Muslim Council Of Britain Outraged
This is the guy who makes the wife beating tapes, although that’s the least of his offenses…
Times Online:
Yusuf al-Qaradawi, a controversial Muslim cleric who defends suicide attacks, has been refused a visa to enter to the UK after a campaign by David Cameron.
The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) said that it deplored the decision and accused the government of caving in to “unreasonable demands spearheaded by the Tory leader”.
Muhammad Abdul Bari, the secretary-general of the MCB, said that Dr al-Qaradawi enjoyed respect as a scholar throughout the Muslim world.
“I am afraid this decision will send the wrong message to Muslims everywhere about the state of British society and culture,” he said.
“Britain has had a long and established tradition of free speech, debate and intellectual pursuit. These principles are worth defending, especially if we would like to see them spread throughout the world.”
The British Muslim Initiative (BMI) described the decision to bar al-Qaradawi, an “eminent scholar”, as “an unwarranted insult to British Muslims”.
Muhammad Sawalha, the BMI president, said: “We would have to go as far back as the medieval age when scholars were hounded and vilified in order to find a similar retrograde decision.”
The 81-year-old Egyptian-born preacher is now based in Qatar and makes regular appearances on al-Jazeera television, clad in white robes, where he denounces anti-Muslim sentiment in the European media.
Sources close to Dr al- Qaradawi said that his visa application had had support within the Home and Foreign Offices. “But the Zionist lobby placed huge pressures to block the visa application and Prime Minister Gordon Brown eventually backed that position,” they added.
It is understood that Dr al-Qaradawi, who is banned from entering the United States, applied for a medical visa almost a year ago. In August he was hospitalised for a stomach ulcer, and in November he was treated for a cracked vertebra apparently caused by a slipped disc.
In a fax from the British embassy in Doha, his application was refused, reportedly citing Article 41 of the United Nations charter, which relates to threats to peace and security.
The cleric last visited the UK in 2004, where he was welcomed by Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London, and chaired the annual meeting of the European Council of Fatwa and Research at London’s City Hall.
His visit prompted protests from Jewish groups and gay people, who regard him as anti-Semitic and homophobic. He has called for the death penalty for homosexuality and the destruction of the state of Israel.
In the same year, the cleric defended suicide attacks on Israelis during a BBC interview, saying: “It’s not suicide, it is martyrdom in the name of God.” He added that it did not matter if women and children were the victims of such attacks.
The cleric is also said to preach that husbands should beat disobedient wives.
In 2006 Dr al-Qaradawi was told that he would be granted a visa to enter Britain for a meeting in Manchester, with the authorisation of Charles Clarke, the then Home Secretary, but in the event he did not attend.
Last week Mr Cameron clashed with Gordon Brown in the Commons over Dr al-Qaradawi, as he described him as “dangerous and divisive”, and called on the Government not to let him into the country.
“Two months ago I identified and named specifically in this house a number of preachers of hate who should not be allowed into this country,” said Mr Cameron.
“Will you confirm that the Government has accepted this as well and won’t be allowing Yusuf al-Qaradawi into Britain - yes or no?”
Mr Brown refused to issue a snap decision on the visa application, saying it would be announced “very soon” and insisting that proper judicial processes had to be followed.
To Tory jeers, Mr Brown replied: “In 2006 a decision was made not to exclude him. We are looking at that again. He has applied to come into this country. A decision will be made in due course. It has to go through the proper judicial processes. But he has not been allowed into this country at this stage.”
Today David Davis, the Shadow Home Secretary, welcomed the visa ruling. “Not before time the Government has finally acted after pressure from David Cameron,” he said.
“The Government’s approach to preachers of hate has been at best timid and at worst downright useless. Now it is time for them to take a robust approach across the board.”
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Bravo Mr. Cameron!
February 9th, 2008 at 2:43 pmHa ha
February 9th, 2008 at 2:44 pmAnd stay out! Bitch
February 9th, 2008 at 2:45 pmI love it!
“I am afraid this decision will send the wrong message to Muslims everywhere about the state of British society and culture,”
I got your message right here and 1 finger says it all!
“an unwarranted insult to British Muslims”.
Don’t like it then go back to that 7th Century shit hole that you came from.
Where is Matthew Weaver today?
February 9th, 2008 at 3:00 pmHow can I go about sending the wrong message to the Muslim world about US society and culture? Stay out of our country.
February 9th, 2008 at 3:21 pmI hear this loud screeching, groaning sound coming from across the Atlantic …
Oh, never mind … It’s just the Brits finally growing their balls back.
February 9th, 2008 at 3:31 pmNote that the outraged never pass up the chance to blame the jews. It’s the “Zionists” fault!!!!
Good for the Brits! Hang in there.
February 9th, 2008 at 3:52 pmDon’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out. goatfucker! .
February 9th, 2008 at 4:03 pmI could see the outrage if say the BBC broadcast a contest where the contestants chanted Allah Akbar as they wiped their ass with pages of the Koran and the winner was chosen based on the amount of pages used.
How dare you deny his visa, we are Muslims….Com’on Mooooslums take no for an answer and grow some ballz and quit acting like spoiled, entitled little children.
February 9th, 2008 at 4:25 pmNone of those a’holes should be allowed visas into any free society. They can stay in their own countries and preach their poison. Good to see the Brits insult those who are deserving of insult.
February 9th, 2008 at 5:33 pmOh my God there is hope for the UK after all.
February 9th, 2008 at 6:22 pmI hope he doesn’t smell as bad as he looks.
February 9th, 2008 at 6:42 pmWell towel-heads, there’s an old American saying: It’s better to be pissed off than pissed ON. Why, don’t you all just go back to the sand box, bring your jihad with you and we will give you a proper send off to Allah? Otherwise STFU, assimilate, and obey the laws of the host country.
Allahu fuck you.
February 9th, 2008 at 8:02 pmdrillanwr
“ … It’s just the Brits finally growing their balls back.”
Arthuraria
“ … Oh my God there is hope for the UK after all.”
I don’t know what kind of nonsense about the UK has been appearing in the US media, but we have not just recently had a “road to Damascus” over this. We generally give folk a lot of latitude over their use of free speech, but the sky has always fallen in anybody who abuses it.
February 10th, 2008 at 1:47 am@London Calling:
So long as you people keep tolerating the intollerance of Islam, the sky will never fall chickenlittle.
Your ignorance of the Koran and Hadith, the Sira and Muslim history, will be your downfall yet.
That and paying homage to your gods: Self, Chompsky, Zinn and socialism.
February 10th, 2008 at 8:27 amDan,
“So long as you people keep tolerating the intolerance of Islam … ”
That’s really, REALLY funny … do you attack the Muslims for intolerance first or yourself?
BTW … made up any statistics today?
February 10th, 2008 at 11:50 am