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

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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

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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