for the Shi’a, it may influence people through lies and deceit, under the pretense of protecting Ahl Al-Bayt – because most Egyptians have a particular affection for Ahl Al-Bayt, and this makes it easy to influence them and thus introduce Shi’ism into Egyptian homes.

“In time, Egypt will turn into another Iraq, especially since Iran has hopes regarding Al-Azhar, which was originally established by the Fatimides to disseminate Batinite Shi’ism [whose adherents believe in seeking the hidden meanings of the Koranic text], until Salah Al-Ayyubi purged it of Shi’ism, [replacing it with] Sunni denominations…” [25]

A Third Option – Islam Without Shi’a and Sunna

Egyptian author and intellectual Salah Al-Wardani is the founder of an association called “New Discourse,” which advocates a universal Islam and the elimination of the Sunni-Shi’ite distinction. Al-Wardani was born to a Sunni family, but in 1985, when he was in his twenties, he converted to Shi’ism and subsequently wrote a great deal in praise of Shi’ism and against Sunni Islam. Twenty-one years later, he declared that he no longer belonged to either sect. In an interview for Al-Masri Al-Yawm, he called on intellectuals to join his association. [26] In explaining his position, he said: “I have now emerged from both circles (Shi’ite and Sunni Islam) into a new circle, or a third tier… I call for a new Islamic discourse based on the Koran and on reason, which transcends the old mindset that is [still] dominant among the Muslims today… I call [to rely on] modern reason… Islam is not meant to have sects…” [27]

*L. Azuri is a research fellow at MEMRI.

________________________________________

[1] http://annabaa.org/nbanews/44/093.htm.

[2] Al-Ahram Weekly (Egypt), October 19, 2006.

[3] http://www.eipr.org/reports/04/rep2.htm ; http://www.hrinfo.org/hotcase/04/pr040420.shtml.

[4] Ahl Al-Bayt (“the descendents of the Prophet Muhammad”) are revered in Islam in general, but have a special status in the Shi’a, which regards them as the only legitimate heirs of the Prophet. The Higher Council for the Protection of Ahl Al-Bayt in Egypt is a body that includes representatives of the sharifs (the descendants of the Prophet), and of the Sufis and of the Shi’ites.

[5] http://www.wikalah.net/news/906/23_egypt.htm, September 23, 2006.

[6] Al-Arabiyya (Egypt), September 26, 2006.

[7] Al-Arabiyya (Egypt), September 26, 2006.

[8] http://www.qardawi.net, September 2, 2006.

[9] Al-Masri Al-Yawm (Egypt), September 2, 2006.

[10] http://www.iumsonline.net, September 4, 2006.

[11] For more information about Al-Nafis, see http://www.14masom.com/leqaa/47/47.htm.

[12] Al-Kahira (Egypt), September 12, 2006.

[13] Al-Arabiyya (Egypt), September 5, 2006.

[14] Al-Arabiyya (Egypt), September 26, 2006.

[15] Al-Sharq Al-Awsat (London), September 21, 2006.

[16] Al-Sharq Al-Awsat (London), November 2, 2006.

[17] Al-Masri Al-Yawm (Egypt), November 20, 2006.

[18] ‘Aqidati (Egypt), November 28, 2006.

[19] Al-Misriyyun (Egypt), November 24, 2006.

[20] Roz Al-Yousef (Egypt), September 15, 2006.

[21] Al-Masaa (Egypt), October 29, 2006.

[22] Al-Gumhouriyya (Egypt), October 26, 2006.

[23] The Shi’ites believe that the rightful religious leader of the Muslims must be descended from the Prophet’s son-in law ‘Ali.

[24] The Hawarij were a Muslim sect which split off from the camp of the Fourth Caliph ‘Ali ibn ‘Abi Taleb, whom the Shi’ites regard as a saint. The members of this sect held that any pious Muslim, not only a descendent of the Prophet Muhammad, can be a Caliph.

[25] Roz Al-Yousef (Egypt), October 17, 2006.

[26] Al-Masri Al-Yawm (Egypt), November 2, 2006.

[27] Al-Misriyyun (Egypt), October 31, 2006.

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http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=ia&ID=IA29106.

October 26, 2001 Special Dispatch No.291

Terror in America (19): Saudi, Syrian, and Palestinian Authority Press Attack Giuliani and U.S.

When New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani rejected Saudi prince Al-Walid bin Talal’s $10 million donation to New York City following the latter’s comments on what he referred to as the root causes of the September 11 attacks, newspaper columnists in Saudi Arabia, Syria, and the Palestinian Authority attacked Giuliani and the United States:

Mahmoud bin Abd Al-Ghani Sabbagh, columnist for the Saudi paper Al-Riyadh, wrote a column headlined: “Al-Walid’s check, the homosexual governor [sic], and the propaganda war”: “The words of [Prince Al-Walid] did not, of course, please the Jewish lobby in the home of the largest Jewish community in the world. Because the governor [sic] of the Big Apple is a Jew, he refused [to accept the donation] and caused a storm.”

“Giuliani said: ‘The Prince’s declarations are grievous and irresponsible; these Arabs have lost the right to dictate [to us what to do]. What we (America) must do is kill 6,000 innocent people.'”

“By Allah, I am amazed at your act, you Jew; everything Prince Al-Walid said was true…”

“What happened proves beyond any doubt the public insolence, the open hatred, and the collapse of American democratic theory. If democracy means a governor who is a homosexual in a city in which dance clubs, prostitution, homosexuality, and stripping proliferate – the U.S. can keep its democracy.”[1]

Dr. Abd Al-Wahed Al-Hamid, also a columnist for Al-Riyadh, wrote: “Giuliani’s act exemplifies the stupidity of a number of top American officials who repeat the same mistakes that aroused great animosity towards them, not only in Arab and Islamic regions, but throughout the world…”

“The problem is with Giuliani, not with the declarations of Prince Al-Walid bin Talal. With his idiotic behavior, Giuliani denied the victims of the building that collapsed the aid they need. He sacrificed the public interest for a private interest, manifested in his desire to draw closer to the Jewish electorate…”

“Doesn’t Giuliani know that even some political activists in ‘Israel’ are criticizing America’s blind support for Israel?!… They know that the long-term ramifications of this unbalanced policy will only bring disaster. This is what Rudolph Giuliani, and all the other Giulianis, must realize!!”[2]

Joining the attacks on Giuliani were columnists in the Palestinian Authority mouthpiece Al-Hayat Al-Jadida. Editor Hafez Al-Barghouthi wrote: “New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani was obsessed by his hatred of Arabs even before the terrorist attacks on New York. He hides his first name, chosen for him by his Italian father, so as not to remind the Jewish voters of the infamous Rudolph Hitler [sic]. This is why he prefers to shorten it to Rudy.”

“There is an intense offensive against Saudi Arabia [in the U.S.] because it is not automatically signing up for the American war; on the contrary, it has many legitimate reservations regarding Western policy towards the Arabs…”

“Anyone following the Israeli and American columnists smells a media trap aimed at accusing the Saudi kingdom of terrorism, and even of harboring terrorists. [This is] not because it is true, but because Saudi Arabia is fighting alone on several fronts to protect the uniqueness of Saudi policy. It will not enter into another’s war when it does not know where that war is headed; it fights terrorism in its own way and protects the interests of itself and its citizens…”[3]

Al-Barghouthi’s colleague, columnist (and Palestinian Authority high ranking official) ‘Adli Sadeq, attacked New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, who declared his support for Giuliani and criticized the Saudi regime: “Friedman… says that the U.S. is not responsible for what he calls the widespread ‘frustration’ among young Saudis that makes them support bin Laden. He contends that it is not Washington that maintains an autocratic regime, and denies young people their political rights. He chides the Arab countries for their failure to [deal with] the challenges of development, and says that North Korea’s average per capita income in 1950 was similar to that of Arab countries, but that today Korea has left the Arab states far behind. According to him, the U.S. is not responsible for this.”

“Thomas Friedman is a liar and a fraud. The U.S. is the enemy of the democratic aspirations of the Arab peoples; it is the friend and protector of dictatorships and autocracies; it is the number one schemer against development in the Arab world.”

“With regard to the media attack on Saudi Arabia, I maintain that Riyadh is doing the right thing. Refraining from joining the Americans… is counted in the tally of the Saudi government’s good deeds.”[4]

Talal Salman, editor of the pro-Syrian Lebanese daily Al-Safir, wrote that “the American president has missteps, some of which are laughingly bizarre, and some of which are stupid and not seemly for the most dangerous man in the world…”

“President George W. Bush, who is not known for his intelligence or his knowledge of what is happening in the world, tried to correct the misstep of his top diplomat [U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, who referred to the possibility of an American attack on Syria] and promised Syria that until further notice (!!) it would remain outside the circle of his rage and his bloody vengeance…”

“In this circle might also be the two insults that the American government directed at Prince Al-Walid bin Talal… one by the Zionist New York mayor whose public feelings go far beyond what Israel demands of him, and another by the spokesman of the American State Department…”

“The condition for accepting Arab money (with the exception of the money that was plundered) is that [the donation] not be contingent upon any political condition, that it expresses absolute and unconditional loyalty, and that it emphasizes submission to the ‘master’ without the latter having to say thank you. The master is benevolent enough to accept the money …”[5]

_______________________________________

[1] Al-Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), October 15, 2001.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Al-Hayat Al-Jadida (Palestinian Authority), October 17, 2001.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Al-Safir (Lebanon), October 13, 2001.

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http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=ia&ID=IA27706.

October 1, 2001 Special Dispatch No.277

Terror in America (10): Prominent Leader of the Muslim Brotherhood Movement, Sheikh YussefAl-Qaradhawi: ‘Islamic Religious Law Dictates That We Join the Taliban’s Jihad, Not the US Coalition; It is Forbidden to Attack American Citizens, But Permitted to Attack the American Military’

Sheikh Yussuf Al-Qaradhawi, a leading Sunni Muslim religious authority and the spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood was among the Muslim clerics who established that martyrdom operations are permitted by Islamic law. After issuing a communiqué condemning the terror attacks on the US, he appeared on a religious program broadcast on Qatar’s Al-Jazeera channel that focused on the attacks. Following are excerpts from the discussion: [1]

Sheikh Qaradhawi: “My communiqué condemning these acts of terrorism, that killed many innocent civilians, is not my first communiqué [on this matter]… [My objection to terror] is a matter of principle; it is the position of Islamic religious law…”

“The West has made Islam his enemy for many reasons. One is [the Middle East’s natural] resources. [Since] the days of the Crusades, there are some mental complexes from which the West has not freed itself. [The West] attacked the Muslim countries, but Islam triumphed, with ‘Immad Al-Din Zanji, Saladin, Baibars and others… Colonialism’s aspirations are greedy and full of hate; this hatred still motivates it…”

“Perhaps they will attack Afghanistan. Perhaps they will attack Yemen, the Sudan, Lebanon… It is inconceivable that we, the Muslims, should enter into an alliance against an Islamic state that has not been proven to have done anything. Who says that Afghanistan, as a state, took part in [the attacks]? What is ‘harboring terrorists’ supposed to mean? Should Egypt be attacked just because Sheikh ‘Omar Abd Al-Rahman is from Egypt? If a group of Algerians do something, should Algeria be attacked? [Such attacks] cannot be carried out only to appease popular sentiment…”

“The Afghanis are a wretched people seeking a crust of bread. Should an entire people be… punished? Would this solve the problem? I think not. On the contrary; it would give rise to frustration, and to hatred towards the US. In my opinion, [the attacks] resulted from the hatred towards the US. If they kill Osama bin Laden, another thousand Osama bin Ladens will arise. Is this in the world’s best interests?”

“The Taliban have nothing to do with this matter; they are preoccupied with their own internal problems… I also think that Osama bin Laden no longer has the means to carry out something like this.”

In answer to the question, What do you advise the Arab leaders to do now?: “It’s not a matter of advice; there are religious rules that must be observed. A Muslim is forbidden from entering into an alliance with a non-Muslim against another Muslim… Allying with others to kill [Muslims] is collaborating in sin and aggression… It is also forbidden to hand over Muslims to others. Something like this is inconceivable. Islamic (Shari’ah) law says that if a Muslim country is attacked, the other Muslim countries must help it, with their souls and their money, until it is liberated. Islam treats Muslims everywhere as one nation, and it does not recognize geographical borders or [differences of] race, color, or language. It sees Muslims as one nation in Dar Al-Islam, united in Islamic belief and Muslim brotherhood. Co-religionists must not rise up against each other for other peoples’ causes, particularly when it is not proven that the crime was carried out by one of those [Islamic] countries.”

“How can Pakistan aid and abet invading its neighbor and co-religionist?… How can Pakistan’s clerics remain silent? In my opinion, no Muslim cleric, Arab or otherwise, can in any instance allow a Muslim to support an invasion of his brother’s house in another’s cause.”

“I support the claim that if bin Laden is proven guilty, he should be handed over to an Islamic court in any [Islamic] country – Saudi Arabia, or Egypt. I have no objections to trying him even in Mecca. But only if his guilt is proven and convincing evidence of his guilt is presented. This is no simple matter. Can anyone prove that he sent [the perpetrators], funded them, or organized them? There are terrorists all over the world, and they are not necessarily from Al-Qaida, and they did not necessarily act on bin Laden’s instructions…”

“There is no doubt that the one who benefits from this crime is the Zionist entity, which has exploited it in the media, militarily, and politically…”

“We must differentiate between two types of terror: the terror of those defending their homeland and their rights… This kind of terror is legitimate. The Palestinian factions defending their land, such as Fatah, Hamas, or Islamic Jihad, are not terrorists. [It is] a Jihad for the sake of Allah…”

“Even if the US is guilty, in that it supports this Israeli terror, I say that this does not mean that we may attack civilians in the US, because the civilians are not guilty. We should fight the American military if we can, and if we cannot, we should fight the US economically and politically. Let us boycott the US. This is a tremendous act. At the Durban conference, all the popular organizations stood against America, until it was forced to withdraw. This is a legitimate political struggle. [But] Islam does not allow us to attack and kill civilians …”

“It is absolutely forbidden for Arab and Islamic countries to allow their bases to be used to attack Afghanistan…”

A viewer sent a fax to the program, which read as follows: “I personally place the responsibility on the Islamic clerics and sheikhs, who continuously attacked the Christians with invalid claims, in the mosques and on the Arab satellite channels, including the Fatwa recently issued by the Sheikh Qaradhawi himself stating that suicide operations are not terror and that anyone perpetrating them is a shahid [martyr]. This has incited many youths to carry out such suicide attacks…”

Sheikh Qaradhawi responded: “I do not know where he gets these claims, and involves my name as well. I call for tolerance between religions, and dialogue even with the secularists… Regarding my Fatwa on the martyrs – whom he calls suicide attackers – I do not think that [the viewer] is a Muslim, because I do not think that a Muslim would let an Islamic homeland like Palestine, and Jerusalem, remain in the hands of the Zionists, who plunder it and damage its holy sites, without the owners of the land having the right to defend themselves. All I said is that this oppressed people that was expelled from its home has the right to defend itself, and that every man has the right to become a human bomb and blow himself up inside this military society.”

“Israeli society is a military society: Anyone who is not currently a soldier is a soldier in the reserves. I issued this religious ruling, and all the Islamic clerics have ruled like me, except for a few (referring to the Mufti of Saudi Arabia). Hundreds of Muslim clerics have ruled that these martyrdom operations are one of the most sublime types of Jihad for the sake of Allah. Many have asked me whether it is permitted to carry out operations outside of Palestine, and I always say no. I support what Hamas says, that every martyrdom operation must be within the lands of Palestine…”

“[If the clerics in Afghanistan call Muslims to Jihad], Muslims must help as best they can, as they did during the Russian occupation of Afghanistan… Must the situation be different from what it was during the Russian occupation only because it involves the Americans? No… the situation will not be different. We must support the oppressed against the oppressors.”

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[1] Al-Jazeera Television (Qatar), September 16, 2001.

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http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP114606.

April 25, 2006 Special Dispatch No.1146

Poetry of Resistance at Damascus Rally Calls Bush Accursed Satan; Hamas Leader Mash’al Attacks Abu Mazen & Praises Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi; P.A. Foreign Minister Al-Zahhar Calls for Right of Return to Jerusalem, Haifa, Jaffa, & Everywhere

The following are excerpts from a Hamas rally held in Damascus, which aired on Al-Jazeera TV on April 21, 2006.

TO VIEW THIS CLIP, VISIT:

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http://memritv.org/clip/en/1114.htm .

TO VIEW OTHER CLIPS ON HAMAS, VISIT:

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http://memritv.org/clip/en/151.htm .

We are in Favor of Iran Having Nuclear Weapons, Not Just Energy for Peaceful Purposes

Anwar Raja, PFLP representative in Lebanon: “The Muslim Iranian fighting people now possess nuclear capabilities. My brother, the Iranian representative sitting here, let me tell you that we, the Palestinian people, are in favor of Iran having a nuclear bomb, not just energy for peaceful purposes.”

[…]

Poet Abu ‘Ardh: “Oh, you who want peace…”

[…]

Abu ‘Ardh: “By Allah, I will not accept your peace, even on an inch of the land. Only traitors and dogs accept humiliation.”

[…]

“Jerusalem, do not bother to cry out – they do not hear you.

“They want dancing slave girls, and if there are none, they bring some over.

“They open the doors of the banks, and purchase them at any price.

“God forbid if they ever hear of the revolution – they fight it, wherever it may be.

“If the Prophet Muhammad himself were to join this revolution, they would issue a fatwa pronouncing it a heresy.

“They have betrayed the moral values of pan-Arabism.

“They have prostituted pan-Arabism.

“If this pan-Arabism joins them – a curse upon its mother and its father.”

Man: “That’s enough…”

Abu ‘Ardh: “I’ve only got the judges and thrones left…”

Man: “You’re embarrassing us…”

Abu ‘Ardh: “Just a couple of minutes…

“Oh, fighting people of our great nation – what are you waiting for, their vile summit?”

“Tomorrow they will say that the Koran is too old, and we must renew its verses, and renew the ancient past.

“Some of its verses make their close friends angry.

“Instead of bismillah, we will read Bush-millah, the Merciful.”

Man: “Well done!”

“Bush is an Accursed Satan”

Abu ‘Ardh: “Forget it – one hundred thousand times. Bush is an accursed Satan. We praise Allah alone. He is our lord.

“Some rulers… Some rulers… Some rulers make their pilgrimage to Washington.

“Their mufti is Mr. Bush, and they make another pilgrimage to London.”

[…]

“The Right of Return Must Be Guaranteed – to Jerusalem, Haifa, Jaffa, and Everywhere”

Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Al-Zahhar: “Let us renew our commitment not to neglect any of our principles: Palestine in its entirety is our land.”

[…]

“This does not mean that if they withdraw from any inch of land, we will refrain from spreading our rule over it. Every inch of land without relinquishing an inch. This is our goal and our motto. We will never give it up.

“Our second principle is that the right of return must be guaranteed – to Jerusalem, Haifa, Jaffa and everywhere.”

[…]

Hamas leader Khaled Mash’al: “Some of our people are conspiring against us. They are implementing a premeditated plan to foil [the Hamas government]. The day has not yet come for us to expose them and put them to shame.

“From this pulpit I declare: The day will soon come when we reveal all the facts. We will confront our people and nation with the deeds of these lackeys, who are sacrificing the interests of the homeland.

“I’m not saying they are doing this for their personal interests. Their efforts are in the service of the enemy. They are playing a role in the starvation of their own people, and in the anarchy in security.”

[…]

“What we have in Palestine is not a shadow government. In Western democracy, a shadow government is the government of the opposition party, which prepares for when it comes to power. But what we have today is a parallel, or even substitute, government, which robs us of our authorities, and robs the people of their rights.

“Therefore, those who are conspiring… Opposition is a natural right, and they are entitled to oppose us, just as we did in the past. This is their right. But there is a difference between opposing and conspiring.”

[…]

“The [Tel Aviv] martyrdom-seeking operation was described [by Abu Mazen] with a term that, by Allah, I cannot even utter. Does the shame not lie with those who remain silent in face of the siege and starvation of their people?

“They say that all responsibilities lie with the government, but that the authority lies with the president and the PLO. So what, they don’t have the authority to serve the people?

“The [Hamas] ministers told me that when they entered their offices, they found that their predecessors had stolen all the armchairs, the desks, the tea, the coffee, and the notebooks. Now that’s shameful.

“Does the shame lie with the guy who blew himself up in Tel Aviv?”

[…]

“Brothers, does the shame lie with a guy who blows himself up in Tel Aviv, or with someone who goes to eat and get drunk in Tel Aviv?”

[…]

Our Government Protects the Mujahideen

Hamas leader Khaled Mash’al: “True, our government does not conduct resistance itself, because there is a distribution of roles – the government governs, while the factions carry out the resistance, but our government is like a large tent, which protects the mujahideen and in it they find refuge.”

[…]

“Three things can be done by those of us who are outside of Palestine. The first thing… Not only by the Palestinians, but also by the Syrians and the entire Arab and Islamic nation.

“First of all, we must respond to the fundraisers.”

[…]

“Secondly, your brothers in Gaza and the West Bank have marched against the siege, condemning the Zionist, American and European siege. What did you do? What did you do in the Yarmuk refugee camp? What did you do in the refugee camps in Lebanon and Jordan? What has been done by the Arab capitals? Where are the Arab and Muslim masses?”

[…]

“Thirdly, what is required of you, my dear brothers… continues to quote [blindly] and does not read the Koran. Oh, yes… I have it.”

[…]

“It is not the role of either Hamas or the Palestinian factions to expose the hypocrites in the Palestinian and Arab arena. Today, in the age of the internet, satellite TV, and the media, your third role is to expose the facts. Anyone who knows something should make it public. If you think there are hypocrites and collaborators in our region – a fifth column that cooperates with the Zionists and Americans – We want to expose them.”

[…]

“I Call Upon All Scholars to Follow in the Footsteps… of the Great Scholar, Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi”

Hamas leader Khaled Mash’al:”Today, the great scholar, Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, may Allah protect him, said some wonderful things in his Friday sermon. I call upon all scholars to follow in the footsteps of Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi.”

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http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP110206.

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http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP108906

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http://100fm6.com/vb/showthread.php?t=257361

Muslim protest at the Global Atheist Convention, Melbourne 2012