Muslim cleric refused visa
Yusuf al-Qaradawi has been refused entrance into Britain
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Thursday, 07, Feb 2008 12:50
A Muslim cleric has been refused entrance into Britain to receive medical treatment.
Yusuf al-Qaradawi had been hoping to visit London to receive medical care but it is understood that prime minister Gordon Brown has blocked his attempts.
A Home Office statement confirmed that al-Qaradawi had been refused a visa to visit the UK.
It claimed: "The UK will not tolerate the presence of those who seek to justify any acts of terrorist violence or express views that could foster inter-community violence."
The Sheikh, 81, is linked to the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, the largest Islamist group in the Middle East.
He is currently banned from a number of countries, including the US, and is reported in the past to have promoted the idea of suicide bombers, calling them 'martyrs'.
There are also claims that he has spoken out against homosexuality and called for Palestinian attacks against Israelis.
In response to the decision today, the Muslim Council of Britain accused the prime minister of bowing to pressure from "pro-Zionist and neo-conservative lobby".
Al-Qaradawi visited the UK in 2004 when he was a guest of the mayor of London Ken Livingstone.