ABU DHABI — Qatar's Yusef Qaradawi and Egypt's Amr Khaled are neck and neck in the
race to be Islam's leading cleric.
Both clerics are Egyptian nationals and command
huge audiences, both in mosque as well as on television.
Khaled is a young Egyptian who wears a suit and participates in
reconciliation with Christians. He has sought to end the Muslim furor over
the publication of cartoons in Denmark that were disparaging of Mohammed, Middle East Newsline reported.
Qaradawi wears a turban and gown and was exiled by Egypt in the 1970s. A
longtime member of the Muslim Brotherhood, Qaradawi has become the most
charismatic television preacher in the Arab world.
Islamic sources said Qaradawi has objected to Khaled's mission to
Denmark with 50 other Muslim clerics. The mission was meant to present
Denmark with the "real Islam."
"At last, Muslims, all Muslims express their indignation and are united
around their prophet," Qaradhawi said.
Another cleric, Fahmi Huwaidi, agrees. Huwaidi said Khaled should follow
the leadership of Qaradawi.
"Amr Khaled should confine himself to preaching and should not interfere
with theological issues," Huwaidi told A-Sharq Al Awsat on March 8. "He
should listen to learned people like Sheik Qaradhawi."
Dr. Sami Alrabaa, an Islamic scholar in Kuwait, said Qaradawi and Khaled
address different audiences. Alrabaa said Khaled is a modern preacher who
appeals to young Muslims while Qaradawi has sought to reap political gains
from the Danish cartoon episode.
"Qaradawi wants to exploit the Danish cartoon row to advance his
political agenda," Alrabaa said. "Qaradawi, a traditionalist, wants to
silence modern Muslim young preachers like Amr Khaled. Khaled seems to be
palatable to young moderate Muslims. He addresses practical, contemporary
issues."
Alrabaa said Khaled represented the type of Islamic preacher sought by
young Muslims. He is less dogmatic than Qaradawi and does not support Al
Qaida-aligned philosophy of war against the West.
In contrast, Qaradawi does not support dialogue or moderate Islam.
Instead, he seeks to polarize the Muslim and non-Muslim world.
"Moderate Islam would dilute the line drawn between Islam and the rest
of the world." Alrabaa said. "For them, the West has declared war on Islam
and this war must be ferociously fought."
Abdul Muneim Said, a leading Islamic analyst, said that attacking the
West is standard fare for Islamists or pan-Arabic figures. Said pointed to
the accusations of decadence and discrimination in the West.
"All these things are true," Said wrote in A-Sharq Al Awsat on March 3.
"Nobody denies them. It seems, however, that we, Arabs and Muslims, know
more about atrocities and decadence in the West than about our own
atrocities and deficiencies. We excoriate atrocities everywhere, but not in
our societies."
