THE 500 MOST INFLUENTIAL MUSLIMS - CESD

14SHEIKH DR YUSUF AL QARADAWIHead of the International Union of Muslim ScholarsYusuf al Qaradawi is an Egyptian scholar. Articulateand widely read, he is one of the most widely commentedon scholars of Islam. Al Qaradawi is a founderof the website IslamOnline, one of the intellectualleaders of the Muslim Brotherhood movement, andthe most influential leader associated with the movementsince Mahdi Akef stepped down from his positionas Supreme Leader in January 2010.Country: QatarDate of Birth: 9 September 1926Source of Influence: ScholarlyInfluence: Leading scholar forglobal Muslim Brotherhoodmovement, host of ‘Ash-Shariahwal-Hayat’ on Al Jazeera, theArabic-language channel with40 to 50 million viewers worldwideSchool of Thought: MuslimBrotherhood/SalafiRank: 2010:14 · 2009:9 Leading Figure of the Muslim BrotherhoodQaradawi is incredibly influential as an intellectualleader of the Muslim Brotherhood—one of the mostimportant modern movements in Islam. He has twiceturned down offers to be their leader—in 1976 and2004—preferring to be free of institutional restrictions.Qaradawi grew up and matured with the MuslimBrotherhood but has distanced himself from the movement in recent years. As early as1997 he went out of his way to explain his independence from any organization, stating categoricallythat he was not a member of the Brotherhood. Earlier in his life Qaradawi was jailedthree times for his relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood and subsequently stripped ofhis Egyptian citizenship in the 1970s—driving him to seek exile in Qatar. The Muslim Brotherhoodremains the main opposition force in Egypt. Although he has no formal relationshipwith the Muslim Brotherhood, his writings make him an important intellectual figure in theMuslim Brotherhood movement.Popular InfluenceQaradawi 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 viewson combating social injustice, especially concerning Israeli-Palestinian relations. His viewthat suicide bombing is a legitimate form of self-defense has landed him in trouble, especiallyin Western Europe, but is reflective of an underlying sentiment among many in the MiddleEast that oppression deserves such a response—however Qaradawi goes against the grain ofmost leading Islamic thinkers by supporting suicide bombing as a tactic of war.Scholar for Modern TimesQaradawi’s ability to combine the traditional knowledge of Islamic law with a contemporaryunderstanding of the issues that Muslims face today, has led him to become one of the bestknown and most influential contemporary Muslim clerics of our time. He uses a variety ofmeans 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 40-50 millionpeople worldwide. Despite his popularity, Qaradawi is often criticized by fellow scholars regardinghis methodology and his occasionally unusual opinions. He does, however, continueto be respected as a knowledgeable scholar and has been praised for his condemnation of theSeptember 11th attacks.54