the 500 most influential muslims - The Royal Islamic Strategic ...

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SHEIKH DR YUSUF AL QARADAWI
Head of the International Union of Muslim Scholars
Yusuf al Qaradawi is an Egyptian scholar. He is
articulate, widely read, and is one of the most widely
commented on scholars of Islam. He is one of the
intellectual leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood
movement and a founder of the website IslamOnline.
Leading Figure of the Muslim Brotherhood
Qaradawi is incredibly influential as an intellectual
leader of the Muslim Brotherhood—one of the
most important modern movements in Islam. He
has twice turned down offers to be their leader—in
1976 and 2004—preferring to be free of institutional
Country: Qatar
Date of Birth: 9 September 1926
Source of Influence: Scholarly
Influence: Leading scholar for
global Muslim Brotherhood
movement, host of 'Ash-Shariah
wal-Hayat' on Al Jazeera with 40
million viewers worldwide
School of Thought: Traditional
Muslim/Salafi
restrictions. Qaradawi grew up and matured with the Muslim Brotherhood but has
distanced himself from the movement in recent years. As early as 1997 he went out of his
way to explain his independence from any organization, stating categorically that he was
not a member of the Brotherhood. Earlier in his life Qaradawi was jailed three times for
his relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood and subsequently stripped of his Egyptian
Citizenship in the 1970s—driving him to seek exile in Qatar. The Muslim Brotherhood
remains the main opposition force in Egypt. Although he has no formal relationship with
the Muslim Brotherhood, his writings make him an important intellectual figure in the
Muslim Brotherhood movement.
Popular Influence
Qaradawi is incredibly influential as a vociferous voice of criticism of the West and of Israel.
Much of Qaradawi's influence over the past decade has been a product of his forthright
views on combating social injustice, especially concerning Israeli-Palestinian relations. His
view that suicide bombing is a legitimate form of self-defense has landed him in trouble in
western Europe, but is reflective of an underlying sentiment among many in the Middle
East that oppression deserves such a response—however he goes against the grain of most
leading Islamic thinkers by supporting suicide bombing as a tactic of war.
Traditional Scholar for Modern Times
Qaradawi's ability to combine the traditional knowledge of Islamic law with a contemporary
understanding of the issues that Muslims face today, have lead him to become one of the
best known and most influential contemporary Muslim clerics of our time. He uses a
variety of means to connect with people. He is well known for his popular Al Jazeera
program 'Ash-Shariah wal-Hayat' (Islamic Law and Life) that is watched by an estimated
40 million people worldwide. Despite his popularity, Qaradawi is often criticized by
fellow scholars regarding his methodology and his occasionally unusual opinions. He
does however continue to be respected as a knowledgeable scholar and has been praised
for his condemnation of the September 11th attacks.
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