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Militant Islam Monitor > Articles > New York University to become New York Ummah? Dialouges group partially funded by Qatar whose chief cleric promotes suicide bombing

New York University to become New York Ummah? Dialouges group partially funded by Qatar whose chief cleric promotes suicide bombing

September 16, 2005

MIM: The Dialouges group is intended to 'give the Muslim point of view' and receives funding from Qatar, whose chief cleric Yusuf Qaradawi issued a fatwa condoning women suicide bombers. Qaradawi is banned from entering the US bacause of ties to terrrorism. Qaradawi also ruled that the women who intended to commit suicide could go out without a male escort and did not need to cover their hair if that would facilitate the attack.

MIM: The Mission statement of the NYU Dialouges is "largely focused on Muslim claims and viewpoints" so what better way to find out more from Yusuf Qaradawi of Qatar, whose government (of which he is an employee) is helping to fund this endeavor. Al Qaradawi recently gave an interview to BBC which can be read below in which he praised "martyrdom operations". Qatar is listed as one of the dialouge funders but Qaradawi who has a popular television show in Qatar epitomises the countrie's view of Islam.

http://www.islamuswest.org/aboutUs.html

OUR Mission

A program of New York University, Dialogues: Islamic World-U.S.-The West was established in the aftermath of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, which highlighted the urgent need for greater communication among and about the Islamic World, the United States, and the West. With the attacks focusing the world's attention on extremist movements in the Middle East and Islamic Asia, political commentators have been seeking, and often failing, to explain the political and social roots of these movements and their accompanying grievances against the West and the United States. The program has been launched as a structured forum for sustained dialogue involving voices from the various religious, intellectual, economic, and political sectors of Islamic and American/Western societies, including those non-elite Islamic figures with proven credibility in their communities who are too often unheard in the West. Dialogues is largely focused on Muslim claims and viewpoints, as well as on efforts to understand various Islamic social and political movements. But the program also involves a discussion of the Western value system, for true dialogue cannot be constructed as a one-way street.

Dialogues is committed to a number of academic, policy, and outreach activities, including conferences on a variety of topics of critical importance today—the clash of perceptions, elections, the nature of authority in the Islamic world and in the West, Muslims in the West, the role of the media, and education, among others. These will result in the development of policy recommendations; government leaders and other relevant authorities and organizations, including media decision-makers, will attend the meetings in order to both help effect policy change and alter public perceptions. In addition, findings from the program will be published as policy papers as well as in book and possibly CD-ROM form and will be disseminated to educational institutions worldwide for use by students, faculty, and researchers. Moreover, Dialogues is creating a network of leaders who will continue to communicate with and consult one another formally and informally for years to come—a valuable network for negotiating peace in times of crisis. Ultimately, dialogue should extend to the general population, thus allowing the widest possible scope of participation and expression.

Dialogues is funded by Carnegie Corporation, the MacArthur Foundation, and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. The conference in Granada received additional funding from El legado andalusí. The Amman Workshop on Islam and Elections was funded in large part by Majlis El Hassan. We are pleased to announce that the state of Qatar has joined the ranks of our funders.

With the situation in the Middle East more critical than ever, Dialogues' work is crucial to world peace and security. Through dialogue, Muslim and Western community leaders can dispel the current climate of anger, check extremist trends, and lay the foundations for a more comprehensive and lasting peace through mutually beneficial interaction.

Board of Advisors

Lisa Anderson (U.S.)>
Mohammed Arkoun (Algeria/ France)>
Hoda Badran (Egypt)>
John Brademas (U.S.)>
Marc Perrin de Brichambaut (France)>
Reis-ul-Ulema Mustafa Ceric (Bosnia)>
Viscount Etienne Davignon (Belgium)>
Richard Haass (U.S.)>
HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal>
Tony Judt (U.S./U.K.)>
Farooq Kathwari (U.S.)>
Bob Kerrey (U.S.)>
Maleeha Lodhi (Pakistan)>
Nurcholish Madjid (Indonesia)>
Chandra Muzaffar (Malaysia)>
Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne (U.K.)>
Farhan A. Nizami (India/U.K.)>
Thoraya Obaid (Saudi Arabia)>
Seyed Mohammad Kazem Sajjadpour (Iran)>
Eduardo Serra Rexach (Spain)>
Frank Wisner (U.S.)>
Mortimer B. Zuckerman (U.S.)>


funding institutions

Carnegie Corporation>
The MacArthur Foundation>
The Rockefeller Brothers Fund>
El legado andalusí >
Majlis El Hassan >
State of Qatar >


Dialogues Staff

Mustapha Tlili, Founder and Director>
Shaanti Kapila, Special Assistant to the Director>
Shara Kay, Editorial Consultant >
Danielle Jefferis , Intern >

Contact

Dialogues: Islamic World–U.S.–The West
New York University
Remarque Institute
194 Mercer Street, 4th floor
New York, New York 10012

tel 212-998-3656
fax 212-995-4091

[email protected]

[email protected]

-------------------

MIM: According to Islam for Today Qaradawi is one of the 'most temperate Islamic speakers'. The Qatari funders of the NYU Dialouge group can be expected advocate and adhere the same Islamist beliefs which Qaradawi, as their chief cleric, espouses.The article boasts that "Dr. Qaradawi's wrtings have found general acceptance among all sectors of the Muslim world" which implies that no country can afford to doubt that there are suicide bomber wannabes waiting in the wings.

Dr. al Qaradawi is considered one of the most temperate Islamic thinkers, and as one of those who combine traditional knowledge of the Shariah with an understanding of contemporary problems (fiqh al waqi'). Indeed, Dr. Qaradawi's writings have found general acceptance among all sectors of the Muslim world, and many of his works have been translated into various Muslim and other languages..." http://www.islamfortoday.com/qaradawi.htm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/3875119.stm

Al-Qaradawi full transcript
Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi
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.

Watch the report

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.

----------------

Controversial preacher with star statu

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3874893.stm

Islamic preacher, Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, to take part in a conference has sparked a row because of his controversial views on suicide bombings.

Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi achieved a star status with the emergence of the Qatari satellite channel, Al-Jazeera, several years ago.

Thanks to his weekly appearance on the religious phone-in programme Al-Shariaa wa Al-Haya (Islamic Law and Life) he has become a household name for many Arabic-speaking Muslim communities.

He is an articulate preacher and a good communicator.

The subtext of the programme, and indeed that of Sheikh Al-Qaradawi's responses to all the issues raised throughout the broadcast, is that Islam has an answer to all of life's problems.

That is essentially the ideology of Islamist movements across the region.

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
Sheikh Al-Qaradawi
Al-Qaradawi interview

According to an Arabic language website dedicated to Sheikh Al-Qaradawi he was born in a small village in the Nile Delta in 1926.

He studied Islamic theology at the Al-Azhar university in Cairo, from where he graduated in 1953.

Twenty years later he was awarded a PhD for his thesis on how Zakat (Islamic alms) can contribute to solving social problems.

Muslim Brotherhood

He has written extensively on Islam and is regarded as a respected scholar.

His website describes him as the most prominent voice of moderation in Islam (wasatiyya), building bridges between traditionalists and modernisers.

It is his involvement with the outlawed Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood that has landed him in trouble.

The group, founded in the 1920s, is one of the largest and most influential Islamist organisations in the region.

It has a history of violence, but now says it is committed to peaceful means to create an Islamic state.

Sheikh Al-Qaradawi has been jailed several times in Egypt.

But he has lived and worked in the Gulf State Qatar since 1963 where he now heads an Islamic research centre.

Suicide bombings

It is particularly his views on suicide bombings that has courted controversy, but mainly in the West.

He has distanced himself from suicide attacks in the West but he has consistently defended Palestinian suicide attacks against Israelis.

Recently he told Al-Jazeera that he was not alone in believing that suicide bombings in Palestinian territories were a legitimate form of self defence for people who have no aircraft or tanks.

He said hundreds of other Islamic scholars are of the same opinion. In this respect, he is very much in tune with what the vast majority of people in the Arab world believe.

Defending suicide bombings that target Israeli civilians Sheikh A-Qaradawi told the BBC programme Newsnight that "an Israeli woman is not like women in our societies, because she is a soldier.

"I consider this type of martyrdom operation as an evidence of God's justice.

"Allah Almighty is just; through his 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".

Despite his popularity, Sheikh Al-Qaradawi is not without his critics in the Arab world.

Some see his regular preaching on Al-Jazeera as an uncritical regurgitation of Islamic dogma out of touch with the modern world.

-----------------------------

MIM: Shakedown 101: NYU's Muslim Student Alumni Association held a career workshop which focused on how Muslims could force their employers to meet their religious needs and legal means of forcing them to comply. What has escaped the bright lights of the Muslim Student Association at NYU is that most employers who know about CAIR's shakedown tactics might rightly feel that they had better avoid trouble in the first place by not hiring a Muslim to begin with. Which would be the subject of another course entitled: Advanced Shakedown: How to sue for discrimination upon not getting hired when your boss objects to your implementing shari'a in the workplace.

http://alumni.icnyu.org/events.html


ICNYU - Events
  • Future Events
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  • EVENTS

    The NYU MSA Alumni Association hosts regular events such as general meetings, career workshops, fundraisers, and committee workshops. The last held event's summary will be posted below.

    Alumni Association 1st General Meeting
    Date: Friday, September 19, 2003
    Time: 7 pm - 9 pm
    Location: Islamic Center of NYU
    Attendees: 16 members (Brooke Samad, Arshe Ahmed, Areefa Arefin, Faridha Jan, Ayesha, Nargis Nusraty, Shala Gafary, Shahreen Hussain, Arshia Sultan, Stefanie Tabry, Zainab Wasti, Ridwan Falah, Ali Hashmi, Adil Asheer, Hasan Kazmi, Khalid Latif)

    Event Summary:

    1. COMMITTEES: If you would like to help out in any way and want to be placed on a specific email list for a committee, please email one of the contact persons listed below.

    2. CAREER/GRAD PROGRAM WORKSHOPS — EVENT COMMITTEE: On October 11th, 2003 there will be a Career and Graduate Program Workshop held at Thompson Auditorium at NYU. Thompson Auditorium is located at 238 Thompson Street between West 3rd and Washington Square South). *Refreshments will be served*

    We plan to have a panel of alumni speakers, followed by break out sessions in separate groups according to career/grad program. There will also be resume critiquing, mock interview sessions, personal statement assistance, resume drops and more. We need your participation as this is our FIRST event, and there are many components involved. So if you or someone you know might be interested in contributing their efforts (do not have to be nyu alumni to take part) to this event, please don't hesitate to contact Zainab Wasti or Sumaiyah Ahmed

    Ideas Discussed:
    • Have someone (perhaps CAIR representative) discuss Muslims' rights in the workplace
    • Have an alum in the workplace discuss experiences in getting prayers space at work, time off for jummah prayers, etc.
    • Create nametags for all panelists
    • Create table tents or fliers for all breakout sessions (one per table)
    • Have first copy of the newsletter ready by this event
    • Sell calendars and bookmarks at this event for fundraising
    • Keep donation boxes in the room
    • Panelists should bring business cards (if applicable)
    • Attendees should bring resumes, essays, etc.
    • Advertise soon (Ridwan is in process of creating a flier, emails will go out by Monday)
    • This event will be for nyu and non-nyu students
    • Panelists should dress in professional or business casual attire
    • Panelists should arrive a half-hour to an hour early for preparation--event WILL start on time!
    • Bring manilla folders for resume drops--alum an turn in resumes at their respective companies
    3. FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE:
    • Raise funds for a separate building/ space for the Islamic Center of NYU
    • Chaplain project
    • Scholarship for incoming NYU students
    • Scholarships for Muslims studying the deen abroad
    Ideas Discussed:
    • Sell wholesale purchased BEAUTIFUL Islamic Calendars (2004) and bookmarks, both with ICNYU and ICNYUAA logos and web addresses, for a profit (will advertise on website)
    • Host ticketed fundraising banquet with presentation highlighting the IC's past, present, and potential future
    • Work with fundraising company to find potential donors
    • Contact wealthy Muslims and alumni and hand them a proposal of why they should think of donating
    • Donation boxes at events (of course)
    Please contact Nargis Nusraty or Arshia Sultan regarding questions and information about this committee.

    4. NEWSLETTER COMMITTEE:

    If you have experience in graphics design or desktop publishing and can help with the production of our first newsletter, please do not hesitate to contact Ridwan Falah or Arshe Ahmed.

    Ideas Discussed:
    • Mail out newsletters (snail-mail) to all alumni, near and far
    • Highlight alumni life milestones (weddings, babies, etc.)
    • Inform alumni of events at the IC and ICNYUAA
    • Keep everyone up to date about progress of the IC (i.e. halal food in NYU dining halls)
    • Reiterate goals and why we need funding/donations
    • Format will likely be a 2 page stapled newsletter
    • Maybe a few creative pieces (long-term?)
    5. TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE:

    If you have web expertise or ideas for content/copy for our site, please do not hesitate to contact Adil Asheer.

    Ideas Discussed:
    • Discussion board on site
    • Pop-up advertising upcoming event
    • Advertisment for calendars/book marks to be sold

    SPREAD THE WORD
    There is still a dire need to network and start building our membership base. To these ends, please email or call old NYU friends from your address book and spread the word about the existance of the ICNYUAA. We need to get more people informed and insha'Allah involved. And this is especially true of years past (prior to 1999). YOU can be a vital part in this effort.

    ----

    September 16, 2005

    MIM: Imran Khan, the man who held a press conference and launched the false 'Koran flush' rumor apparently was scheduled to come to the US to address the Pakistani Students Association to raise money for a prayer space at NYU. Khan's political party is virulently anti Western and has ties to groups which support the Taliban.

    The and millionaire playboy cricketer turned politician held up a copy of Newweek at a press conference in Afghanistan and essentially told millions of illiterate Muslims that they should avenge the purported Koran flush. As a result more then 17 died and scores were injured, while Muslims rampaged worldwide and declared Jihad on the West.

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