Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi on International Relations: The Discourse of a Leading Islamist Scholar (1926–)

Abstract

This paper examines the perspectives on international relations of a leading Islamist scholar, Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi. The discussion of Qaradawi's views is organized around seven themes that feature prominently in his international relations discourse. The paper argues that Qaradawi's views are central to how Islamists conceptualize international relations; and that they intersect with the views of secular Arab nationalists, Third World and Western critics of the prevailing international order, as well as neoclassical and righteous realists. Finally, the paper sheds light on the centrality of the sacred text (the Qur’an) to the international relations discourse of Islamists, such as Qaradawi.