Iranian media is reporting that a delegation of Palestinian prisoners freed from Israeli jails earlier this week has met with Global Muslim Brotherhood leader Youssef Qaradawi. According to the report:
(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) – All the Palestinian prisoners freed from Israeli jails earlier this week will go to Hajj, Felestin Al-Yawm news agency reported. The news agency said they would go to Saudi Arabia on an invitation by Saudi King Abdullah. Once their passports are prepared, they will be sent to Saudi Arabia. Yesterday, October 20, a delegation of the freed Palestinians met with Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, the President of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, in his home in Doha, Qatar. Al-Qaradawi expressed hope that the Palestinian resistance movement would continue to resist Israeli occupation. Based on a prisoner swap deal, captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was freed Tuesday, October 18, by Hamas resistance movement in exchange for freedom of over 1000 Palestinians held in the Zionist regime’s prisons.
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 leadthe 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.