In Gaza, Antisemitic Cleric Sheik Yusuf al-Qaradawi rejects Israel’s existence.

In Gaza, Antisemitic Cleric Sheik Yusuf al-Qaradawi rejects Israel’s existence.(AA).

al-Qaradawi who is making a landmark visit to the Gaza Strip has declared that Israel has no right to exist.

Yusuf al-Qaradawi said Thursday that “this land has never once been a Jewish land. Palestine is for the Arab Islamic nation.” The Qatar-based cleric was made famous by his popular TV show and is widely respected in the Muslim world.

Al-Qaradawi arrived in Gaza late Wednesday for a visit seen as a boost of legitimacy for the ruling Hamas militant group.

Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007 following several days of fighting against the rival Palestinian faction Fatah.

The Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority, which governs in the West Bank, has condemned al-Qaradawi’s visit. It says his presence is cementing the rift between the two Palestinian factions.Read the full story here.

In a January 2009 speech that aired on Al Jazeera, Qaradawi said:

"Throughout history, Allah has imposed upon the [Jews] people who would punish them for their corruption. The last punishment was carried out by Hitler. By means of all the things he did to them - even though they exaggerated this issue - he managed to put them in their place. This was divine punishment for them. Allah willing, the next time will be at the hands of the believers."

At a January 2009 "Gaza Victory Rally" in Qatar, Qaradawi declared:

"The only thing that I hope for is that as my life approaches its end, Allah will give me an opportunity to go to the land of Jihad and resistance, even if in a wheelchair. I will shoot Allah's enemies, the Jews, and they will throw a bomb at me, and thus, I will seal my life with martyrdom. Praise be to Allah.... [Allah] will not allow these people [Jews] to continue to spread corruption in the land. We wait for the revenge of Allah to descend upon them, and Allah willing, it will be by our own hands."

Qaradawi then besought the deity not to "spare a single one of them." "Oh Allah," he said, "count their numbers, and kill them, down to the very last one."

In a February 2010 interview with BBC Arabic, Qaradawi reaffirmed his support for suicide bombings:

"I supported martyrdom operations. This is a necessary thing, as I told them in London. Give the Palestinians tanks, airplanes, and missiles, and they won't carry out martyrdom operations. They are forced to turn themselves into human bombs, in order to defend their land, their honor, and their homeland."

On another occasion in 2010, Qaradawi made it clear that every Muslim had a duty to obey the commandments of the Prophet Muhammad, regardless of how brutal or barbaric they might be: "If you believe that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, then you must obey him—for he does not command except that which is good. So, even if he tells you to kill, you must."

In an October 2010 interview with Al-Jazeera, Qaradawi was asked whether Muslims should try to acquire atomic weapons "to terrorize their enemies." He replied that such an objective was permissible, saying he was "happy" that Pakistan already possessed such a weapon. According to Qaradawi, the procurement of such agents of mass destruction was in compliance with Koranic verses urging Muslims "to terrorize thereby the enemy of God and your enemy."

Also in late 2010, Qaradawi stated: "We must irrigate [the] tree of freedom with our blood. We must not leave the Palestinians alone." Every Muslim, he elaborated, "must play his part to help our brothers in Palestine until they obtain their right. Not one inch of the Land of Islam must remain in the grasp of infidels and occupiers."

Qaradawi has also been outspoken about such topics as apopstasy, rape, and homosexuality. For example:

• According to Qaradawi, Islam’s practice of executing apostates has served to ensure Islam’s survival since the 15th century: “If they had gotten rid of the apostasy punishment Islam wouldn’t exist today.”
• When asked if female rape victims should be punished under Islam, Qaradawi replied: “To be absolved from guilt, the raped woman must have shown some sort of good conduct.... Since Islam addresses women to maintain their modesty, as not to open the door for evil…. [F]or a rape victim to be absolved from guilt, she must not be the one that opens … her dignity for deflowering.”
• In 2004 Qaradawi wrote a fatwa that presented burning or stoning as acceptable penalties for those who practice homosexuality, adding: “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.” 

Due to his support for Palestinian terrorism, Qaradawi has been barred from entering the United States since 1999. In February 2008, the United Kingdom also denied his visa on grounds that "[t]he UK will not tolerate the presence of those who seek to justify any act of terrorist violence...”