Abdul Rahman Al-Qaradawi, son of the late Muslim Brotherhood leader, was arrested by Lebanese authorities at Masnaa border crossing due to an Egyptian arrest warrant. He was sentenced in absentia to five years in prison for opposing the state and inciting terrorism. His arrest highlights ongoing political tensions in Egypt regarding dissenters linked to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Lebanese authorities have apprehended Abdul Rahman Al-Qaradawi, a prominent Egyptian opposition figure and son of the late Muslim Brotherhood leader, Yusuf Al-Qaradawi. He was detained on Saturday at the Masnaa border crossing upon his arrival from Syria, following an Egyptian arrest warrant issued against him. This warrant stems from a judicial ruling in Egypt that sentenced him in absentia to five years in prison for charges pertaining to “opposing the state and inciting terrorism.”
Abdul Rahman Al-Qaradawi, who also engages in poetry, carries the legacy of his father, who was a notable Sunni scholar and the spiritual head of the Muslim Brotherhood, a group deemed a terrorist organization by the Egyptian government since 2013. Yusuf Al-Qaradawi endured multiple imprisonments in Egypt due to his affiliations with the group and passed away in exile in Qatar in 2022. The judicial official, who requested anonymity due to media restrictions, stated that Lebanese authorities will seek to transfer Al-Qaradawi’s case file to Egypt for further examination, leading to a judicial recommendation on his potential extradition.
Historically, Abdul Rahman Al-Qaradawi has opposed the Egyptian regimes, notably the long-standing rule of Hosni Mubarak, which concluded during the Arab Spring uprising in 2011. He remains critical of the current President, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. A family source informed AFP that Al-Qaradawi possesses Turkish citizenship and was returning from Syria, where the extremist group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham recently celebrated the fall of Bashar Assad’s government. Al-Qaradawi reportedly posted a video celebrating Assad’s ousting from the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. Media in Egypt have criticized the video as “insulting” to the current regime, prompting El-Sisi supporters to call for Al-Qaradawi’s extradition to Egypt.
The arrest of Abdul Rahman Al-Qaradawi takes place against the backdrop of continuing political tensions in Egypt regarding the Muslim Brotherhood, a group that has faced severe repression since its designation as a terrorist organization by Cairo in 2013. After years in exile, Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, the father of Abdul Rahman, became a significant figure in Sunni Islamic thought, known for his controversial views and extensive influence within the Brotherhood. Following the Arab Spring, the political landscape shifted dramatically, leading to the overthrow of longtime leaders and subsequent ongoing conflicts and power struggles in both Syria and Egypt.
The arrest of Abdul Rahman Al-Qaradawi by Lebanese authorities underscores the complex political dynamics surrounding opposition figures in the Arab world, particularly those connected to the Muslim Brotherhood. Al-Qaradawi, facing extradition to Egypt due to serious charges, embodies the continuing challenges faced by the region’s dissenters in a landscape often marred by authoritarianism and crackdowns on political opposition. The legal proceedings ahead will be closely monitored, given their potential implications for both Lebanese and Egyptian relations and the broader discourse on political freedoms in the region.
Original Source: www.arabnews.com
