In a recent TV interview, Global Muslim Brotherhood leader Youssef Qaradawi said that it is not permissible for a woman to “travel alone to study in a Western country, or in any country, for that matter. According to a MEMRI translation of the Al-Jazeera interview:
Following are excerpts from an interview with Sunni scholar Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, which aired on the Al-Jazeera network on April 15, 2012 : Interviewer : A Muslim sister asks what is the ruling regarding a woman traveling to study [abroad]without a male relative as chaperone. Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi : Traveling by herself? Interviewer : Yes. Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi : A woman may not travel alone to study in a Western country, or in any country, for that matter. She must not travel to a Western or any foreign country, where she knows no one and has to live on her own. If it is unavoidable, we must try to… For example, Qatar wanted to send some girls to Egypt to study for an M.A. or a Ph.D. So it prepared a special building for them, with rooms, kitchens, and supervision, and the girls went to live there during their studies. This is a possibility. […]”
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.
A post from yesterday discussed the Egyptian presidential candidacy of Abdel-Moneim Abul Fotouh who is backed by Qaradawi.