The International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), headed by Global Muslim Brotherhood leader Youssef Qaradawi has posted a long statement on the Egyptian crisis. The statement begins:
Praise be to Almighty Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family, his companions, and all those who follow his guidance. The International Union for Muslim Scholars (IUMS) is closely observing the blessed uprising that is taking place on the land of Egypt, dear to every Arab and Muslim. Egypt is the seat of Al-Azhar and the focus of Islamic culture for Muslims everywhere. It is a free, independent, and purely Egyptian uprising led by the middle class highly educated youths, to whom the earth seemed constrained, for all its spaciousness, and their very souls were also straitened to them, after they were hard bitten by the mercilessly rising prices and crushed by hard living conditions. Hungry stomachs need bread, sick bodies need medicines, homeless families need homes, and graduates need jobs. Moreover, their homeland, of great history and civilization, suffers from decline and deterioration in education, health, economy, and military power, in addition to a decline in its historic role in the Arab issue with the Zionist state. Israel engineered its schemes to drive Egypt out of the battle of Palestine or the battle of the Arab and Muslim world. As a consequence, Egypt became a mediator between the two parties, rather than a partner in struggle. Moreover, Egypt moved confusedly on the local level and weakened in the Arab, Muslim, and global arena.
In what could be perceived as an ominous tone, the statement says near the end:
The aim is to elect a president freely and fairly, with total judicial supervision, and to open the door to every Egyptian who meets the conditions to stand for president. Likewise, elections should be held for the People’s Assembly and Shura Council. Thereafter, Egypt will start a new phase during which social justice will be built and social forces mobilized for the advance of this great nation. All potentials and capabilities should come together to get out of this prison of backwardness to the open space of progress and development.
The statement does not elaborate on who will be building “social justice” or what it will consist of but it should be noted that social justice is one of the key organizing concepts of the Global Muslim Brotherhood.
The International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) was launched on July 11, 2004 in conjunction with a visit by Youssef Qaradawi to London for a meeting of the European Council for Fatwa and Research. The IUMS board of directors is comprised of many leaders of the global Brotherhood. 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.
Qaradawi recently reiterated his support for suicide bombing in Israel and expressed his desire to die as a martyr “at the hands of a non-Muslim.”
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For GMBDW coverage on the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, go here.