CAIRO: The board of Qatar’s Al-Balagh Foundation, the main funder of Islam Online (IOL), was dissolved late Tuesday by the Qatari Ministry of Social Affairs, according to Fathy Abu Hatab, a journalist at IOL.
Sheikh Yousef El-Qaradawi,who headed the board, was informed of the decision Tuesday night via a message sent by Ali El-Emady. Ibrahim El-Ansari was appointed by the ministry as the new head of a temporary board running the Qatari foundation.
El-Emady, also a member of the Foundation’s temporary board, and El-Ansari were suspended by El-Qaradawi from the previous board last week in response to a petition sent to El-Qaradawi by the staff prior to a staff sit-in, complaining from the board’s violation of their editorial independence.
Both El-Emady and El-Ansari are believed to have spurred the sit-in. They were among a recent board shuffle at Al-Balagh and are believed to have orchestrated plans to move the headquarters of the popular Islamic online resource to Qatar.
The decision to dissolve the board came on the eve of the tenth day of a strike by IOL staff in Egypt’s office in Six of October City triggered by news of mass lay-offs and that contracts which end on March 31 will not be renewed.
IOL staff members have also told the media that the strike was agaisnt the fact that the new management at Al-Balagh holding company wanted to impose their dictates on IOL’s editorial tone, and issued guidelines for more conservative content, which contradicts the bold, progressive approach of the editors who tackled risqué subjects such as homosexuality and extra-marital affairs.
It is speculated that the recent move was solely intended to remove El-Qaradawi.
“We refuse the insulting treatment meted out to El-Qaradawi, Abu Hatab Daily News Egypt, adding that the decision confirms speculations that the crisis stems from a political agenda.
The ministry’s decision to dissolve the board came as a surprise it was due to meet Thursday to call for a general assembly to reach a final decision regarding the fate of IOL.
As a response, the over 300 IOL employees are currently trying to establish a new Islamic website which will not be funded by a single entity, but will take the form of an Initial Public Offering (IPO) to continue IOL’s legacy.
“They [Al-Balagh Foundation] own the name. But they don’t own the people or their thoughts, Abu Hatab said.
The legal framework of the new initiative is currently being formulated. Contributors from across the globe will be invited to join, whether Muslims or non-Muslims, according Abu Hatab.
He stressed that stakeholders will not have the right to interfere with the website’s content, following models such as The Guardian and the BBC in the UK.
“It is a human initiative with the same objective [of IOL] and carries the same message.
Abu Hatab added that the current premises of IOL might be used as the headquarters of their new project, since it is owned by Media International, the company under which IOL legally functions in Egypt, and not Qatar’s Al-Balagh.
On his show “Al-Sharia wil Haya (Sharia and Life) broadcast on Al Jazeera last Sunday, El-Qaradawi told Abu Hatab in a phone-in, “No one can hijack Islam Online.
“I promise that Islam Online will return to its family. This is my responsibility, El-Qaradawi told Abu Hatab.
