He is a graduate of Al-Azhar, the citadel of moderate Islam. Now expelled from its ranks. He was born in Egypt, thus an Egyptian citizen by birth. But has now been denied that citizenship. He is supposed to be a man of faith and peace. Yet he is on the lam, hiding from the arm of Egyptian laws on terrorism and tucked away in Qatar. In fact, he was recently tried in absentia in Egypt and is now under a death sentence.
What happened? In late 2012, during the one year of Islamic oppressive rule in Egypt, he was offered the rare accolade of preaching from the pulpit of Al-Azhar. A true Muslim Brotherhood voice of doom. When the Egyptian masses rose up in a companion revolution on June 30, 2013, Youssef Al-Qaradawi, once more, fled into the open arms of Qatar. Another pair of open arms were awaiting this turbaned man of 85 years of age -his Moroccan bride, who is six decades his junior.
Youssef Al-Qaradawi heads a shell organization, "The Global Union of Muslim Scholars" (GUMS). I could not find GUMS origins, nor where it was chartered, nor its organigram, nor its mission statement. Nor how Youssef Al-Qaradawi has become the head of that shadowy corporation. What I found was a Qaradawi call for violence in Egypt to avenge the deposition of the Morsi regime in July 2013.
The Qaradawi call for insurrection was adorned by its inclusion in a public manifesto. Outwardly impressive. Practically hollow. Bearing the signatures of what is claimed to be 150 "scholars and preachers." What does this Qaradawi manifesto call for?
"Revenge should be enacted. Against all decision-makers; judges; army and police officers and other personnel; all those who issue fatwas (religious interpretation of the Quran and of Muhammad traditions); media people; politicians." Not many were left off that death list.
In the name of GUMS, the crazy Qaradawi manifesto has a no escape clause. It even adds on: "And everyone who might have participated, or conspired or abetted in the..."
Here the manifesto dips below the belt. In it, there is also the standard charge of "defiling the honor of women, spilling of innocent blood, and snuffing the lives of their victims without legal sanction of Sharia." The non-Sheikh Al-Qaradawi resorts to the scare tactic of: All of you secularists are going to hell!!
Advocating for mayhem in Egypt is the heart of that manifesto issued in late May 2015. Posted on the Internet as "Nida Al-Kinaneh" by Qaradawi's blood brothers, that "Nida" could be translated in two ways: "The Call from Paradise," or "The Call for Egypt." Take your pick. Its presumed 150 scholars from 20 countries (what happened to the rest of the membership of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation of 57 States?) grandly tweets: "This is our faith. These are our scholars." I am a bit relieved that he called his cabal "our" not "your" scholars.
The "faith" and "the scholarship" of Al-Qaradawi GUMS call El-Sisi Administration the "result of a military coup in Egypt in 2013." This administration, the Qaradawi manifesto claims, is "a criminal gang which, by deposing the Morsi rule, subverted the popular will of the Nation."
Now which "Nation" is Al-Qaradawi talking about? And what rule of Islamic jurisprudence is he calling on? And on what legal Islamic premise is he basing his idiotic fatwa on? And what credibility does he have, being a well paid agent by a foreign power -Qatar?
- Like his parent organization, the Muslim Brotherhood, Al-Qaradawi regards Egypt, not as a sovereign State. But as an Emirate within the broad expanse of the Muslim Nation of 1.5 billion people.
- Like ISIS and Al-Qaeda and Al-Nusra and Boko Haram, national borders do not exist. To them, Islam is a nationality whose precepts are defined in terms of excluding all other faiths. The Copts of Egypt; Christians of Lebanon; Jews of Morocco; Indians of Pakistan, have no equal rights in these Muslim societies. Why? They are non-Muslims!!
- So are the Shiis. Whether in Iran or Iraq or Syria or Yemen or Lebanon, or Egypt. "Sunnism Uber Alles." "Sunnism is above all." a historic Nazi odious call.
- How about the will of 35 million Egyptians who rose up on June 30, 2013 demanding an end to the Islamic dictatorship (a veritable coup) of the Brotherhood? No, says Al-Qaradawi and his cohorts. Only the call from the Muslim Brotherhood minarets are the authentic voice of the people.
So historically secular Egypt had to strike back.
- The Minister for Religious Affairs, Dr. Mokhtar Gomaa, called for adding GUMS and its putative president, Youssef Al-Qaradawi to the list of terrorist organizations. A justifiable addition to the listing of the Muslim Brotherhood as a "terrorist organization."
- The Egyptian Fatwa Administration described the Qaradawi manifesto as "a desperate attempt to destabilize Egypt." Its "Observatory of Extremism" cited that call for a coup in Egypt as "FASAD." Translated from the Arabic as "corruption." But in Islamic jurisprudence, FASAD is the Number One criminal offense.
- Condemnation of FASAD occurs in 50 verses in the Quran. Spread over no less than 25 Chapters in a total of 114 Chapters. "The Observatory" cited several of these verses accusing Al-Qaradawi and his cabal of FASAD.
- Including: "... do not work corruption on the earth, after it has been set right. This is better for you if you are believers." (Chapter VII; Verse 85). The weight of Quranic condemnation of FASAD is seen from making it tantamount to "insurrection" and "mayhem."
From an Islamic perspective, these are the acids that dissolve the social contract between government and society. Thus the Quran assigns for it capital punishment as a deterrent.
At this juncture, the war within the Muslim world is on several fronts. It is between Islam as a faith and Islam as a cover for hate and terrorism. Calling the latter "extreme Islam" is a misnomer. It is a labelling error. Akin to calling the crusaders "extreme Christianity."
There is no such thing. Crusaderism was an acute military-religious conflict. Raising the Cross, a symbol of love, in the way ISIS raises the black banner emblazoned with "God Is Great and Muhammad Is His Prophet." A flag of butcherism, barbarity and a hocus-pocus Caliphate. With Abu-Bakr Al-Baghdadi, a thug from Anbar, as its head.
The terrorist phalanxes have an ideological auxiliary. In the latter category falls Al-Qaradawi and his minions of GUMS (The Global Union of Muslim Scholars). Their danger to world peace and to Islam is more lasting. Because it is an insidious slow-acting weapon of brainwashing. With the Goebbels effect of recruitment. You can bomb ISIS. You cannot cleanse sick minds by military means.
Al-Qaradawi is now being confronted in Egypt head-on by "the Religious Revolution." Called for by El-Sisi with implementation by Al-Azhar. The Arab summit of Sharm El-Sheikh of late March 2015 provided a historic endorsement.
The battle against Al-Qaradawi "Helter-Skelter" (with nominal apology to madman Charlie Manson) has begun. Its starting point is logical -revamping textbooks. All references to exclusion of "the other," and to defining Jihad as a broad lawless battle by self-appointed free lancers are being expunged.
By the end of May, Al-Azhar, together with the Egyptian ministries of Education and Religious Affairs (AWKAF), joined by specialists in various fields, were ready to welcome El-Sisi. It was on May 27, 2015 that Al-Azhar's Rector, Imam Ahmed Al-Taiyeb, was ready to share with the Egyptian President the blue print for the counter-attack against ISIS, its franchises and its enablers like Qaradawi and his GUMS.
For the first time we now have 13 recommendations for that counter-attack. They begin by the defining "the Religious Discourse." It says: "Its cleansing from superstitions and misconceptions which are counter the mission of Islam: Its tolerance, humanity, common sense, care for the common interest of humanity in accordance with changing circumstances. In service of country without infringement of other faiths or beliefs of established moral codes."
No wonder that Leon Pannetta, former US CIA Director and Defense Secretary, had this to say in Cairo on May 28, 2015: "Having met with President El-Sisi and members of the cabinet, I regard all efforts to support Egypt's counter-terrorism efforts are deserving of unremitting support."
So, Mr. Al-Qaradawi, get a life. You and GUMS, in your vain attempts to gum-up the new "Religious Revolution," are heading for the garbage can of history. So is your Egyptophobia.
Like in the case of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Qaradawi ideology seems to fit better with a theme song in an Egyptian comic TV soap opera. Zohra, a beautiful young Tunisian woman, is the screen name of its star. In the title role of "Zohra and Her Five Husbands." Per my translation, the first verses bemoan Zohra's fate:
"Going through the ocean of my life; dreaming of finding a landing!!
And see the day of deliverance; from afar a distant line!!
From the day of wading in the ocean of life; have never found safety!!
All my life episodes; start with ecstasy!!
But never even once; their ending is not a catastrophe."
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