Al-Qaradawi, Yusuf

A Sunni Muslim theologian and one of the most highly respected scholars in the Arabic-speaking world and the wider Muslim world. His main topics of interest include the role of women in Islam, education, Islamic finance, Islamic minority rights, the family, arts and entertainment, Islamic law, and the Palestinian cause, though he is best known in the western press for his controversial positions on various highly politicized topics, including religious violence, homosexuality, and Israel. He moved to Qatar in 1961 to lead an institute of religious studies and quickly established himself as a popular preacher. In 2008, the Emir’s wife, Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser opened the al-Qaradawi Research Center for Islamic Moderation and Renewal at the Qatar Foundation’s Faculty of Islamic Studies. He is also affiliated with a wide variety of Islamic institutions outside of the Arab world, including prominent organizations in Europe.