DOHA: Hundreds of supporters of Egyptian-born Sheikh Youssef Al-Qaradawi protested in Qatar Wednesday over Britain s decision to deny the influential preacher entry for medical treatment on grounds that he supports terrorism.
Around 200 people shouted slogans and recited prayers in front of the British embassy in Qatar s capital Doha, declaring that the 81-year old cleric, who is a trustee of the Oxford University Center for Islamic Studies and chairman of the European Council for Fatwa and Research, is not a terrorist.
Al-Qaradawi is someone who has always worked to promote dialogue and understanding among different faiths, said Mohammed Sawalha, president of the British Muslim Initiative and one of the protesters in Doha on Wednesday. He has never supported terrorism; on the contrary, he has condemned it publicly many times.
Britain announced Feb. 6 that it had refused to issue a visa to Al-Qaradawi, saying it would not tolerate visitors seeking to justify terrorism.
Al-Qaradawi, who is banned from entering the United States, visited Britain in 2004, sparking protests from Jewish groups and gay people, who regard him as anti-Semitic and homophobic.
David Cameron, leader of the opposition Conservative Party, earlier called Al-Qaradawi dangerous and divisive, and urged Prime Minister Gordon Brown s government not to let the cleric into the country.
Al-Qaradawi, a Sunni Muslim, is widely respected throughout the Middle East and has a popular weekly television show on Islamic law and daily life broadcast on the pan-Arab Al-Jazeera satellite channel. -AFP
