(Commentary) Michael Rubin - Egyptian Muslim scholar Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, one of the most respected figures in Sunni Islam, refused to attend an inter-faith dialogue conference in Doha on the grounds that Jewish representatives had been invited. For many in the West, Qaradawi, a Muslim Brotherhood acolyte, is a "moderate," and was once welcomed into the UK on those grounds, despite his infamous endorsement of suicide attacks in the wake of 9/11. Qaradawi's refusal to participate in an interfaith discussion in an Arab country if Jews were present is yet one more exhibit of the core problem in the region: Islamist intolerance. Until the U.S. puts educational reform and combating religious incitement front and center of its policy in the region, any other diplomacy is just wasted effort and ineffective against a growing tidal wave of intolerance and hate. The writer, a former Pentagon official and senior lecturer at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.
2013-05-07 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive