QARADAWI'S THINLY VEILED STATEMENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ISTANBUL 001227 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/05/2016 TAGS: KISL PREL TU ZR SUBJECT: QARADAWI'S THINLY VEILED STATEMENT ISTANBUL 00001227 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: CONSUL GENERAL DEBORAH K. JONES FOR REASONS 1.4 B, D ¶1. (C) Summary: Speaking in Istanbul to the "Muslims in Europe: Challenges and Opportunities" conference, renowned Muslim scholar Yousef al-Qaradawi stressed the importance of living together as good neighbors but underscored the obligation of Muslims to adhere to their "holy obligations," no matter where they might live, to include the wearing of the headscarf for women. Governments, he asserted, should honor this fundamental religious obligation and right. Representatives of the jointly-sponsoring United Kingdom's diplomatic mission to Turkey were somewhat chagrined by what some conference organizers characterized as a rather gratuitous offering, in light of Turkey's current domestic sensitivities. End summary. ¶2. (U) We were invited to attend as "observer" the UK-sponsored "Muslims in Europe" conference which took place in Istanbul over the weekend of July 1-2. Turnout was impressive with prominent Muslim thinkers Tariq Ramadan and Shaikhs Abdullah bin Bayya, Yousef al Qaradawi and Hamza Yusuf headlining the list of speakers, and participants from throughout Europe. Tariq Ramadan's opening remarks on the importance of living in harmony with one's indigenous European neighbors were widely lauded by conference participants. Following lunch, Mauritanian-born Shaikh Abdullah bin Bayya, author of the best-selling "Ejaz al-Quran", or "Miracles of the Quran" and instructor at Jeddah's King Abd al-Aziz University, and Egyptian-born, Qatar-based Shaikh Yousef al-Qaradawi addressed the theme of living as Muslims within European society. ¶3. (U) Distinguishing between "Europeans" and "Muslims," bin Bayya compared Istanbul and its mix of cultures to Muslim Spain and noted that modern society appeared to enjoy diversity except as it pertained to human beings and their beliefs. Here he quoted from a famous Arabic text: "I am comfortable with the howling of the wolf, but when I hear humans cry I want to run away." The religious instructor exhorted Muslims to live convivially with others, as people living on one ship together must coordinate and respect the activities of both those on deck and those in the hull; to respect human rights; and to honor human responsibilities. One can live in the midst of secular society, he said, but must fill it with virtue through taking the initiative in carrying out virtuous acts vis-a-vis one's neighbors; Muslim communities should live according to "a constitution of virtue, character and honor." ¶4. (U) Again alluding to Islam's historic tradition of accepting various cultures, bin Bayya observed that "inspiration is pluralistic" by its very nature. He decried those who have employed terrorism in the name of Islam, declaring they had played the role of Satan in Europe, and called on Muslims instead to play the role of angels. "We need to remove the mangy sick sheep from the flock for our children's sake," he continued, "and beautify the face of Islam (through the European media and otherwise)." Noting that the Muslim world was rife with conflict, bin Bayya said "we are incapacitated and confused" but asked rhetorically "how should we express our anger in a way that does not harm our countries or culture?" He ended with a quote attributed to the Prophet Mohammed: "If you're angry sit down; if you're sitting down, lie down," and called on Muslims to engage in civil disobedience rather than violence to accomplish their goals, while noting that this moderate approach in no way absolved the Europeans, "who must allow Muslims to live in peace and in accordance with their faith." ¶5. (U) Qaradawi, also speaking in Arabic, first appealed to his listeners to remember the suffering of their "brothers and sisters" in Palestine. "We have an obligation, he continued, "to hear their cries and appeal (to God and those in authority) to remove their difficulties from them." Noting he'd originally agreed to address the conference thinking it would be a dialog between Muslims and non-Muslims, Qaradawi said speaking Muslim to Muslim would help them work together to increase understanding of their faith. Calling on Muslims to move beyond the conflicts of the past with Europe, even as Europeans had overcome their internal cultural conflicts and turned a new page with the EU and European reunification, the religious shaikh said it was time to move beyond the Crusades. The Prophet Mohammed had exhorted us to live as brothers, he noted, and the world had now become "one," with the Commonwealth countries bringing new people into the European mix. God through his wisdom and grace made us different, even within the Muslim community, he ISTANBUL 00001227 002 OF 002 continued; this is the will of God, we can't escape it and it's needed. ¶6. (U) In the context of tolerance, and taking an apparent slap at extremists, Qaradawi stressed several points: being held accountable for belief will take place in the next life--the reckoning is left to God; Islam honors the human being because he is God's creation; the Prophet Mohammed had stood at the funeral of a Jewish friend and when questioned replied "Is he not a soul?" Here, Qaradawi admonished his audience not to allow their hatred for someone or something to allow them to attempt to administer their own brand of justice: "Only mercy is required of you." Nonetheless, he exhorted Muslims everywhere to "be firm in preserving our faith and our belief," to include not serving alcohol, "even to non-Muslims." Moreover, he added, the hijab is obligatory; God has obligated women to cover their heads. He asserted that "all Islamic scholars agree" that hijab is not merely a symbol of faith, but an act of obedience to God. ¶7. (U) In closing, Qaradawi quoted from Koran that "the Lord is lord of east and west." The Prophet's move from Mecca to Medina, he said, was proof that Muslims should not be restricted to one place. "Be good neighbors(with the Europeans)," he urged, "as long as you keep your religious commitments. Your most important relationship is between you and the Lord God." Returning to the theme of conflict between the West and the Muslim world, Qaradawi said somewhat elliptically, "the wrongs between Muslims and the rest are generally reciprocated," if one looks closely, one will find the proximate cause. Avoiding any mention by name of the United States, he called on "western governments" to speak up against injustices in Iraq and Palestine, accusing them of standing quietly by rather than engaging and "practicing justice." If the West were to tell Israel to stop "this great injustice against human beings," he said, it would happen. He ended by saying "we (i.e. Islam) hate the word 'warfare'; the Prophet three times urged others to change the names of their sons from 'Jihad' to other names." ¶8. (C) Comment: Qaradawi, in particular, used this opportunity to criticize both would-be terrorists who would take things into their own hands to mete out their version of "justice" as well as Western governments he believes are doing too little to ensure justice. His reference to the obligation of women in Islam to cover their heads was seen by a number of conference organizers and attendees (a number of them uncovered Muslim women) as gratuitous; organizers told us they were further distressed to have Tariq Ramadan, known for his moderation, concur with this view. End Comment. JONES