Ken Livingstone hosts Muslim homophobe and misogynist

Dr Al-Qaradawi endorses violence against women and gay people?

LONDON - UK- 9 July 2004

Giving a platform to Dr Al-Qaradawi is an insult to women, Jewsish and gay people. He endorses wife beating and the killing of homosexuals and Jews. We urge the Mayor of London not to host this misogynist, anti-Semite and homophobe", said Peter Tatchell of the gay rights group OutRage!.

Just over a week after leading London's Gay Pride parade, the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, will host a Muslim conference at the GLA headquarters in City Hall, next Monday, 12 July 2004, where the keynote speaker will be Dr Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, a leading Muslim scholar who endorses wife beating, the destruction of Jews and the execution of lesbians and gay men.

"Ken Livingston would not give a platform to the BNP. Dr Al Qaradawi is even more extreme. He sanctions violence against women, Jews and gay people," says Brett Lock of OutRage!

"While we condemn Islamophobia, we also condemn the homophobia of Islamic fundamentalists. The Muslim and Gay communities should work together to combat prejudice in all its forms."

Dr Al-Qaradawi is the chief scholar of the website Islamonline, and leader of the group of panelists who provide answers online to questions posed by Muslims on moral issues.

Dr Al-Qaradawi's website denounces homosexuals as 'perverted', 'abominable', and a 'corruption'.

It says lesbians and gay men should be executed by 'burning or stoning to death'.

His website also says it is permissible for a husband to 'beat' his wife, providing it is done 'lightly' and with his 'hands'.

The Islamonline 'About Us' section confirms Dr Al-Qaradawi's responsibility for its content:

"Our goal is for this site to be worthy of your trust. To reach our goal, a committee of the major scholars throughout the Islamic world, headed by Dr. Yusuf Qaradawi, was formed. Its role is to ensure that nothing on this site violates the fixed principles of Islamic law (Shar'ia)."

The Islamonline website gives several examples of Dr Al-Qaradawi's endorsement of violence against women and his endorsement of the execution of gay people:

1) The eminent Muslim scholar Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, states:

"Almighty Allah has prohibited illegal sexual intercourse and homosexuality and all means that lead to either of them. This perverted act is a reversal of the natural order, a corruption of man's sexuality, and a crime against the rights of females...

.... Muslim jurists hold different opinions concerning the punishment for this abominable practice. Should it be the same as the punishment for fornication, or should both the active and passive participants be put to death? While such punishments may seem cruel, they have been suggested to maintain the purity of the Islamic society and to keep it clean of perverted elements."

Source:
 http://www.islamonline.net/fatwa/english/FatwaDisplay.asp?hFatwaID=100855

2)
QUESTION:
Death Fall as Punishment for Homosexuality
I have read in a newspaper that an Iranian man who was convicted of raping and killing his 16-year-old nephew is to be executed by being thrown off a cliff in sack; and if the man survives the fall down a rocky precipice, he will be hanged. What is your comment on this issue?

ANSWER:
First of all, it should be clear that this man committed two heinous crimes: 1) homosexuality, and 2) murder. Each crime is sufficient to warrant death penalty.

The long exposition can be read at:
 http://www.islamonline.net/fatwa/english/FatwaDisplay.asp?hFatwaID=76474

3)
QUESTION:

Islam's Stance on Homosexual Organizations

ANSWER:
In brief: "Verily, the punishment here is the burning of both homosexuals (the actor and acted upon) or stoning them with rocks till death because Allah Most High stoned the people of Lut after demolishing their village."

The long answer is at:
 http://www.islamonline.net/fatwa/english/FatwaDisplay.asp?hFatwaID=72432


4)
Dr Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, Head of the European Council for Fatwa and Research, argues that beating one's wife painlessly is permissible: "It is permissible for him to beat her lightly with his hands, avoiding her face and other sensitive parts. In no case should he
resort to using a stick or any other instrument that might cause pain and injury."

Source:
 http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Islamic%20law