Moroccan media has reported that Global Muslim Brotherhood leader Youssef Qaradawi was among the first of the Islamic scholars to congratulate the Justice and Development Party (JDP) on its recent parliamentary victory. According to a report in the Morocco World News:
November 28, 2011The final results of the legislative elections in Morocco that resulted in the historic win of the moderate Islamist PJD with 107 seats in the parliament is still drawing much attention.The Egyptian Islamic Scholar Yusuf al-Qaradawi was among the first Islamic scholars to congratulate the PJD’s leaders for their victorious win.The Doha-based Muslim scholar sent a formal letter to the PJD’s Secretary General Abdelilah Benkiran, the soon-to-be-appointed Head of Government, to congratulate him and urge him to continue his hard work to meet the aspirations of the Moroccan people who entrusted his party with the majority of votes.“In my name and the name of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, we congratulate the Kingdom of Morocco, its great people, its wise leadership with the highest expressions of congratulations and appreciation in the free and honest parliamentary elections after the recent constitutional reforms that we hope will be for the better for the people and the country,” Al-Qaradawi stated.Al-Qaradawi also expressed that “it is with a great pleasure and joy” that he “received the news of the win of the Islamic Development and Justice Party.” “We would like to affirm to your blessed party to always look forward towards the interests of its nation in the light of the Quran, the tolerant teachings of the Sunnah and the Islamic Shari’a. We also hope that it will present the true image of our great tolerant Islam, and that it will be in accordance with the other loyal nationalist parties and the righteous people for a collaborative work to watch over the needs of the people, and to confirm to the Moroccan people that their trust was put in the right place, of which we are sure,” he added.Yusuf al-Qaradawi has praised on several occasions the reforms that King Mohammed VI has been taking since his enthronement to guarantee more development and political socio-economic changes for his nation.
In June, African media reported on comments by Abdelilah Benkiran stridently objecting to freedom of religion and tolerance of homosexuality.
A previous post reported that in March, a JDP leader was one of the participants at conference that brought together an unusual and significant number of participants from the Global Muslim Brotherhood, the Egyptian Brotherhood, and other Islamist movements that also included Rachid Ghannouchi, the leader of the Tunisian political party tied to the Global Muslim Brotherhood that was victorious in recent elections there.
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.