Al-Qaradawi on Iran

The prominent Islamic scholar Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi has once again made news headlines after a recent interview for Islam Online. When speaking on Iran’s nuclear projects the Sheikh said “Why should Iran or any other Muslim or African country be banned from having nuclear power while Israel and the US itself already have nuclear bombs?” and indeed we should ask ourselves why, or better, why not. Iran is one of the most stable countries in the region and arguably the most democratic. Iran is also a member of Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty, which entitles it to pursue civilian nuclear energy. Needles to say, regardless of Israel’s official policy of “nuclear ambiguity”, its refusal to become a signatory of the Nuclear Non Proliferation treaty, the numerous private accounts its nuclear weaponry or its own admission the UN and moreover the US turn a blind eye (leaving it as the only nuclear country in the Middle East) while attempting to persecute Iran over its nuclear ambitions.

When asked about the possible actions against Iran if it continues its nuclear program Sheikh al-Qaradawi said, “It is obligatory on all Muslims to resist any possible attack the US might launch against Iran. Iran is a Muslim country which all Muslims should defend” After reading this I found several articles criticizing him for these words and I must say I was sorely dismayed that many of these criticisms came from Muslims. In Islam we refer to all Muslims collectively as our Ummah or nation, community or even family. Indeed we refer to each other as brothers and sisters and yet here I find people condemning this brave man for stating the obvious. Nowhere in our glorious history was it acceptable to sit idly by watching the invasion and persecution of our people, yet today we find excuses and blame those who seek to speak out against this.

Upon these answers he was asked about Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh’s Fatwa which warned Muslim men against being involved in conflicts outside their countries like the ongoing war in Iraq without getting permission from the rulers of their countries, al-Qaradawi said that this fatwa does not apply to the situation in countries like Iraq, Palestine and possibly Iran if it is attacked by the US. “When a Muslim country is invaded by some other country, all Muslims who are capable of doing jihad should spare no efforts in defending the invaded country. It is not true that Muslims should not go outside their countries to defend their fellow Muslims unless they get permission from the ruler of their country,” If anyone disagrees with Sheikh al-Qaradawi’s opinion on this I ask them, tell me who is actually leading the Muslim Ummah? What leaders are actually ruling by sharia? What countries are actually doing anything to ease the suffering of their brothers without putting themselves first?

We need to stop seeking to please the others, and go back to pleasing Allah, protecting our people, and standing up for what is Islamic and morally right (even if it is not politically right) and it is only through the efforts of such brave men not afraid to say what they believe in that we will learn and hopefully be inspired enough to actually do something. Going with the flow of the river is easy and will get you to your place faster then going against the flow but if that place is corrupted and hostile then you should go against it and return to where your from.

In the words of Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini the “Adoption of such stances by Islamic scholars will play a crucial role in preventing the U.S. and its allies from achieving their ambitious goals” Indeed Sheikh al-Qaradawi’s calls are not calls for wars of agression, they are calls for the prevention of hostility by giving forewarning of the dangers of starting unjust and illegal wars (see, Iraq) that will be resisted.