Al Qaradawi's New Book Questioning Jihad

Yusuf Qaradawi has released a new book (Fiqh al Jihad – roughly translated as “The Jurisprudence of Jihad) that criticizes Al Qaeda’s approach to, and conception of, Jihad. Marc Lynch and Arab Media Shack both have interesting analysis of the potential importance of the book. (Marc Lynch @ FP, Arab Media Shack)

This comes in the wake of similar criticisms by “Dr. Fadl” (the former Egyptian Islamic Jihad cleric Sayyid Imam al-Sharif) which was covered very well by Lawrence Wright and Peter Bergen and Paul Cruickshank. (Al Sharq al Aawsat, the NYer, the New Republic)

Fadl’s Egyptian jailhouse retractions have mirrored the Gamaa Islamiyah decision to cease operations and declare much jihadist violence counter-productive and not sanctioned by Islamic law. His shift in approach has sparked vigorous response by Ayman al Zawahiri and other jihadist theoreticians. (Al ahram, Jamestown)

Marc Lynch makes a compelling case that Qaradawi’s recantations and dissaproval may in fact be more important that Dr. Fadl’s. While Fadl’s impact would likely be on those committed activists who are well versed in jihadist theological arguments (many of which Fadl was a creator of), Qaradawi is much better known in the broader audience of the Islamic world. The BBC has described him as having “star status,” and his fatwas supporting suicide bombing (see below) are amongst the most widely cited. (BBC)


“Through his (Allah) infinite wisdom he has given the weak a weapon the strong do not have and and that is their ability to turn their bodies into bombs as Palestinians do…” - Yusuf Al Qaradawi (BBC)