Gulf media has published a report contradicting recent rumors that Global Muslim Brotherhood leader Youssef Qaradawi had been expelled from his base in Qatar. According to a Gulf News report, the new ruler of Qatar has given Qaradawi a warm welcome:
June 26, 2013 The old man was assisted by an aide as he walked up to the former and new emirs of Qatar to offer his congratulations on the peaceful transition at the top of the state and the hand-over of power.
The Emiri Court in Doha was filled with well-wishers, but Shaikh Yousuf Al Qaradawi was taken directly to Shaikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani and Shaikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, the outgoing emir and the new emir.
The father promptly moved forward and kissed the frail-looking man in a gesture that indicated the deep trust the two men have developed over the years.
The scholar then moved to the son, 33, the youngest ruler of an Arab country.
Shaikh Tamim planted a kiss on Al Qaradawi’s head and then his shoulder.
The images beamed live on state television immediately sparked a lively debate on social media and microblogs and questions abounded on the meaning of the gesture.
Al Qaradawi is not a regular religious scholar or a simple Friday mosque preacher.
Over the years, the Egyptian-born cleric has acquired a special status on religious, social, economic and political ideas and talks. Doha-based Al Jazeera channel, the most viewed station in the Arab world, helped take him into the homes of millions of viewers, particularly through a weekly one-hour-long talk show in which he shared views and offered advice.
As a prominent supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood, he helped propagate their ideology and views on everything and, mainly in the last two years, on political matters.
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Youssef Qaradawi is the most important leader of the Global Muslim Brotherhood and is the de facto spiritual leader of the movement. He is also considered to be the “spiritual guide” for Hamas and his fatwas in support of suicide bombings against Israeli citizens were utilized by Hamas to justify their operations. In 2004, Qaradawi turned down the offer to head he Egyptian Brotherhood after the death of the Supreme Guide. He is based in Qatar and has said the Qatari Emir has protected from being designated as a terrorist by the U.S. He has also reportedly amassed substantial wealth by serving as the Shari’ah adviser to many important Islamic banks and funds. Qaradawi is the head of the Union of Good (UOG), a worldwide coalition of charities helping to raise funds for Hamas and is the leader of the European Council for Fatwa and Research (ECFR), the theological body of the European Muslim Brotherhood.
Qaradawi has made frequent extremist statements including:
- Predicting that Islam will conquer Europe through peaceful means.
- Calling Hitler a divine punishment for the “misdeeds of the Jews” and that the Holocaust was exaggerated.
- Saying that he wants to end his life “in the service of Jihad” by visiting Israel and throwing a bomb, becoming a “martyr” in the process
- Calling for the death of all Jews.
- Calling for attacks on US troops and civilians in Iraq along with Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Hizbullah.
- Calling for the collapse of the US if it doesn’t end its “unjust ways.”