Regional media is reporting on a sermon given by Global Muslim Brotherhood leader Youssef Qaradawi in which he condemned the French parliament’s call for Turkey to acknowledge the genocide committed by Turks against Armenians in the early 20th century. According to report in the Turkish Today’s Zaman:
International reaction keeps pouring in against the approval of a bill in the lower house of the French parliament last week to penalize denial of Armenian allegations regarding the events of 1915, with one of the most important theologians of the Arab world joining in condemnation of parliament’s decision on Friday. Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi “strongly condemned” the approval of the French bill that aims to penalize denial of the Armenian deaths in 1915 as genocide in a sermon he delivered in Doha, Qatar, on Friday, the Anatolia news agency reported. Qaradawi also called on the Muslim world to unite around Turkey and support the country against the bill, which he believed was “a great insult” to Turkey. “The bill constitutes a libel against the glorious Ottoman history,” Qaradawi said during his sermon at Imam Muhamed Ibn Abdul Wahab Mosque and asserted that Islam would not allow the extermination of people and that the Muslim world was on Turkey’s side regarding the Armenian allegations. The theologian also voiced his concern regarding the French vote on a historical issue, which he said was not subject to the judgment of parliaments and constituted a manipulation of history. Qaradawi’s words were in tune with Turkish officials who expressed last week — following Thursday’s approval — that parliaments could not determine history but could re-write them as they vote on sensitive historical issues of other countries. Qaradawi also dwelled on the need in Muslim countries to unite and overcome their differences so that their arguments can be defended through a unified and stronger voice. Citing the example of the European Union, the theologian urged Muslim nations to “set aside their conflicts” and merge into a unified whole to defend themselves against threats through a single voice. French voting on a Turkish-Armenian controversy pertaining to the civil unrest of 1915 drew wide reactions from intellectuals and politicians from all over the world, some of whom voiced concern over the bill’s political agenda and victimizing Turkish nationals by judging history, while some others saw the bill as a protection of human honor against what they believed was a systematic massacre targeting the Armenian community.
The statement illustrates the ever increasing important given to Turkey by the Global Muslim Brotherhood. The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (JCPA) has published a report titled “Turkey, the Global Muslim Brotherhood, and the Gaza Flotilla” whose abstract states:
There is strong evidence for Turkish governmental involvement in the Gaza flotilla incident, with Turkish government support channeled through the Turkish Muslim Brotherhood network. Since 2006, Turkey has become a new center for the Global Muslim Brotherhood. The IHH was not acting alone but rather was an integral part of a Turkish Muslim Brotherhood network.
With respect to the Global Muslim Brotherhood, report’s second conclusion states:
The Gaza flotilla incident brought into sharp focus an even more significant long- term development: the growing relationship between the Erdogan government and the Global Muslim Brotherhood, which has given rise to some of the most notorious Islamist terrorist groups – from al-Qaeda to Hamas. Since 2006, Turkey has become a new center for the Global Muslim Brotherhood, while the Hamas regime in the Gaza Strip acted as the main axis for this activity
Read the rest here.
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.