Sign In Sign Up

Yousef Al Qaradawi

also known as Yusuf al-Qaradawi
Egyptian Islamic theologian, global spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, and founder/former head of the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS). · 1926 – 2022 · Egypt/Qatar
Share this
2008 – 2018 · 6 moments
2008Refused a UK visaMarch 2012Barred from FranceApril 2013Meets Australia's Grand Mufti in DohaClick to read →June 2013Urges Sunnis to fight in SyriaClick to read →2014Interpol Red Notice at Egypt's requestClick to read →2018Steps down as IUMS president200820102012201420162018
In AustraliaOverseas

Primary Role

Egyptian Islamic theologian, global spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, and founder/former head of the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS).

Affiliations

Connections

Documents & Video

Controversial Matters Involving Sheikh Dr Yusuf al-Qaradawi

The following matters are arranged from the most serious public controversies to lesser but still significant controversies. The order considers the scale of actual or potential loss of life connected to each matter, as well as Qaradawi’s proximity to the controversy. This is not a finding that he personally caused each outcome.

Highest-Severity Controversies

Order Date Matter Location Summary Why It Was Controversial
1 2013 Call for jihad against Assad Syria / Qatar Qaradawi called for jihad against the Syrian government after Hezbollah entered the Syrian war. Syria’s war had mass-casualty scale, and critics argued the call risked mobilising foreign fighters into an already catastrophic conflict.
2 2000s (reversed 2016) Approval of Palestinian “martyrdom operations” Israel / Palestinian territories Qaradawi defended suicide attacks in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict under certain conditions from the mid-1990s, formalised in a 2001 fatwa. In 2016 he publicly reversed the position, stating he no longer considered such operations permitted. The controversy centred on religious justification for attacks that killed civilians. His later reversal is part of the record and should not be omitted.
3 2005 Suicide attacks in Iraq Iraq He was reported as saying suicide attacks against US forces in Iraq were a duty. Iraq was already in a lethal insurgency; critics said the statement legitimised suicide violence in a war zone.
4 2025 IUMS armed-jihad fatwa against Israel Qatar / Israel-Gaza context The International Union of Muslim Scholars, an organisation Qaradawi founded and long chaired, was linked to a later armed-jihad fatwa. This occurred after Qaradawi’s death, so it is an institutional legacy issue rather than a personal act. Critics argued it risked wider mobilisation.
5 2011 Fatwa endorsing the killing of Muammar Gaddafi Libya During the Libyan uprising, Qaradawi issued a fatwa stating that any Libyan soldier who could shoot and kill Gaddafi should do so, justifying it on the basis of Gaddafi’s “mass murders and heinous crimes.” This was an explicit religious endorsement of killing a sitting head of state, not a general expression of support for the uprising — an actionable cause, not just rhetoric.
6 2009 Remarks about Hitler and Jews Al Jazeera / Qatar Qaradawi was reported to have described Hitler as divine punishment against Jews. The remarks were widely criticised as antisemitic and inflammatory — rhetoric rather than a call to a specific violent act.

Major Political and Security Controversies

7 2013 Fatwa calling for martyrdom against Egypt’s post-coup government Egypt / Qatar After Morsi’s removal, Qaradawi declared it “haram,” warned of “divine wrath and punishment,” and issued a fatwa calling on Muslims worldwide to become martyrs in Egypt — reported as effectively a call for jihad. He also branded participants in the anti-Morsi uprising “khawarij,” a term historically used to excommunicate a group from Islam. This went beyond denouncing the coup: it was a martyrdom/jihad call and religious excommunication-adjacent language directed at fellow Muslims, which is why an Interpol warrant (incitement, arson, vandalism, theft) followed.
8 2013-2018 Interpol Red Notice requested by Egypt Egypt / Qatar Egypt sought international action against Qaradawi over alleged offences including incitement and violence-related claims. Interpol later removed him from its wanted list, with supporters saying the case was politically motivated.
9 2004-2018 Leadership of International Union of Muslim Scholars Qatar / transnational Qaradawi co-founded and chaired the IUMS for many years. The organisation became controversial for political religious rulings and its role in regional conflicts.
10 Repeated Support for Hamas as resistance Gaza / Qatar Qaradawi publicly supported Hamas and framed its actions as resistance. Critics argued this legitimised a group responsible for attacks on civilians; supporters framed it as anti-occupation resistance.

Government Bans and Public-Order Disputes

11 2008 UK entry refused United Kingdom The UK refused him a visa. The Home Office said the UK would not tolerate people who justify terrorist violence or express views that could foster inter-community violence.
12 2012 France barred entry France France said Qaradawi was not welcome after a domestic security crackdown. French officials said certain preachers called for hate and violence and posed public-order risks.
13 2000s Apostasy punishment rulings Transnational Qaradawi’s views on apostasy punishment attracted criticism from human-rights advocates. The issue is serious because apostasy laws can carry lethal punishment in some jurisdictions.
14 2000s Arguments concerning Israeli civilians Israel / Palestinian territories He made arguments that critics interpreted as permitting civilian deaths in some attack contexts. The controversy was over normalising civilian targeting under religious or military necessity arguments.
15 2000s Statements on Jews and Jerusalem Middle East / broadcasts Qaradawi made repeated statements about Jews, Israel and Jerusalem that drew international criticism. Critics argued the language was antisemitic and escalatory.

Additional Controversies

16 2004 London visit controversy United Kingdom His visit to London became a political controversy involving then-Mayor Ken Livingstone. The dispute centred on whether Qaradawi was a reformist scholar or an extremist preacher.
17 1990s-2000s US exclusion controversy United States Qaradawi was reportedly unable to enter the United States for many years. The issue centred on extremist speech and terrorism-related concerns.
18 Ambivalent pre-2006; opposed from 2006 Female circumcision / FGM position Religious rulings Previously ambivalent on the issue; at a November 2006 international conference Qaradawi explicitly joined the anti-FGM position, stating it constitutes “changing God’s creation” and declaring “we are on the side of those who ban this practice.” His earlier, more permissive framing drew criticism from FGM opponents; his 2006 reversal is part of the record and should be included alongside it.
19 2000s Homosexuality rulings Transnational His rulings on homosexuality were criticised by human-rights advocates. The potential severity depends on whether such rulings are used by states or militants to justify punishment.
20 2000s-2010s Sectarian anti-Shia rhetoric Gulf / Syria His rhetoric became more controversial as Syria’s war deepened. Critics argued sectarian framing could feed mass violence.
21 2011-2013 Arab Spring political preaching Egypt, Libya, Syria, Qatar Qaradawi supported several Arab Spring uprisings. Supporters saw pro-democracy activism; critics saw clerical mobilisation during unstable revolutions.
22 Long-running Muslim Brotherhood association Egypt / Qatar / global He was widely described as a spiritual guide or major influence for the Muslim Brotherhood. The controversy stems from the Brotherhood’s banned or terrorist status in some countries and legal political status in others.
23 Long-running Al Jazeera platform and mass influence Qatar / global His television platform gave him enormous reach across the Arabic-speaking world. The scale of broadcast influence made his statements security-relevant to governments and critics.
← Back to the Timeline
Share this