Muslim Cleric's Visit Ignites Complaints in Britain

VOA is reporting that a visiting Islamic cleric is causing a stir across the pond for his previous defense of Palestinian suicide bombings.

One prominent Jewish member of Parliament, Louise Ellman, said there is plenty of evidence against the cleric.

"Dr. Qaradawi is on record supporting mass murder through suicide bombings," she said. "That means killing young children at pizza parlors, it means folk singers on Tel Aviv beach being blown up, it means people at religious festivals being blown up. And he is inciting mass murder."

Mr. al-Qaradawi's defenders in Britain say his views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict represent mainstream opinion among most Muslims. They also point out that he condemned the terrorist attacks against the United States in 2001, as well as the bombings in Madrid last March.

The Muslim Association of Britain, which is sponsoring his visit, said he was delivering a sermon Friday at London's Central Mosque that emphasizes the responsibility of Muslims to be active and law-abiding participants in Britain's democracy.

I'm torn as to whether this guy should just be expelled or whether he should be grabbed, handed over to the Israelis and forced to spend the rest of his life in pizzarias and discos until he renounces terrorism.

I find it interesting that he denounce the 9/11 and Madrid bombings. I do wonder, though, if these denunciations were voiced in Arabic to his fellow Egyptians.