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Salafi-jihadis and Iran-backed Shi'ite militants online published varying reactions to the death of Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi on September 26, 2022, with the former largely expressing sorrow over his passing and the latter celebrating it.
Al-Qaradawi – who passed away in Doha, Qatar, on September 26, 2022 – was a highly-influential but controversial[1] figure in the Islamic world; a longtime Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader, in 2004 he founded the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), a Qatar-based Islamist organization that operates globally. [2]
The following JTTM report includes reactions to Al-Qaradawi's death.
Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qardawi, d. September 26, 2022.
"Scholar Of Terrorism," "The Takfiri Meets His Demise"
Sabereen News, a media outlet affiliated with the Iran-backed militias in Iraq, spared no effort in celebrating Al-Qaradawi's passing. In a Telegram post on September 26, the outlet shared a photo of the cleric, commenting: "The takfiri[3] Yusuf Al-Qaradawi meets his demise." The post garnered hundreds of positive reactions.[4]
In another post on the same day, Sabereen News republished a 40-second historical video clip in which Al-Qaradawi seems to justify suicide attacks. The outlet commented: "Al-Qaradawi [was] one of the scholars of terrorism and criminals, who contributed to the killing of thousands of Iraqis, by issuing fatwas that sanction such crimes."[5]
Salafi-jihadi Clerics Lament Al-Qaradawi's Passing
Several Salafi-jihadi clerics took online to lament Al-Qaradawi's passing and reflect warmly on his lifetime achievements. For example, Gaza-based jihadi cleric Na'il bin Ghazi eulogized Al-Qaradawi in a September 26 Telegram post.[6]
Referring to the cleric as "His Eminence Doctor Yusuf Al-Qaradawi," bin Ghazi described Al-Qaradawi as "having proceeded patiently and calculated until fulfilling steadfastly his da'wah [preaching] and principles."
Similarly, Ayman Muhammad Harush, the former Qadi ("judge") of Jaysh Al-Fath, shared on Telegram an IUMS article announcing Al-Qaradawi's death. Harush commented: "After a century of serving the religion, spreading knowledge and jihad against falsehood, His Eminence the mujahid scholar Doctor Yusuf Al-Qaradawi departs from our world."[7]
Sirajuddin Zureiqat, the former leader of the disbanded Abdullah Azzam Brigades, Al-Qaeda's affiliate in Lebanon, also mourned Al-Qaradawi's death in a short Telegram post that prayed for the cleric.[8]
Hamas: Qaradawi's Legacy A "Beacon For Generations"
In an official statement, Hamas eulogized Al-Qaradawi for his "stance toward Palestine, Jerusalem, and Al-Aqsa, and his support for the rights of [the Palestinian] people."[9]
"Today the Ummah has lost one of its reformist imams," the statement read: "Our sheikh left behind a great legacy that will remain a beacon for generations who aspire to live in the shadows of this great religion."
Afghan Taliban: Al-Qaradawi's Death An "Irreparable Loss"
The Afghan Taliban, the representatives of which Al-Qaradawi had frequently met during his lifetime,[10] released a statement on Twitter eulogizing the cleric as "the great scholarly personality in the Islamic world."[11]
The statement further noted that Al-Qaradawi's passing is an "irreparable loss to the entire Islamic Ummah," one which leaves a void that the statement prayed Allah would soon fill.
[1] See MEMRI report Al-Jazeera Unmasked: Political Islam As A Media Arm Of The Qatari State, August 12, 2020.
[2] See MEMRI report So Qatar Is Free Of The Muslim Brotherhood? Really?, September 21, 2022.
[3] Takfiri is a pejorative term that denotes a Muslim who excommunicates a fellow Muslim, a practice widely dismissed in mainstream Islam.
[4] Telegram, September 26, 2022.
[5] Telegram, September 26, 2022.
[6] Telegram, September 26, 2022.
[7] Telegram, September 26, 2022.
[8] Telegram, September 26, 2022.
[9] Telegram, September 26, 2022.
[10] See MEMRI JTTM report In Doha, Afghan Taliban Leaders Hold Meetings With Islamist Leaders Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradawi And Sheikh Ahmad Al-Raysuni, October 6, 2020.
[11] Twitter, September 26, 2022.
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