London recently underwent a visit from Dr. Yusuf al-Qaradawi. A celebrated Muslim cleric, born in Egypt but based in Qatar, he had accepted an invitation to address a conference organized by the Muslim Association of Britain.
Dr. al-Qaradawi (who is barred from entering the United States) is a man of strong views. He condones wife-beating. He advocates the persecution—indeed, under some circumstances, the extermination —of homosexuals. He is a fervent supporter of Palestinian suicide-bombings, including bombings carried out by children, and he has offered up prayers for the destruction of “crusaders and infidels.” (He also maintains that McDonald’s and Pizza Hut are part of an international Jewish conspiracy.)
Not surprisingly, the news of his visit to London prompted widespread protests. These were countered by British Muslim spokesmen with reassurances that he was held in high regard by coreligionists for his learning and piety. One or two added that he should in fact be considered a moderate (an alarming thought, if true). And when he arrived in Britain, al-Qaradawi himself was offered a platform by the Guardian newspaper—an interview in which he claimed that his views had been completely misrepresented. (The published record says otherwise, however, both in print and on the web.)
Extremist Muslim clerics aren’t a novelty in Britain, and the whole episode might have died down quickly if it weren’t for the role played by the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone. As readers who follow British affairs will recall, Livingstone is mayor of the
