(Tablet) Lee Smith - While the parallels between Iran in 1979 and Egypt in 2011 can be overdrawn, the Egyptians already have their own prospective Khomeini: Yussuf al-Qaradawi, the Qatar-based Muslim Brotherhood preacher who exiled himself from Egypt in 1961. Qaradawi hosts one of the region's most famous talk-shows on Al Jazeera, "Sharia and Life." While condemning Sept. 11, he supported suicide bombers in Israel. His public support for violence, combined with the fact that he is a principal shareholder in and adviser to the al-Qaeda-associated Bank al-Taqwa in Switzerland, led to him being banned from entering the U.S. in 1999. Here is Qaradawi speaking about the Holocaust on January 30, 2009: "Throughout history, Allah has imposed upon the [Jews] people who would punish them for their corruption. The last punishment was carried out by Hitler. By means of all the things he did to them - even though they exaggerated this issue - he managed to put them in their place. This was divine punishment for them. Allah willing, the next time will be at the hand of the believers."
2011-02-10 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive