Scholar faces lawsuit over controversy

Riyadh: A prominent Saudi lawyer said he is bringing a lawsuit against Egyptian scholar Shaikh Yousuf Al Qaradawi, 81, over his public statement critical of Shiites trying to impose their beliefs on Sunnis.

Ameen Taher Bediwi told the Saudi website Elaph he was filing the case in Qatar since Al Qaradawi enjoys Qatari citizenship and resides in the country.

This is the first time Al Qaradawi, who has hitherto been held in high esteem among both Sunni and Shiite scholars, is facing legal action.

His views on overzealous Shiites, voiced during an interview published in Al Masri Al Youm daily in Cairo last week, drew condemnation not only from Shiite scholars but also sections of the Sunni community who felt they would only serve to accentuate divisions among the two branches and threaten their peaceful co-existence.

Ironically, it was Shaikh Al Qaradawi's moderate views on the weekly programme Religion and Life on Al Jazeera satellite channel that raised his popularity.

The newspaper had quoted Al Qaradawi as saying that Shiites are Muslims who have initiated bid'ah (innovation in religion). He said some Shiites were trying to leverage the support Hezbollah had come to enjoy among Muslims following the July 2006 war with Israel in order to entice Sunnis to convert.

A spokesman for Al Qaradawi told Gulf News his office in Doha had not received any notice from the court or been contacted by Bediwi.