Iranian media is reporting that Global Muslim Brotherhood leader Youssef Qaradawi has once again reiterated his support for Iran’s nuclear program. According to the report:
TEHRAN, Dec. 18 (MNA) — The chairman of the International Union for Muslim Scholars (IUMS), which is based in Qatar, has expressed his support for Iran’s right to access nuclear technology meant for peaceful purposes. IUMS Chairman Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi made the remarks in Qatar on Friday. Qaradawi said he is astonished that certain Muslim countries do not support Iran’s peaceful nuclear activities. He also expressed hope that Muslim states would become the most powerful countries in the world and would acquire the most advanced technological systems. The main bone of contention between Tehran and the West is Iran’s uranium enrichment program. Iran says all its nuclear activities are totally peaceful, and, as an International Atomic Energy Agency member and a nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty signatory, it has the legal right to produce nuclear fuel for its research reactors and nuclear power plants. Elsewhere in his remarks, Qaradawi called on Shias and Sunnis to maintain unity in order to counter Western countries’ efforts to propagate Christianity.
Previous posts have discussed earlier expressions of support for Iran’s nuclear program by both Qaradawi and the IUMS which he heads.
Qaradawi, a virulent anti-Semite is often referred to here as the most important leader of the global Muslim Brotherhood, an acknowledgement of his role as the de facto spiritual leader of the movement. In 2004, Qaradawi turned down the offer to lead the Egyptian Brotherhood after the death of the Supreme Guide. Based in Qatar, Sheikh Qaradawi has reportedly amassed substantial wealth through his role as Shari’ah adviser to many important Islamic banks and funds. He is also considered to be the “spiritual guide” for Hamas and his fatwas in support of suicide bombings against Israeli citizens were instrumental in the development of the phenomenon. A recent post has discussed a video compilation of Qaradawi’s extremist statements.