Posted by Eugene Volokh:
Good To Hear:
http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2009_03_08-2009_03_14.shtml#1236811046
From [1]MEMRI, which is certainly not soft on Islamic extremism:
Scandinavian Islamic Groups Distance Themselves from Sheikh Yousef
Al-Qaradhawi, Following MEMRI Translation of His Statements on
Al-Jazeera TV Calling Holocaust "Divine Punishment" For Jews,"
Warning "Allah Willing, The Next Time Will Be At The Hand of the
Believers"
In response to MEMRI TV's February 1, 2009 release of a translated
and subtitled clip capturing prominent Sunni sheikh Yousef
Al-Qaradhawi on Al-Jazeera TV in January 2009 calling the Holocaust
"divine punishment" for the Jews and warning that "Allah willing,
the next time will be at the hand of the believers [i.e. Muslims],"
[1] and also saying that he would "shoot Allah's enemies, the
Jews," [2] it was reported that Muslim Imams and Islamic groups in
Scandinavia have distanced themselves from the remarks and are
questioning association with Al-Qaradhawi...
On February 16, the Norwegian newspapers Dagbladet and Aftenpost
reported that the Islamic Council of Norway had, on that same date,
denounced Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi's statements on Al-Jazeera TV as
"unacceptable." ...
Dagbladet quoted Kobilica as saying, "If it's [like this] that
Yusuf Al-Qaradhawi honors the Holocaust, I think it's unacceptable
from somebody who is an important religious reference for many
Muslims. The Islamic Council of Norway will take up this issue with
other scholars who sit in the European Council for Fatwa and
Research." ...
DPE reported, also on February 16, that other Islamic leaders in
Scandinavia had also distanced themselves from Al-Qaradhawi's
comments, including Danish Imam Abdul Wahid Pedersen. It said that
Pederson had told the Danish news agency Ritzau that he did not
support Al-Qaradhawi's view and that this view could not be
justified by the debate on the recent Israel-Hamas war in Gaza....
On February 16, 2009, the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter reported
that Swedish and Norwegian Muslims were distancing themselves from
Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi. The paper said that Swedish Muslim Council
chairman Mahmoud Aldebe said that it was a sensitive question when
many European Muslims look up to Al-Qaradhawi as a person but want
nothing to do with these statements, and that Muslims can see the
difference between Jews as a people and Israel as a state.
References
1. http://memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SD227709
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