Latest "Zionist": Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi

In a particularly humorous turn of events, the Arab press is reporting that Iranian media are heavily attacking notorious Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi.

Qaradawi, it may be remembered, is an Sunni cleric who calls suicide bombings against Israeli civlians mandated by Islamic law. But what seems to have gotten under the Iranians' collective skins is Qaradawi's anger at Shiites. Last week, Qaradawi warned his fellow Sunnis against threats from Shiites:

”Unfortunately, there are Shias now in Egypt…Since the age of Saladin until very recently, there wasn’t a single Shia Egyptian. They tried to gain one but they never succeeded.” But now they are openly spreading their ideas in the newspapers and on television” he said. According to Qaradawi, this might be because the Sunni societies have a certain vulnerability because the Sunni ulema did not fortify Sunni society against the Shia threat because we always employed the phrase “avoid/stay away from fitna in order to unite all the Muslims.”

What he seems to be saying is that the Sunnis were taking the high ground, in pleading for greater Muslim unity, so as to avoid fitna. As a result the Shias took advantage of this to try and spread or recruit Shias in the Sunni societies.

But he is clear what has to be done: “We (the Ulema) must stand up and protect Sunni societies from the Shia assault."

This is not a new position, but apparently, this is enough to make the Shiites go apoplectic:

The Iranian newspapers accused Sheikh Yusuf as speaking on behalf of the leaders of global Freemasonry and rabbis. They published a torrent of words of insult and defamation against Qaradawi, saying that he speaks the language of hypocrisy and the hypocrisy stems from sectarian ideas, and he uttered such obscene words against the Shiites Messenger of Allah peace be upon him.

They further accused him of serving the interests of Zionists and rabbis who warned against the tide of Shiite after the defeat of the Israeli army in south Lebanon in 2006.

I gotta admit, the Iranians are right. Sheikh al-Qaradawi (or, as we Elders like to refer to him, "Joey") has been on the Zionist payroll for years. He goes on Egyptian TV (owned by us, natch) and rails against Zionists and then we meet him in the Green Room and reward him with some bagels and lox flown in from the Lower East Side. (Joey loves that stuff; he particularly likes Philly Light cream cheese with garden vegetables.)

Qaradawi started off as a stand-up comedian but we quickly saw his potential as a firebrand anti-Zionist clown who can help stoke the separation between Shiites and Sunnis, one of our grand plans. (Wait till you see what happens with the Salafis next year!)

Personally, he's a nice enough guy, although he does have a funny smell. Not sure if that is part of his act or if he really smells like that, but, hey, whatever works in that part of the world.