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Here at last is Qaradawi the reformist, about which we have heard so much and seen so little. He readily admits that his is a minority view, not supported by more than one school of Islamic jurisprudence, but hey, this is the 21st century, eh, Qaradawi? He doesn't seem to have said anything, however, about the church's cowering dhimmi character. "Churches are ‘allowed,’" from Gulf Times, May 21 (thanks to the Constantinopolitan Irredentist):
The establishment of churches in Qatar is permissible in the light of the Christian community’s presence here in large numbers and their need to perform their religious duties, says a report published in a local Arabic daily.Quoting an edict issued on this subject by Qatar’s well-known Islamic scholar Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the report says that since Christian expatriates have come to this country in increasingly large numbers it is but natural that they should be allowed to have the facility to fulfil their spiritual needs.
“Such an accommodation is in keeping with the principles of the Islamic Shari’ah which lays great stress on the overall good and the public interest in a Muslim country which includes a sizeable number of non-Muslims,” he added.
However, Qaradawi added to his edict by stating that the position taken by him is not in line with the majority of the traditional schools of thought on Islamic jurisprudence. “It is only Imam Abu Hanifa of the 10th century who had espoused such a view,” he said.
Qaradawi has issued the edict in response to a query from an expatriate living in Qatar on the Shari’ah point of view on participating in a tender to build a non-Islamic place of worship – a church.
Posted by Robert at May 21, 2008 5:01 AM
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During Mao's suppression of the church in Cultural Revolution the church grew over ten fold via cell groups and Ethiopia during WW II blossomed without outside influence. I wonder what will happen when these church members decide to be non-PC? This should be very interesting. Many Christians tend to be very verbal about their faith. I wonder what will happen when there shows up a convert wanting to attend the new church. Will he be imprisoned and will the church be closed?
Posted by: David![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/nav-commenters.gif)
at May 21, 2008 9:01 AM
They should listen to Imam Abu Hanifa.
After all, the 10th century is at least 3 ahead of where there are now.
Posted by: profitsbeard at May 21, 2008 10:36 AM
This may sound like a big conspiracy, but do you think Qatar is bringing in Christians with the hopes of them forming more permanent roots. To then later treat them as true dhimmis and form a group of working/second class citizens?
Without a doubt I think it is good Christianity may again get a foothold in arabia, no matter how small. Yet if Qaradawi really is a reformist, will he will be brushed aside as needed when the time is right?
Posted by: adobe at May 21, 2008 11:00 AM
Well, Duh, and all THAT entails. How can you have unhappy, rioting Sons of Allah, and not give them something to burn down? I see the logic of it clearly. Give the raging practitioners of the peaceful religion a reason to be upset, let them burn down something affrontish to them, and then maybe they won't notice the unhappy and not always PAID 85% population of non Arab, and possibly non Muslim workers who barely subsist in their midst in Qatar...save for the pleasure of building stuff for the minority of Friends and Allies in the War on Terror.
Posted by: Jewel Atkins at May 21, 2008 11:17 AM
This isn't.........no, it can't be..........."moderate" Islam?
Naw.
Posted by: tanstaafl at May 21, 2008 12:49 PM
"This may sound like a big conspiracy, but do you think Qatar is bringing in Christians with the hopes of them forming more permanent roots. To then later treat them as true dhimmis and form a group of working/second class citizens?"
I don't think so; they already have a group of "working/second class citizens".
I spent three rather unhappy weeks there in 2005 and this is what I found:
Qatar has a population of just under a million, but only about 25% of them are Qatari citizens, the rest are "foreign workers".
The Qatari government pays all its citizens a certain amount of money just for being Qataris. Not enough to make anyone rich, but enough to live on, if you want to. So there is no incentive at all for a Qatari to take a low-paying job. For that reason, everyone you see pumping gas, waiting tables, driving a truck, etc., is a foreign worker.
The largest group of foreign workers is Pakistani, with Filipinos coming in a close second. So even among the foreigners, a large per centage is Muslim.
Compared to countries like Saudi, Qatar is fairly liberal; while there I saw a movie, drank alcohol in a bar, and bought rock and roll CDs.
But the whole time I was there, every time I met a Qatari, I would wonder, "does this person want to kill me?"
And then when I went to come home I found out that you have to apply for permission to leave the country. That scared me. I understand wanting to control who comes into your country, but why would you care if someone from another country wants to go back where he came from?
If I never go to an Arab country again, it will be OK with me.
Posted by: shortfattexan at May 21, 2008 4:50 PM
Perhaps this apparent softening has something to do with the beating his friend Ken Livingstone took in the recent London mayoral race.
Being identified with the Sheik did Ken no favors this time round, and maybe that is starting to sink in.
Posted by: MBR at May 23, 2008 5:14 AM
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