Gulf media has reported that Global Muslim Brotherhood leader Youssef Qaradawi has been hospitalized with unspecified health problems. According to a Gulf Times report:
DOHA: Eminent Islamic cleric Dr Yusuf Al Qaradawi is admitted in hospital and has not been able to deliver the Friday sermon at the Omer Bin Khattab Mosque for the past several weeks. According to Al Sharq, circles close to the scholar are not willing to disclose precisely what health problems he is suffering from because he doesn’t want people to visit him in the hospital. The daily said people have been missing the cleric’s Friday sermons, particularly as these are turbulent days for the Arab world and his comments and opinion on the revolution rocking several Arab countries are keenly followed around the world. The scholar spoke freely on political upheavals taking place in countries like Tunisia, Egypt and Libya and exhorted the common man to rise against authoritarian regimes. But when the powers that be in places like Yemen and Syria are facing increasing opposition from their people, Qaradawi’s followers are quite eager to listen to his viewpoint.
Previous posts have reported on other of the 85 year old Qaradawi’s illnesses and hospitalizations, the last of which was known to be in 2007.
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.