LONDON,
July 10 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – In a serious blow to
the anti-Muslim lobby in Britain, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)
concluded that there was no legal ground to prosecute prominent Muslim
scholar Sheikh Youssef Al-Qaradawi who will continue his current visit
to Britain as planned.
"The
CPS has reviewed the material submitted by the Metropolitan Police in
relation to interviews with Youssef al-Qaradawi broadcast in this
country.
"We
have advised the Metropolitan Police that there is insufficient
evidence that a criminal offence has been committed," reported
the BBC News Online Saturday, July 10, quoting a CPS statement.
The
swift decision of the CPS indicates that the so-called dossier of
evidence submitted by the Metropolitan police commissioner Sir John
Stevens did not contain grounds for legal action, said the Guardian.
The
British daily described the decision as "a setback for the Board
of Deputies of British Jews which initially sent the material to the
police."
Meanwhile,
the Metropolitan Police argued that Qaradawi pulled out of an
education conference co-sponsored by the force, to be held Sunday,
July 11, in Wembley, north-west London.
However,
Hasan Mueenuddin, spokesman for the conference, said: "I am
certain that he is going to speak at the conference."
Welcomed
While
welcoming the CPS decision, British Muslims expressed disappointment
at the vicious campaign aiming at tarnishing one of the most moderate
Islamic figures who enjoys great respect worldwide.
"All
along there wasn't anything to be found. Because of the immense
pressure of the rightwing and pro-Zionist lobby, we have missed a
valuable opportunity to forward interfaith relations," Anas
Al-Tikriti, former president of the Muslim Association of Britain
(MAB), was quoted as saying by the Guardian.
The
activist added that Qaradawi's visit accorded a chance to offer a more
favorable image of Britain to the Muslim world, after it had been
tarnished by its participation in the US-led wars against Iraq and
Afghanistan.
"This
vile campaign led by the Sun and the Mail has scuppered
that opportunity."
However,
the Jewish lobby criticized the CPS decision.
"We
regret the decision by the CPS," Henry Grunwald QC, president of
the Board of Deputies of British Jews, was quoted as saying by the Guardian.
He
claimed that "Al-Qaradawi is being very careful about what he
says publicly whilst he's in the UK."
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Sheikh Qaradawi (L) with London Mayor Ken Livingstone during a Greater London Authority reception on July 7
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Sheikh
Qaradawi, for his part, condemned those who judged his works without
having read them.
Addressing
3,500 worshippers during Friday prayers in London's Central Mosque,
the scholar said he was being misrepresented.
He
further accused some parties of the press of deliberately distorting
his views without trying or even caring to read any of his books and
lectures, or watching his frequent TV appearances.
"Do
they know me? Have they read my works?"
"If
they are really after the truth, and think they are fair, why don't
they find the truth about me, instead of indulging in this attack on
me."
Qaradawi
had earlier said that he himself was amazed at the statements and the
whole row.
"It
is not the first time I have visited London. It is not the 10th time
or the 100th time. For over a third of a century I have been visiting
London. London is an open city, so why is there this row when I visit
London today?"
His
Friday sermon centered around tolerance and the need for Muslim
communities in the West to positively integrate in their new
societies.
"You
can love other religions as long as they don't cause any trouble to
you; you must not hate them or dislike them (for their views),"
Qaradawi told worshippers, reported the BBC.
He
further reminded the British Muslim community of their obligations to
other faiths and that it was Muslims' duty not to condemn others for
the way they live their lives and practice their religion.
Qaradawi's
current visit to Britain turned into a political storm when a British
parliamentarian, known for her staunch support for Israel, urged Home
Secretary David Blunkett to deny the renowned scholar access to
London.
Louise
Ellman, Labour member for Liverpool Liverside, is a member of the
Labour Friends of Israel group and had delivered several speeches
before Israeli groups in London like Poale Zion.
Last
December, she sparked a furious row by using parliamentary privilege
to claim that the MAB
supports terrorism and promotes anti-Jews hatred.
"Zionist
Ellman is well known for her campaign to find the lost tribes of
Israel, or what she calls 'The Forgotten Jews', to bring them to
Palestine where they would dispossess more Palestinians of their lands
and homes," MAB had said in an earlier press release.
Read
some of Qaradawi's views:
Qaradawi
Rejects Al-Qaeda’s Killing of Innocents
We
Are Fighting Israeli Occupation, Not Jews: Qaradawi
Qaradawi:
Bali Blasts Heinous Crime, Total Barbarism
Qaradawi
Condemns Attacks Against Civilians
Qaradawi
To Lead Delegation To Afghanistan To Save Statues
Qaradawi
Denounces Abu Sayyaf In Philippines
