CONVERSATION WITH ISLAMIC SCHOLAR YOUSEF

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DOHA 001056

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/05/2015
TAGS: PREL KISL PTER PINR IZ IS QA
SUBJECT: CONVERSATION WITH ISLAMIC SCHOLAR YOUSEF
AL-QARADAWI

Classified By: Ambassador Chase Untermeyer for reason 1.4 (d).


1. (C) P/E Chief met with influential Islamic scholar Dr.
Yousef al-Qaradawi in May. Qaradawi maintained an attitude of
intellectual superiority and aloofness during the meeting. He
made a point to reaffirm his well-known positions on suicide
bombings against Israel and on interacting with Jews. He
expressed frustration at the revocation of his U.S. visa and
said he did not have links with terrorism. With Qaradawi were
his son, Dr. Mohamed al Qaradawi, assistant professor at
Qatar University; Dr. Hamed al-Marwani, professor of Sharia,
and one other assistant. End Summary.


2. (C) In an initial meeting at his offices at Qatar
University, Qaradawi seemed unwilling to have a friendly
conversation, either because of his religious and
intellectual status or because of a perception of being under
attack from the U.S. He remained formal, sitting behind his
desk and wearing his outer cloak. He did not treat the
meeting as an opportunity for dialogue but as one to deliver
expansive criticisms of U.S. policy.

Visa Cancellation
--------------


3. (C) Qaradawi began the conversation discussing the
withdrawal of his U.S. visa in 2000 or earlier (he did not
recall). He said this came after his participation in regular
religious conferences in the U.S. that were, he said,
"positive and useful." P/E Chief said that during this time
Qaradawi was known to be voicing support for Palestinian
suicide bombers. Qaradawi took hold of the opportunity to
make clear that "I support the martyrdom operations." These
were justified as the only way to respond to the "rape" of
the Palestinian people and the destruction of their homes. He
called these suicides the "dearest type" of weapon, because
it is the only weapon available. "How can I align myself with
Zionists when the Palestinian people are being destroyed in
this manner?" he asked, reinforcing the steadfastness of his
position on suicide bombing.


4. (C) He added that the cancellation of his visa before
September 2001 was strange because the Islamic world
supported the west during the cold war and the U.S. should
have capitalized on this alliance.


5. (C) Qaradawi went through a long list of U.S. policy
errors that have brought the stature of the U.S. down in the
eyes of foreigners over the past 40 years. The errors focused
on U.S. support for non-democratic regimes in the Middle East
and keeping quiet while they restrict human rights. This
appeared to be a stump speech; Qaradawi did not answer when
asked if he had observed any recent changes in U.S. policy
supporting democratic change.

U.S. is the Undemocratic Force Behind Arab Regimes
-------------- --------------


6. (C) Qaradawi mentioned Tunisia as one example of Arab
despotism supported by the U.S. He said Tunisian women who
choose to wear the hijab cannot register at high schools or
college. P/E Chief noted that the U.S position in support of
human rights in Tunisia is well known, while Arab states
avoid criticizing Tunisia on human rights issues. He
responded that these Arab states are undemocratic themselves
and could not be held to account.

Support for Iraqi Insurgency
--------------


7. (C) On Iraq, Qaradawi said he supports the insurgency
because it is a resistance to occupation by a foreign power.
P/E Chief asked whether he supported the insurgency even as
it kills Iraqis. He answered that the Iraqi government had
been put in place by the U.S. and was thereby an organ of the
occupation.


8. (C) He talked at some length about the Middle East as the
inheritor of many civilizations from Pharaonic to Assyrian --
listing them all -- and how Islam respects all human beings
as descended from the same "father." He made the point in
several ways that the funds used on the Iraq war would have
been better spent on humanitarian projects.

Israel/Palestine is Top Issue
--------------


9. (C) Qaradawi called the Israeli issue the number one
problem in the region. He said he will not engage in dialogue
with Jews who are Israeli or who support Zionism. He will not
participate in the upcoming Dialogue of Religions in Doha at
the end of June, to which Jews have been invited for the
first time. He said he accepts dialogue with Jews who do not
support Israel, and he mentioned a meeting he had in London
in that regard.

10. (C) Qaradawi did not say whether he wished to continue a
dialogue with the USG. He said that any dialogue must be
based on a relationship of equality; he opposed agreeing to
any dialogue with one's oppressor.

Comment
--------------


11. (C) Embassy sought the meeting in order to learn more
about a man whose statements are notorious but whom few
Americans have ever met. It was also important to get to know
the men around him. No further contact with Qaradawi is
planned, although P/E Chief has maintained contact with his
son, an American-trained professor of engineering, who seeks
to travel to the U.S. for an academic seminar.
UNTERMEYER