- Title: UK: MUSLIM CLERIC SAYS MAJORITY OF BRITISH PEOPLE ARE AGAINST WAR WITH IRAQ.
- Date: 22nd January 2003
- Summary: (EU) LONDON, UK (JANUARY 21, 2003) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. WIDE OF REUTERS CORRESPONDENT WITH EGYPTIAN CLERIC YOUSSEF AL-QARADAWI 2. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) (Reporter: Why British and European products been excluded from this boycott? )"The fact of the matter is that their are voices, numerous ones in the Muslim world that have been calling for including Britain in the boycott, so that British products would be treated like American and Israeli products, and these calls have been addressed at scholars of Islam calling on them that their fatwas should include boycotting Britain, however the majority of people and the scholars, across the Muslim world continue to hope that Britain will disassociate itself from America and will change its position, especially taking into consideration the position of the British people, the overwhelming majority of the British people, as we understand are opposed to the war against Iraq in spite of the fact the government seems adamant on going to war. And out of appreciation for the position of the British people, we have not included Britain in this call for boycott. And we appreciate also the position of the Christian churches in this country, who have said no to war and who have expressed solidarity with those who are opposed to war." 3. AL-QARADAWI SOUNDBITE (English) (REPORTER: You have issued a fatwa calling on Muslims to boycott Israeli and American goods can you tell me something more about that that and the reasons for that?) 4. CUTAWAY REPORTER AND AL-QARADAWI 5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Al-QARADAWI: "Undoubtedly any peoples whose land has been usurped, have the right to defend themselves, defend their land, and defend their Holy shrines. And irrespective of how weak these people are they have every legitimate right to put up resistance, and resistance has rules, it includes combat, actually fighting and it includes economic warfare, and as such we have called on all Muslims to and in this a number of Muslim scholars have given similar fatwas, across the Muslim world, that their responsibility would be to boycott all the Israeli and American products, because in our opinion, America is not simply an ally of Israel, America is much more than this, it's a partner of Israel in what it is doing to Palestinians and had it not been for American funding, for American weapons, for American use of veto at the security council, Israel would not have been able to persecute the Palestinians, kill them, kill their children and impose siege on them for long periods of time. And therefore the least that the Muslim peoples can do as an expression of solidarity with the victims of Israel in Palestine is to participate in this effort of, economic embargo of Israel and United States of America." 6. WIDE OF AL-QARADAWI Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 6th February 2003 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
- City:
- Country: United Kingdom
- Reuters ID: LVA8TT9OJSDCFAD593ESQXHV2U2D
- Story Text: Moderate Muslims still hope Britain can restrain the
United States and persuade it not to attack Iraq, one of
Islam's leading scholars has said.
Youssef al-Qaradawi, a widely respected Egyptian-born
cleric based in Qatar, warned, however, that if the United
States went to war against Saddam Hussein, Muslims from across
the world would flock to Iraq to defend it.
One of Islam's most influential voices, he has issued a
fatwa urging Muslims to boycott U.S. and Israeli goods. He
spoke to Reuters Television in London on Tuesday (January 21).
However, he has resisted extending the fatwa to include
Britain, even though London has been Washington's staunchest
ally in the war against terror and over Iraq.
"Numerous voices in the Arab and Muslim world have called
for Britain to be included in the boycott," Qaradawi said.
"However, the majority of people and scholars across the
Muslim world continue to hope Britain will disassociate itself
from America and will change its position."
He said British Prime Minister Tony Blair might still be
swayed by popular domestic opposition to war and might in turn
convince U.S. President George W. Bush to back down in his
increasingly tense stand-off with Saddam.
Qaradawi, dean of the College of Sharia and Islamic
studies in Qatar, is considered a moderate Muslim who has
steered a difficult course between condemning both the attacks
of September 11 and U.S. policy towards the Muslim world.
"The overwhelming majority of the British people, as we
understand, are opposed to war against Iraq in spite of the
fact the British government seems adamant on going to war,"
said Qaradawi, speaking through an interpreter.
"Out of appreciation of the position of the British
people,
we have not included Britain in this call for a boycott," he
said.
Qaradawi, who rarely addresses the Western media, said a
conflict in Iraq would have dire consequences.
Qaradawi, who regularly appears as a commentator on Al
Jazeera television, repeated his view that Palestinians had
the right to use force to defend themselves against what they
perceive to be unjustified Israeli occupation and aggression.
cah/jm
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