Qaradawi Says Egyptians Should Back Morsi And Not Demonstrate

Gulf media is reporting that Youssef Qaradawi has urged Egyptians to back the presidency of Mohamed Morsi and not to join in the upcoming nation-wide demonstrations scheduled for June 30. According to a Gulf News report:

22 June 2013 President Mohamed Mursi is the legitimate representative of the people whom all Egyptians should back, Doha-based Muslim scholar Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi said yesterday.

In his Friday sermon at Omar bin al-Khattab Mosque, Qaradawi said Mursi had won the majority of votes in a fair election.

‘The man is building Egypt and everyday he has achievements. Yet, some people come and say ‘We do not want Mursi’.  What wrong has Mursi done? Has he killed people? Has he violated any religious duties? Instead, people tried to break into his palace and he did not prosecute anybody,’ he said.

He added that there were many parties and entities in Egypt that paid billions of pounds to stop the country from making any real progress. He described them as the supporters and remnants of the former regime.

Mursi’s opponents have called for a demonstration on June 30, the first anniversary of his taking office, to press for his resignation and early presidential elections.

‘This is strange, you Egyptians have waited patiently for more than 60 years under an oppressive regime, which used to undermine your dignity and freedom without any free and fair elections. People were deprived of their rights. But when it comes to Mursi, you could not wait for one year. I have visited the man alone and with some Muslim scholars and I see him as a good man,’ he said.

Qaradawi urged Egyptians not to take part in the demonstration against him, warning that supporters of the former regime could stir up violence.

He said that Mursi still had three years in office and should be allowed to complete his term.

‘I advise the wise people to let this day pass and focus on the upcoming parliament elections, where they are free to choose whoever represents them best,’ he said.

Qaradawi affirmed that Islam is always connected with politics. However, this does not mean rule by the clergy but by a civilian government that upholds Shariah, he said.

He also reiterated his support for the Syrian people and their struggle against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad and asked ‘all nations of the world to hurry to their support and put an end to the manslaughter going on in Syria at the hands of the regime’.

Egyptian-born Youssef Qaradawi is the most important leader of the Global Muslim Brotherhood and is the de facto spiritual leader of the movement. He is also considered to be the “spiritual guide” for Hamas and his fatwas in support of suicide bombings against Israeli citizens were utilized by Hamas to justify their operations.  In 2004, Qaradawi turned down the offer to head he Egyptian Brotherhood after the death of the Supreme Guide. He is based in Qatar and has said the Qatari Emir has protected from being designated as a terrorist by the U.S. He has also reportedly amassed substantial wealth by serving as the Shari’ah adviser to many important Islamic banks and funds. Qaradawi has made frequent extremist statements including:

• Predicting that Islam will conquer Europe through peaceful means.

• Calling Hitler a divine punishment for the “misdeeds of the Jews” and that the Holocaust was exaggerated.

• Saying that he wants to end his life “in the service of Jihad” by visiting Israel and throwing a bomb, becoming a “martyr” in the process

• Calling for the death of all Jews.

• Calling for the collapse of the US if it doesn’t end its “unjust ways.”