Arab media is reporting that Sheikh Youssef Qaradawi, perhaps the most important leader of the global Muslim Brotherhood, was part of a delegation that met with the King of Saudi Arabia to discuss the Gaza crisis. According to one report:
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah yesterday called on Palestinian factions to stand united against their common enemy and said that Palestinian unity was essential to stopping Israeli aggression and achieving a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East. “I support every effort that is aimed at strengthening the unity of the Muslim Ummah as well as the unity of Palestinians and their leadership,” he told a delegation from the International Union for Muslim Scholars (IUMS) led by Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradawi. “Muslims should unify their ranks and mobilize their resources for constructive activities,” the king said, commending IUMS’ efforts to strengthen Muslim unity. Al-Qaradawi praised King Abdullah for his tremendous support for Islamic causes and for endeavoring to unite Muslim ranks….The IUMS delegation included prominent figures such as Abdul Rahman Swar Al-Dahab, former president of Sudan; Abdullah Omar Naseef, former vice chairman of the Saudi Shoura Council; Muhammad Hidaya Noor Waheed, speaker of Indonesian Parliament; and Nasr Farid Wasil, former mufti of Egypt.
Other Arab media reported that the visit was part of a series of visits to Arab leaders that included the Emir of Qatar and Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad. They also plan to visit Egypt, Jordan and Turkey.
The IUMS is headed by Qaradawi and Swar Al-Dahab is Qaradawi’s Deputy in the Union of Good, a word-wide coalition of charities that was recently designated by the U.S. government in connection with Hamas fundraising. Given the participation of Qaradawi and Swar Al-Dahab, it is likely that the subject of the meeting concerned finding new funds for Hamas following the ongoing destruction of their assets in Gaza.