Al Jazeera and Qatar: The Muslim Brothers' Dark Empire?

(JCPA/ Jerusalem Post) - There has been a significant presence of the Muslim Brothers (also known as the Muslim Brotherhood) in Qatar since the second half of the twentieth century. The first wave came from Egypt in 1954 after Nasser had smashed their organization. The next wave came from Syria in 1982 after Hafez el-Assad bombed their stronghold in Hama. The last group arrived after September 11, 2001 - from Saudi Arabia.

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Qatar is a different story.

The Brotherhood set its mark on the small Beduin country more than half a century ago when a number of militants, fleeing Nasser's vengeful hand, found refuge there. At the time most of its revenue derived from pearl fishing. The Beduin welcomed the newcomers who were willing to adopt Wahabism and its strict rules. The Brothers devoted themselves to their new home, setting up a Ministry of Education and a Ministry of Religion to mold the youth.

It was at that time that Youssef al-Qaradawi, who was to become the leading religious authority of the movement, arrived in Qatar. He set up two important institutions: the World Union of Islamic Sages, whose function is to explain his religious edicts to the faithful throughout the world, and the European Council for Fatwa and Research. The council is meant to help Muslim minorities living in the West preserve their religion in a non-Muslim environment.

Qaradawi's weekly program on Qatar's Al Jazeera channel, Shari'a and Life, develops his extremist views for the benefit of millions of listeners.