Yusuf al-Qaradawi

Yusuf al-Qaradawi (1926-) is an influential and controversial Islamist cleric, based in Qatar, and prominent on al-Jazeera and the World Wide Web. Marc Lynch writes "Hate him or love him, the man has a keen sense of Arab opinion -- whether he's following or leading it -- and has a proven track record of driving the debate."

He is affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood.

Antisemitism

The Anti-Defamation League calls him a "theologian of terror." On the Arabic satellite channel Al-Jazeera TV on January 28, 2009, Qaradawi told his audience, "I will shoot Allah's enemies, the Jews, and they will throw a bomb at me, and thus I will seal my life with martyrdom." Qaradawi has a long record of inciting violence against Jews and Israel. For example, during a sermon that aired

Israel-Palestine Conflict

He issued a fatwa against Egyptian construction of a new wall to enforce the blockade of Gaza, saying it was not politically motivated; if it was, "the same could be said of the counter fatwa issued by the Grand Sheikh of al-Azhar University supporting the construction of the wall." The Egyptian government was enraged, causing Lynch to observe "Israeli pundits sometimes claim that Egypt's role in the blockade of Gaza is ignored, but at least in the Arab world this is completely false."

Furing a July 2007 conference held in his honor in Doha, Qatar, titled "Imam al-Qaradawi: A Forum for Students and Friends," Qaradawi reiterated his support for suicide bombing and terrorist groups. It was attended by Khalid Mashal of Hamas.

"I support the Palestinian cause. I support the resistance and the jihad," Qaradwi said according to MEMRI. "I support Hamas, the Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah. I oppose the peace that Israel and America wish to dictate. This peace is an illusion. I support martyrdom operations."