To some he is a pre-eminent Muslim scholar who has visited London for many years without fuss. To others he's nothing but trouble, a man who uses religion to justify suicide bombings and who should be banned from Britain as he is banned from the United States.
Sheikh Yusef al-Qaradawi is an Egyptian cleric who greeted his audience in London with the words "peace - the message of Islam." But in an exclusive interview with Newsnight he spoke of suicide bombings by Palestinians as "martyrdom in the name of God."
The row over his visit has overshadowed the Home Secretary David Blunkett's attempts to re-introduce a measure to outlaw incitement to religious hatred.
Peter Marshall reported on the man, his message, and the reaction.
PETER MARSHALL:
He's been to London many times, but
suddenly his presence has stirred a
political storm. Sheikh Yusuf Al-
Qaradawi was all bemusement as he
arrived to address Muslim scholars. The
press had welcomed him as "evil", a
devil who supports child bombers. The
politicians were none too keen when he
was topic A in the Commons.
MICHAEL HOWARD MP:
(Leader, Conservative Party)
Does the Prime Minister agree with me
that someone who backs child suicide
bombings and is banned from the United
States because of his alleged terrorist
Links, should not be allowed into this
country?
TONY BLAIR:
Let me make it clear. We want nothing
to do with people who support suicide
bombers in Palestine or elsewhere, or
support terrorists, so my Right
Honourable Friend has to take his
decision according to the relevant
criteria, he will do that. I am not going to
comment further on the case.
MARSHALL:
It was odd then to see the Sheikh, centre
stage, honorary speaker at a conference
devoted to modernising Islam. The
Sheikh was eager to talk of Islam's links
to and regard for Christians and Jews, so
he asked why all the fuss?
SHEIKH YUSEF AL-QARADAWI
(Qatar University)
TRANSLATION:
It is not strange for me to visit London
and London is an open city, it welcomes
everybody so why is this row when I
visit London today?
MARSHALL:
The arrival of Dr Qaradawi provides a
perfect if rather worrying opportunity to
examine the state of Muslim/non-
Muslim relations, for this is a scholar
who was one of the first to condemn the
September 11th attacks on America. Yet
he's also condoned suicide bombings in
the Middle East. It's over the likes of
Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi that the
politics of theology meet the morality of
guerilla warfare, or if you like, terrorism.
This is where the word of God is
interpreted in the mind of man.
The Sheikh is one of the Muslim world's
pre-eminent theologians so researching
suicide bombings, last month Newsnight
went to his home in Qatar to ask why he
had formed the view that Islam permitted
such attacks in Israel.
SHEIKH YUSEF AL-QARADAWI
(Qatar University)
TRANSLATION:
It's not suicide, it is martyrdom in the
name of God, Islamic theologians and
jurisprudents have debated this issue.
Referring to it as a form of jihad, under
the title of jeopardising the life of the
mujahideen. It is allowed to jeopardise
your soul and cross the path of the
enemy and be killed.
MARSHALL:
In the mind of Sheikh Yusuf Al-
Qaradawi, that view prevails even
though women and children are often the
innocent victims.
SHEIKH YUSEF AL-QARADAWI
TRANSLATION:
Israeli women are not like women in our
society because Israeli women are
militarised. Secondly, I consider this
type of martyrdom operation as
indication of justice of Allah almighty.
Allah is just. Through his infinite
wisdom he has given the weak what the
strong do not possess and that is the
ability to turn their bodies into bombs
like the Palestinians do.
MARSHALL:
Of course not every Muslim thinker
agrees with the Sheikh, Mufti
Barkatullah is a senior Imam at the North
Finchley Mosque.
MUFTI BARKATULLAH:
(Senior Imam, North Finchley Mosque)
Any act of violence which makes
innocent people victim is not allowed.
This position has been and always will
be throughout Islam for the last 1,500
years. No new person or a scholar can
ever change this position.
MARSHALL:
Back to the Sheikh, and the Middle East,
what does he think of suicide attacks in
Iraq?
SHEIKH YUSEF AL-QARADAWI
TRANSLATION:
If the Iraqis can confront the enemy,
there is no need for these acts of
martyrdom. If they don't have the means,
acts of martyrdom are allowed. I didn't
say that the Iraqis cannot, it depends on
their need.
MARSHALL:
If most UK politicians were running
from Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, the
London Mayor was not.
KEN LIVINGSTONE:
(Mayor of London)
You are truly welcome, welcome to
London, a city of all faiths.
MARSHALL:
And others at the Conference were
similarly supportive.
YUSRA KHREEGI:
(Research student)
I think people will it find that very
strange he is seen as an extremist. He is
well-known for his moderate and
balanced views. Many times he has
condemned terrorism. In Europe, he is
known to promote integration and
positive participation in society.
SYED TOHEL AHMED
(Islamic Forum Europe)
He is a mainstream scholar, that is
respected throughout the world and he is
not an extreme and doesn't express any
extreme views or interpret text in an
extreme way.
MARSHALL:
So we went back to the Sheikh for
clarification of his views, was suicide
bombing legitimate in Iraq?
SHEIKH YUSEF AL-QARADAWI
TRANSLATION:
In Palestine the need is there, in Iraq
today the need is not there.
REPORTER:
Who decides if the need is there? Who makes that decision?
SHEIKH YUSEF AL-QARADAWI
TRANSLATION:
The influential figures within a given
community, the leaders and the scholars,
they meet and decide.
REPORTER:
Who decides who is the leader? Is it
Osama Bin Laden who makes the
decisions, or is it the Sheikh who makes
the decision?
SHEIKH YUSEF AL-QARADAWI
TRANSLATION:
He is talking about the community in the
given location, so in Iraq it is the Iraqis
who decide.
REPORTER:
Which Iraqis?
SHEIKH YUSEF AL-QARADAWI
TRANSLATION:
As in the case of Palestine, factions, or
groups, like Hamas, when they
considered this method, they went to the
people of knowledge and asked them
whether Islamically that was lawful or
not lawful, when the case was explained
to them, they were told that there is a
necessity and therefore in their situation,
it is permissable.
REPORTER:
These ideas of people of knowledge do
not translate very easily to western
society. People are elected. People of
knowledge is a bit loose.
SHEIKH YUSEF AL-QARADAWI
TRANSLATION:
It is a different form of democracy. How
do you expect in a war situation where
people have their land occupied, where
they are homeless, how do you expect
they will be able to set up democratic
institutions in order to take decisions?
MARSHALL:
It is, as the Sheikh would doubtless
agree, all a matter of interpretation, of
the Koran, and of his view of the Koran.
But Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi is, it's
worth reiterating, deemed an authority on
these matters, generally seen, we're
assured and reassured, as mainstream.
This transcript was produced from the teletext subtitles that are generated live for Newsnight. It has been checked against the programme as broadcast, however Newsnight can accept no responsibility for any factual inaccuracies. We will be happy to correct serious errors.