Qaradawi articulates permission of suicide bombing

CAIRO – 8 June 2017: A photo circulated on social media platforms recently shows Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad kissing the head of iconic Muslim Brotherhood ideologue Yusuf al-Qaradawi.


Qatari Emir Tamim Bin Hamad kissing Sheikh Qaradawi's forehead - Facebook photo
Qaradawi and Tamim met on Tuesday at the Emir’s palace in Doha to break the Ramadan fast in the presence of a group of religious leaders.

Qaradawi is considered one of the most controversial clerics in the Gulf and Arab regions, mainly for his provision of intolerance and violent fatwas (a ruling on a point of Islamic law).

A video interview showed Qaradawi, a leading figure of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, articulating his permission of suicide bombing if required as a necessary tactic by a wider group and not an individual.


In an interview on the Doha-based state-funded Al-Jazeera satellite channel, the interviewer asked Qaradawi if it is permissible to bomb oneself in order to target a gathering affiliated with an oppressive regime, knowing that there will be casualties in the ranks of civilians.

Qaradawi replied that the ’norm’ in such matters is that suicide attacks are not permissible unless they are planned by a group.

“Normally, a person fights then gets killed. But to bomb oneself, the group must decide it needs this,” Qaradawi said. “If the group believes it is in need of someone to bomb himself in the midst of others, it is a necessary action,” he added.

Several suicide bombings took place in a number of countries over recent months, with the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization declaring responsibility for most of the attacks.

On Palm Sunday in April 2017 twin bombings on two churches in Alexandria and Tanta took place, reaping the lives of dozens civilians and Christian worshippers.

On May 22 a suicide bomber blew himself up, killing 22 people, including 7 children, at a concert by U.S. singer Ariana Grande in Manchester.

Qaradawi said the decision to conduct a suicide bombing should not be left to individuals only.

“You have to act within the limits of what the group demands,” Qaradawi stressed. “The group deploys individuals depending on its needs and depending on the demands, but individuals do not act on their own.”