Either this controversy has still not died down, or Livingstone is preparing to carry through on his [1] threat to have Qaradawi back. Note his dubbing this [2] advocate of jihad and suicide bombing as a "progressive." From the [3] BBC:

Ken Livingstone has justified his decision to welcome a controversial Muslim cleric to London last year....

Mr Livingstone told a press conference on Tuesday: "When you get a progressive figure who is moving that religion in the correct direction you engage and you develop it.

'Engage with cleric'

"And I don't agree with the position of Dr Qaradawi on lesbian and gay rights.

"As I said before we won't be seeing him on the next Pride march but here is the force that we need to engage with if we are to actually get a dialogue between the west and the Muslim world."

Mr Livingstone caused controversy when he embraced the cleric at a meeting in City Hall in July.

Leader of the London Assembly Conservatives Bob Neill condemned Mr Livingstone's support for the cleric.

He said: "He is the type of man Mr Livingstone should, like us, be condemning not cosying up to. It's utterly unacceptable."