Well, Madeleine Bunting has interviewed Qaradawi. I wonder why she bothered. The interview is little more than an extended apologia for the man, which follows…

“In this situation, as in many others, the British government’s policy of minoritism and cultural relativism creates such double standards that religion is given precedence over children’s rights. Because she is a ‘Muslim’, the British government has excused itself from its responsibility towards her. It has left her and many like her at the mercy of reactionary and parasitical elders and imams and political Islam. It is duty-bound to intervene now and ensure that Shabina Begum has the right to an education - whether she likes it or not - just as it intervenes to ensure children don’t work or smoke, despite their preferences.

“And of course the story doesn’t end here. It is insufficient to merely ban the jilbab and only at the random school, which decides to do so. All forms of veiling of children and religious symbols on children must be banned. The state must start protect children and stop protecting Islam.”

For more detailed discussion of Islam’s (and Qaradawi’s) position on ‘homosexuality’, please see the website of the StraightWay Foundation:

http://www.straightway.org.uk (the site looks out of date, but the work isn’t!).

There is a newsgroup too: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/straightway …

On the group, we posted a message a couple of days ago, which includes a link to a letter we sent Ken Livingstone, replies from his critics (over this issue), some discussion, and a further link to a ‘DOSSIER’ we prepared on the issue. ;)

All the best!

Mujahid Mustaqim

Yusuf al Qaradawi is a very well known moderate scholar maybe not as moderate as you would like. He is a very educated Shaykh and to say he is not well known in the Uk amongst Muslims is not accurate.