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Muslim Brotherhood figure lashes out at Al-Azhar Mufti

SHAFAQNA-

Secretary-General of the International Union of Muslim Scholars Ali al-Qaradaghi lashed out at Egypt’s Grand Mufti Shawki Allam after the latter expressed concern about growing radicalism among Muslim youth in Europe.

Qaradaghi, reacting to Allam’s exclamation that 50% of second and third generation Muslims in Europe belonged to ISIS, accused him of being dishonest and lacking piety. “O authoritarian mufti: we need piety before fatwas,” said Qaradaghi.

Qaradaghi had twisted Allam’s words to try and attack the Egyptian government.

Allam later framed the problem of radicalism in Europe more succinctly: “We do not justify their crimes. We condemn them and say that this is completely inconsistent with Islam. Individual crimes should not be used to judge Islam to the detriment of Muslims.”

Qaradaghi, however, used the opportunity to criticise the status of religious institutions in Egypt, which he said was characterised by an “absence of law and the rule of the military.” He claimed that religious institutions in Egypt “have turned into a functional apparatus that serves a state not a cause.”

Qaradaghi took Allam’s statements out of context and used them as a pretext to criticise Cairo.

Predictably, Qaradaghi did not mention Al-Azhar Islamic Research Academy’s recent condemnation of French President Emmanuel Macron’s statements on Islam that many viewed as prejudiced.

A 2015 file picture shows Egypt’s Grand Mufti Dr. Shawki Ibrahim Abdel-Karim Allam attending a conference in Cairo. (Reuters)
A 2015 file picture shows Egypt’s Grand Mufti Dr. Shawki Ibrahim Abdel-Karim Allam attending a conference in Cairo. (Reuters)

Earlier this month, Macron announced plans for tougher laws to tackle what he called “Islamist separatism” and to defend secular values.

During a speech, Macron said a minority of France’s estimated six million Muslims were in danger of forming a “counter-society” and proposed stricter oversight of schools and control of foreign funding of mosques.

Macron said “Islamist separatism” is a danger to France because it holds its own laws above all others and “often results in the creation of a counter-society.”

He said this form of sectarianism often translates into children being kept out of school, as well as the use of sporting, cultural and other community activities as a “pretext to teach principles that do not conform to the laws of the republic.”

Qaradaghi, pushing back against the French leader’s remarks, cited an October 2017 report by American consulting company Soufan Group stating that Russia is actually the country with the highest number of foreign fighters to have joined ISIS in Syria and Iraq, followed by Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Tunisia and France.

Allam, on the other hand, called for a thorough study of radicalism. A 2016 study on the topic found that there was a growing number of Europeans joining ISIS. The study also found that nearly 50% of second and third generation Muslims living in Europe were supportive the terrorist organisation.

The Egyptian mufti said that the concerned parties in those countries had not done their part to integrate Muslims in society, and therefore many questions must be raised to find solutions.

Allam pointed out that these questions were answered and said that those in charge of Islamic affairs should be reconsidered in terms of training, ability and scientific formation.

Observers said Qaradaghi’s diatribe against Allam was part of his efforts to defend the Turkish regime and the Muslim Brotherhood.

Ankara is accused of providing safe haven to extremist figures and of facilitating their entry into Europe

The Muslim Brotherhood is also one of the most active groups in Europe.

Through its mosques and non-governmental associations, the organisation has succeeded in promoting a culture of Islamic isolationism and separatism, which Macron warned against. It is likely that France will work increasingly hard to push back against this trend.

Qaradaghi’s statement was an effort to score political points against Egypt, drawing attention away from the root of the problem  of “Muslim separatism,” which have increasingly drawn complaints in Europe and which Qaradaghi hopes to absolve Turkey and the Muslim Brotherhood of.

Ahmed Sultan, a researcher specialising in international terrorism, said that when the Egyptian mufti said half of second and third generation Muslims in Europe had joined ISIS, he meant they had latched on to some of the organisation’s ideas, not carried out terrorist operations.

Sultan told The Arab Weekly that Islamist networks in European countries are led by the Muslim Brotherhood and seek to attract youth who know little about the religion.

The Muslim Brotherhood, according to Sultan, reaches out to youth to convince them to return to religion, and then indirectly promotes ISIS’s ideology.

Sultan noted that the Egyptian mufti’s statements possibly referred to the Muslim Brotherhood as one of the main sources of terrorism that takes advantage of Muslim youth’s vulnerability in Europe in order to lure them in.

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