A Norwegian news portal is reporting that Global Muslim Brotherhood leader Youssef Qaradawi is planning to temporarily take up residence In Norway in order to facilitate the study of Islamic prayer times. According to the report:
“Al-Qaradawi ‘moving to Norway’ April 28, 2011 A Turkish newspaper has reported that Muslim cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi, described as ‘more dangerous than Osama bin Laden’ by a Norwegian author, will move to Norway for a short period of time in order to help those living in northern areas of the country with the working out of daily prayer times. Al-Qaradawi, pictured above, is considered a very controversial figure. Al-Qaradawi, an Egyptian, is known for his controversial announcements, such as his belief that the Holocaust was a divine punishment carried out by Hitler against the Jews. He reportedly believes that husbands can hit their wives and that the age of consent for marriage should be nine years old as long as the girl is a virgin and participates voluntarily. Al-Qaradawi himself married a 14 year-old when he was 60. He has also supported female genital mutilation. The cleric is banned from entering the USA, UK and Israel. He has released over 80 books and has hosted a programme on global news network al-Jazeera watched by up to 40 million people. He is considered very influential within the Muslim Brotherhood and has held a number of other positions, including being a trustee of the University of Oxford’s Center for Islamic Studies. Some have described al-Qaradawi as a moderate Islamic scholar, in particular for his views on the compatibility of democracy and Islam, and relations between Muslims and non-Muslims. Prayer timing Muslims must pray five times a day, with the times dictated by the position of the sun. It is not possible to do this in parts of north Norway, where there is 24-hour sunshine in the summer and permanent darkness during parts of the winter. Turkish English-language newspaper Today’s Zaman reported that al-Qaradawi ‘and his team’ are coming to the country in order to address this issue.
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Youssef Qaradawi 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 recentpost has discussed a video compilation of Qaradawi’s extremist statements.
Qaradawi played a major role in sparking the cartoon controversy be declaring a “Day of Rage” although he had never seen the cartoons in question.