Said the great man:
Kerry, who ran against Bush, was supported by homosexuals and nudists. But it was Bush who won [the elections], because he is Christian, right-wing, tenacious, and unyielding. In other words, the religious overcame the perverted.
[Video here]
Other high points of Qaradawi’s recent performance on Al Jazeera includes a the following:
1. Qaradawi’s liberal and multi-faceted approach to the difficult question of the appropriate punishment for homosexuals:
Interviewer: How should a homosexual or a lesbian be punished? We mentioned the story of the people of Sodom and how Allah punished them, but how should someone who commits this abomination be punished today?
Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: The same punishment as any sexual pervert – the same as the fornicator.
[…]
The schools of thought disagree about the punishment. Some say they should be punished like fornicators, and then we distinguish between married and unmarried men, and between married and unmarried women. Some say both should be punished the same way. Some say we should throw them from a high place, like God did with the people of Sodom. Some say we should burn them, and so on. There is disagreement.
…
The important thing is to treat this act as a crime.
2. Public displays of homosexuality are the real source of harm.
Interviewer: Some Arab authors have begun to discuss this openly, in newspapers and in their books. Homosexual characters appear in some Arab films. In addition, homosexuals gather in public, and show up at parties in a loathsome manner.
Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: Not in all countries, only a few…
Interviewer: In many Arab countries.
Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: Perhaps you in Morocco have that…
Interviewer: Not only in Morocco. Also in other countries, which I won’t mention.
What is the position of Islamic law on this public display?
Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: This is the calamity of societies. When sin and abomination are concealed, they don’t cause much harm.
…
But the calamity becomes widespread, when it stops being a secret and becomes public.
3. Lesbians less bad than gays:
Interviewer: There is an issue that some people may find strange. If homosexuals and lesbians belong to the same category – an inclination towards the same sex – why are there different punishments for men and women, for homosexuals and lesbians?
Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: A punishment for who?
Interviewer: For homosexuals and lesbians – the punishment for a woman who favors women, and for a man who favors men.
Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: Lesbianism is not as bad as homosexuality, in practical terms.
I’d be interested in hearing readers’ thoughts on the various practical ways in which lesbians are better than male homosexuals.