Brown bans Muslim preacher who praised suicide bombers as 'martyrs' from Britain

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Gordon Brown today faced the anger of Muslim groups after banning a radical Islamic cleric from entering Britain.

Yusuf al-Qaradawi, 81, had been hoping to come to London to receive medical treatment but it is understood that the Prime Minister has blocked his visa.

The Muslim Council of Britain accused Mr Brown of bowing to pressure from the "pro-Zionist and neo-conservative lobby".

They also accused Mr Brown of caving in to "unreasonable demands spearheaded by the Tory leader".

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Last week, David Cameron called al-Qaradawi "dangerous and divisive", and called on the Government not to let him into the country.

Al-Qaradawi visited in 2004 when he was given the red-carpet treatment by Mayor Ken Livingstone.

The sheikh, who has been banned by many other countries including the US, is the spiritual leader of a movement linked to the outlawed Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, the largest Islamist group in the Middle East.

In the past, he has spoken out against homosexuality, promoted the idea of Palestinian suicide attacks against Israelis, and described suicide bombers as "martyrs".

The decision marks a shift in policy for Gordon Brown

Mr Brown's intervention came a week after David Cameron called for al-Qaradawi to be prevented from entering the UK.

The Conservative leader said there should be zero tolerance towards clerics who defend Middle East terrorism, who call for the execution of gay people or who oppose rights for women.

But the Muslim Council of Britain, which represents more than 500 organisations in Britain, said it was "regrettable" that Mr Brown had given way to the "unreasonable demands" of the Tory leader.

Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari, the council's secretary-general, said: "Yusuf al-Qaradawi enjoys unparalleled respect and influence throughout the Muslim world...

"Britain has had a long and established tradition of free speech, debate and intellectual pursuit. These principles are worth defending, especially if we would like to see them spread throughout the world."

Mohammed Shafiq from the Ramadhan Foundation, a Muslim youth organisation, said the ruling pandered to xenophobia.

"We've had figures like Nick Griffin and the BNP operating freely and promoting violence towards ethnic minorities, and nothing is done.

"This smacks of double standards, and will isolate Muslim communities further."

The British Muslim Initiative (BMI) called the decision to bar al-Qaradawi "an unwarranted insult to British Muslims".

Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell said that even though he regarded al-Qaradawi as "anti-Semitic, homophobic and sexist", he should be allowed into the UK for medical treatment.

"We should show Qaradawi the mercy that he seeks to deny to fellow Muslims who transgress his dogmatic, illiberal interpretation of Islam," Mr Tatchell said.

"It is wrong for the government to stoop to Qaradawi's level of inhumanity. "We should let him come to Britain for medical treatment, to show that our liberal, humanitarian values are better than his bigotry and his glorification of religious violence."

London mayor Ken Livingstone has welcomed the cleric before

The visa decision is seen as a shift in policy by Mr Brown.

In 2006, when Tony Blair was prime minister, the Foreign Office paid for al-Qaradawi and his wife to fly to Istanbul for a conference on Muslims in Europe.

An MP close to the Prime Minister said: "Gordon was intent on sending a signal that the views of this character are not acceptable."

The Home Office confirmed that it had refused al-Qaradawi a visa after taking advice from numerous Government departments.

"The UK will not tolerate the presence of those who seek to justify any act of terrorist violence or express views that could foster inter-community violence," a spokeswoman said.

Al-Qaradawi has the right to appeal against the decision on human rights and race discrimination grounds, and today's ruling does not preclude him being given a visa in the future.

Shadow home secretary David Davis welcomed the decision.

"Not before time, the Government has finally acted after pressure from David Cameron," he said.

"The Government's approach to preachers of hate has been at best timid and at worst downright useless.

Labour MP David Winnick (Walsall North), a member of the Commons Home Affairs Committee, also welcomed the ban.

He said: "I welcome the decision. It was difficult to understand why he should have been allowed in previously.

"His public comments demonstrate that he is a professional hate merchant and racist.

"Allowing such characters to come into our country, allowing any extremists to enter Britain, regardless of religion or no religion, contaminates this country. "We have enough home-grown hate merchants as it is."

"Now it is time for them to take a robust approach across the board."

 

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