| An MP today called on the Home Secretary David Blunkett to ban the forthcoming arrival in Britain of a Muslim cleric who is spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood organisation. Louise Ellman, Labour member for Liverpool, Riverside, has told Mr Blunkett in a letter that it would be "an outrage" to allow Dr Yusuf al-Qaradawi into this country to speak at a conference in London on July 12 on Muslim women's dress. Mrs Ellman said that al-Qaradawi, an Egyptian based in Doha, Qatar, had praised Palestine suicide bombers and had been banned, since 1999, from entering the United States. She claimed that he encouraged women and children suicide bombers, sought the destruction of Israel, believed that husbands should be allowed to beat "disobedient" wives, was a major shareholder in a bank alleged to be part of al Qaeda's fundraising network, and was spiritual leader "of the largest and oldest Islamist extremist movement". Mrs Ellman said: "It would be an outrage if someone with such close links to these movements were allowed to come here. It would create enormous security problems at a very sensitive time." She added that al-Qaradawi was due in Britain "over the next few days", adding: "It would be quite wrong to allow this man on our shores." |