Gulf media is reporting that the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), headed by Global Muslim Brotherhood leader Youssef Qaradawi, is raising funds for an Islamic endowment. According to a Gulf Times report, the Qatari heir apparent attended a charity dinner for the project in Doha:
HH the Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani yesterday attended a charity dinner held at the Doha Sheraton Hotel by the International Union for Muslim Scholars (UIMS) to raise funds for an endowment (waqf) named Renaissance of the Nation. The ceremony was attended by a number of sheikhs, ministers, several ambassadors accredited to Qatar and businessmen. Sheikh Abdurrahman bin Abdullah al-Mahmoud, a UIMS board member, welcomed HH the Heir Apparent. HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani has donated a plot of land for the Renaissance of the Nation waqf to construct a building. UIMS chairman Dr Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi praised HH the Emir’s support to the waqf. He also lauded the ‘leading role’ being played by Qatar in the service of Islam and Muslim issues as well as its role in supporting Arab issues. At the event, the ‘Person of the Year’ award was given to HE Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim al-Thani, owner of Alfaisal Without Borders Charitable Foundation, who announced his donation of QR5mn for the Renaissance of the Nation waqf. HH the Heir Apparent witnessed the charity auction held on the occasion.
It should be noted that a post from April discussed a 2011 lecture given by Khairat Al-Shater, the former Egyptian Brotherhood Presidential candidate, which revealed the aim of the Nahda (Renaissance) project to be the full “Islamization” of Egypt as part of a step towards the eventual realization of the Islamic Caliphate. It is not clear if these projects are related.
The International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) was launched on July 11, 2004 in conjunction with a visit by Youssef Qaradawi to London for a meeting of the European Council for Fatwa and Research. Many prominent individuals tied to the Global Muslim Brotherhood are or have been associated with the IUMS including:
- Rachid Ghannouchi (leader of the Tunisian Muslim Brotherhood)
- Ismail Haniyeh (Hamas Prime Minister in Gaza)
- Safwat Hegazi (close to the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood )
- Isam al-Bashir (Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood leader)
- Jamal Badawi (U.S. Muslim Brotherhood leader)
- Mohammad Sawalha (U.K. Muslim Brotherhood/Hamas)
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Basheer Nafi (Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader, formerly associated with the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT)
- Isaq Farhan (Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood)
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.