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	MEMRI Daily - Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi: November 18, 2010 MEMRI | MEMRI TV | THE MEMRI BLOG | MEMRI ECONOMIC BLOG | JIHAD AND TERRORISM THREAT MONITOR TURKISH MEDIA PROJECT | IRAN BLOG | THE MIDDLE EAST CULTURE BLOG| THE URDU-PASHTU MEDIA BLOG
	The following is research published on Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi from MEMRI’s Special Dispatch Series, the MEMRI TV Project, and the MEMRI Blog. To view the MEMRI page for Al-Qaradhawi, visit http://www.memri.org/subject/en/114.htm. *Special Dispatch Series Special Dispatch No. 3387—Europe and the Arab & Muslim World Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi to the Chechens: Lay Down Your Arms, Make Peace with Russia Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi, head of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, has recently spoken out against the terrorist attacks and guerilla war that Muslim Chechen separatists are waging against the Chechen government of President Ramzan Kadyrov, whom the separatists accuse of collaborating with Russia. In a recorded speech he sent to a June 2010 Islamic convention held in the Chechen capital, and in a September 2010 fatwa he issued in response to a request by Chechen Muslim scholars, Al-Qaradhawi called on the Chechen insurgents to abandon violence and take up diplomacy in order to further their cause, because, he explained, Islam is a peaceful religion that advocates fighting only against those who wage war on Islam or expel Muslims from their homes, and jihad is allowed solely for defense purposes. Al-Qaradhawi's statements met with criticism from several Muslim clerics and organizations supportive of the Chechen insurgents' cause, which asked why the sheikh drew a distinction between the Palestinian struggle and that of the Chechens, and claimed that his religious ruling deviated from Islamic law. It should be noted that the Chechen jihadists do not consider Al-Qaradhawi a religious authority; however, in light of his prominent status in the Islamic world at large, his ruling could dissuade non-Chechen Muslims from joining the Chechen insurgency. It is noteworthy that in the past Al-Qaradhawi has expressed opposite views, calling to support the Chechen jihad and its struggle for independence from Russia. Chechen Mufti Sultan Haji Mirzayev explained that Al-Qaradhawi had changed his position after Chechen Muslim clerics and President Kadyrov presented him with a clear picture of the situation on the ground, while in the past he had been given misleading reports on circumstances in Chechnya. To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/4776.htm. *From the MEMRI Archives: Yousef Al-Qaradhawi From MEMRI TV Top Sunni Scholar Sheikh Yousef 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 Yousef Al-Qaradhawi, which aired on Qatar TV on May 14, 2010. To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit http://www.memri.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/114/2482.htm. Sheikh Yousef 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 Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi, which aired on BBC Arabic on February 8, 2010. To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit http://www.memri.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/114/2394.htm. From the MEMRI Special Dispatch Series Kurdish Political Analyst: Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi Backing Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan's Crimes against Kurdish People In a July 21, 2010 article on the liberal website Elaph, Ahmad Rasoul, a Kurdish political analyst who resides in Germany, condemned recent statements by Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi, head of the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), in support of Turkey's war on Kurdish terror. Rasoul said that Al-Qaradhawi's statements, made at an IUMS conference in Istanbul, granted the regimes of Turkey, Iran, and Syria a religious license to persecute the Kurds, who Rasoul said are only fighting for freedom and equality. He added that the "new Ottomans" (i.e., the Turks) were using the slogans of "saving Jerusalem" and "breaking the siege on Gaza" to invade the Arab and Muslim world and spread their culture in it. To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/4527.htm. Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi Calls for Jihad of Self-Sacrifice and for Rejecting the Political Process Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi, head of the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), has recently voiced his opinion on various political issues, especially the Palestinian cause, claiming that the only way to liberate the occupied lands is through resistance. He called on Muslims to wage jihad of self-sacrifice, adding that those who are unable to do so should to take up other forms of jihad. He also criticized the Arab leaders for stubbornly clinging to the political process in general and to Arab peace initiatives specifically, which he claimed had achieved minimal results. Al-Qaradhawi praised Turkey for its contribution in the Gaza flotilla, and Mauritania for severing its ties with Israel. To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/4445.htm From the MEMRI Inquiry and Analysis Series Palestinian Authority Attacks Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi for Calling to Stone President 'Abbas By: C. Jacob* The Palestinian Authority has launched a verbal assault against International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) director Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi for his call to stone Palestinian Authority members if it can be proven that they collaborated with Israel in the Gaza war. Tensions apparently began with Al-Qaradhawi's December 2009 fatwa against Egypt's construction of a steel barrier along its border with Gaza. The PA responded harshly to Al-Qaradhawi's call, accusing him of inciting to murder, of exploiting the religion to deepen the rift among the Palestinians, of ingratitude towards the PA leaders, and of issuing contradictory fatwas. However, Hamas members stated that Al-Qaradhawi had spoken the truth, and even announced that they would hold soon a conference in his honor to note his support for the Palestinian issue. In a September 10, 2009 sermon, Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi demanded that there be an investigation into why the U.N. vote on the Goldstone report was delayed, and stated that the PA officials should be judged during their pilgrimage to Mecca, so that if they were found guilty the other pilgrims could stone them, "as Satan himself is stoned." To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/4044.htm. Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi and Qatar's Education City – Hosting American University Students from Carnegie Mellon, Georgetown, Northwestern, Texas A&M, Virginia Commonwealth, Cornell & Others By: Steven Stalinsky* On February 15, 2010, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton participated in an official Al-Jazeera town hall interview at the Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) branch campus in Qatar's Education City. Secretary Clinton was introduced by Sheikh Abdallah Aal-Thani, whose opening statements on behalf of Education City praised the six American universities based there. In response, Secretary Clinton stated, "I have been following the progress of Education City from the U.S., and I am delighted to be able to see with my own eyes the extraordinary commitment of the Qatar Foundation… to this really extraordinary partnership between our two countries." To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/3984.htm. From the MEMRI Blog Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi Receives "Medal of Independence" from Jordanian King At the 'Environment in Islam' conference held one month ago in Jordan, King 'Abdallah II presented Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi, the head of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, with the prestigious Medal of Independence. The Sheikh of Al-Azhar, Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, was presented with the King 'Abdallah II Award for Muslim Scholars and Preachers, and with an honorary doctorate from the University of Jordan. To read in full, visit http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/31870.htm. MBC Group Chairman Announces Historical TV Drama Production On Second Muslim Caliph; Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi On Fact Review Committee MBC Group chairman Sheikh Waleed Al-Ibrahim has announced the coproduction of the group's largest historical TV drama to date, featuring the biography of the second Muslim Caliph Farooq the Great Umar Ibn Al-Khattab. To read in full, visit http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/30828.htm. Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi: Israeli Women May Be Killed, Because They Fight Islam On his television program on the Saudi Iqraa TV channel, International Union of Muslim Scholars head Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi said that jihad is a moral obligation in Islam, and that it is permitted to kill Israeli women because they serve in the army and participate in the fight against Islam. He said that this does not contradict the Prophet Muhammad's ban on killing innocent women, because Iraeli society, unlike other societies, has come from all corners of the earth to invade and attack innocents. To read in full, visit http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/29736.htm. Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi: 'Irrigate The Tree Of Freedom With Our Blood' In a recorded speech for a conference of the Gaza Hamas government's Ministry of Religious Endowments, Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi called on the Arab and Muslim ummah to mobilize for the Palestinians. Al-Qaradhawi said that they must not be silent as long as there remains "a single inch of the land of Islam in the hands of infidels and occupiers." The conference was devoted to the issue of support from Al-Qaradhawi, who heads the Union of Muslim Scholars for the Palestinian Cause. To read in full, visit http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/31059.htm. Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi Says He'll Boycott Interfaith Conference Due To Attendance Of Jews International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) head Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi has announced his intention to boycott the 8th Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue. Al-Qaradhawi said that he opposes discourse with Jews in principle. Al-Qaradhawi's stance is supported by a number of Al-Azhar scholars. To read in full, visit http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/31519.htm. Al-Qaradhawi's International Union Of Muslim Scholars Supports Islamic Resistance The International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), which is headed by Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi, has said that the only solution for the Arab-Israeli conflict is "comprehensive resistance against the Zionist enemy with the aim of liberating all of occupied Palestine." The organization called the Palestinian issue the central problem of the Muslim nation and the most dangerous against its future. To read in full, visit http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/31849.htm. Please remember the environment before printing.