UK VISA DENIED TO QARDHAWI

UK government denied a medical visa to the prominent Muslim scholar Yusuf al-Qaradhawi. British Muslims reacted with dismay insisting he is no hate preacher but rather a moderation icon. “Yusuf Al Qaradhawi enjoys unparalleled respect and influence throughout the Muslim world,” said Mohammad Abdul Bari, Secretary General of the umbrella Muslim Council of Britain (MCB). Qaradhawi, president of the International Union for Muslim Scholars, was discharged from the Hamad hospital in Doha on November 24, after recovering from a vertebral column crack he endured from a slipped disc. In August, he was hospitalised in Algeria after suffering from a stomach ulcer. London confirmed that Sheikh Qaradhawi, 81, has been denied a visa to receive medical treatment saying that the decision was based on the impact of a visit on communities in the UK. The government spokesman added, “The UK will not tolerate the presence of those who seek to justify acts of terrorist violence or disburse views that could foster inter-community violence.”