Mark Lynch on Yusuf al-Qaradawi

By Hootsbuddy

File this under "dry, obscure and not yet in English."

The core mistake of the post-9/11 era has been the incredible notion that Islamic extremism must be overcome by non-Muslims. By now it should be clear that the task may be nudged along by non-Muslims but the heavy lifting falls squarely on key leaders and members of that faith. In the same way that Christianity has sprouted a variety of corruptions over the years (the KKK and its offspring, for instance) it is reasonable to assume that Islam has done likewise. And in the same manner that the job of marginalizing those groups and ideas fall largely to responsible Christian leaders, corruptions of Islam must ultimately be handled by Muslims themselves.

To that end, Mark Lynch (formerly Abu Ardvaark, now writing at FP Magazine, points to Fiqh al-Jihad (The Jurisprudence of Jihad) a newly released book by Yusuf al-Qaradawi.

Yusuf al-Qaradawi, probably the single most influential living Sunni Islamist figure, has just written a major book entitled Fiqh al-Jihad (The Jurisprudence of Jihad) which decisively repudiates al Qaeda's conception of jihad as a "mad declaration of war upon the world." At the same time, he strongly rejects what he calls efforts to remove jihad completely from Islam, and strongly reaffirms the duty of jihad in resisting the occupation of Muslim lands, specifically mentioning Israel as the arena of legitimate resistance. Qaradawi's intervention has thus far received no attention at all in the English-language media. It should, because of his vast influence and his long track record as an accurate barometer of mainstream Arab views.



His book, described by the Egyptian newspaper al-Masry al-Youm last week in a seven part series, is far more important than the much-discussed "recantations" and "revisions" of former jihadist intellectuals such as Dr. Fadl (Sayid Imam) and the leaders of the Gama'a Islamiya. The internal revisions by ex-jihadists (which Qaradawi praises) may influence that tiny group of extremists, and demonstrate cracks in their intellectual foundations. But for the most part, the mass Arab public has never heard of and doesn't care about them. And unlike the Gamaa leaders or Dr. Fadl, Qaradawi did not produce his revisions from an Egyptian prison cell (hence Ayman Zawahiri's cutting rejoinder to Dr. Fadl, that Egyptian prisons hadn't had fax machines back in his day).



Qaradawi is different. Qaradawi, an intensely controversial figure in the West, appears on a weekly al-Jazeera program and is probably the single most influential Sunni Islamist figure in the Arab world. The Egyptian-born Qaradawi is closely associated with the Muslim Brotherhood (he reportedly turned down an invitation to become its Supreme Guide because he felt he had more influence from his base in Doha). He is a populist whose views generally reflect widespread attitudes in the region -- he strongly endorses democracy, for instance, while also supporting Hamas attacks against Israelis. Whether he leads or follows popular opinion is a difficult and fascinating question -- but either way, he is quite a useful barometer.

His criticism of al Qaeda is not new -- he condemned 9/11 and has engaged in a number of public polemics with Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and with the leaders of al Qaeda. But the timing of this book merits attention. His views generally closely mirror trends within wider mass public opinion will reach a far wider swathe of the Arab mainstream and will likely have far greater impact than did the internal revisions which received such attention in the West. His intervention strengthens the impression that al Qaeda's extreme form of salafi-jihadism is on the wane in the Arab world, but political Islam and the spirit of muqawama (resistance) remains strong.

Lots more at the link, including links to untranslated Arabic sites. I make note of this item for two reasons. First, when and if the book gets an English translation I hope to at least read another review or two from different sources. Second, it underscores the complexity of introspective discussions actively under way inside the faith, discussions about which nearly all non-Muslims are unaware.

Ignorant voices have been asking for years why there seems to be no Muslim criticism of extremes of the faith. This item refutes that question in a serious way.

But if you really want to get uncomfortable, dig a bit into the story and come across this...

...Qaradawi, an intensely controversial figure in the West, appears on a weekly al-Jazeera program and is probably the single most influential Sunni Islamist figure in the Arab world. The Egyptian-born Qaradawi is closely associated with the Muslim Brotherhood (he reportedly turned down an invitation to become its Supreme Guide because he felt he had more influence from his base in Doha). He is a populist whose views generally reflect widespread attitudes in the region -- he strongly endorses democracy, for instance, while also supporting Hamas attacks against Israelis. Whether he leads or follows popular opinion is a difficult and fascinating question -- but either way, he is quite a useful barometer.

That's right. Closely associated with the Muslim Brotherhood. Does that ring any bells? Egypt, maybe? Hamas, perhaps? This gets into messy territory since most readers don't know the difference between the various parties in Palestinian politics, but you can be certain that those who follow that conflict (not the conflict with Israel but inter-party conflicts among the Palestinians) are paying attention. 

I'm not taking any positions here. This is one of those "I report, you decide" posts.