A Gulf newspaper has reported on comments made by global Muslim Brotherhood leader Youssef Qaradawi in which he calls for Muslims to defend Iran against a potential U.S. attack:
MUSLIMS around the world should defend Iran against any possible US attack, prominent Islamic scholar Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi has said.In an interview with the IslamOnline radio on Thursday, Qaradawi stressed that all Muslims have the duty of launching jihad (holy war) against any enemy attacking a Muslim country.
It is obligatory on all Muslims to resist any possible attack the US might launch against Iran. Iran is a Muslim country which all Muslims should defend while the US is an enemy of Islam that has already declared war on Islam under the disguise of war on terrorism and provides Israel with unlimited support, he was quoted as saying. About Iran’s nuclear programme, he said that Tehran has the right to have nuclear power. Why should Iran or any other Muslim or African country be banned from having nuclear power while Israel and the US itself already have nuclear bombs? To a question on the fears of Iran’s Arab neighbours about its nuclear programme, he urged Tehran and regional states to reach accords among themselves to dispel any suspicions. There is no need for any foreign party to intrude and claim it provides them with protection, he said.We are against any war on Iran as we had been against the war on Iraq. We are against any war based on retaliatory or aggressive reasons, he said.
In the same interview, Qaradawi disagrees with the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia who apparently has ruled against the involvement of Muslim men conflicts outside their countries without permission from their governments:
Asked about a fatwa issued by the grand mufti of Saudi Arabia which warned Muslim men against being involved in conflicts outside their countries like the ongoing war in Iraq without getting permission from the rulers of their countries, the scholar said that this fatwa does not apply to the situation in countries like Iraq, Palestine and possibly Iran if it is attacked by the US. When a Muslim country is invaded by some other country, all Muslims who are capable of doing jihad should spare no efforts in defending the invaded country. It is not true that Muslims should not go outside their countries to defend their fellow Muslims unless they get permission from the ruler of their country, he said. Why did governments of Muslim countries allow their young people to go to Afghanistan to defend it against the former Soviet Union? Was it just because they got a green light from the US to do so? he asked.
Finally, Qaradawi reiterates his call for “economic jihad” against countries which are said to be “hostile to Islam”:
The scholar also renewed his call for Muslims to boycott the products of countries which are hostile to Islam. Boycotting the goods of the enemies of Islam should be one of the weapons of jihad against our enemies. The boycott should continue till such countries stop their schemes against Islam, he said. About the tense relations between the Hamas and Fatah Palestinian movements, he urged the two factions to resume talks and stand united against Israel.
It should be noted that all these positions are consistent with the provocative role taken by the Muslim Brotherhood in many recent controversies and is one of a number of efforts by the Brotherhood to reach some form of accommodation with Shiite Muslims.