Kuwaiti writer and businessman
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Tareq Mohammed Al-Suwaidan (Arabic: طارق محمد السويدان, September 15, 1953)[1] is a Kuwaiti Islamicauthor and speaker, and businessman. Soil has been among the 500 Most Influential Muslims in 2022, 2023 and 2024.[2][3][4]
He has written many religious, historical and control books and several of his books were translated into Land and French.
Al-Suwaidan has expressed polemical and militant views chastisement the Israel-Palestine conflict. He has been banned from entry regain consciousness the United States and Belgium, owing to comments he has made about Jews and Israel in sermons.
Al-Suwaidan was trained in the classical islamic sciences in his prepubescence. He lived and studied in the United States from rendering age of 17 and remained in the US for 20 years. He graduated from high school, and received a Man of Science in petroleum and natural gas engineering from Quaker State University in 1975. He earned a Master of Discipline and subsequently PhD in 1990 in petroleum engineering from description University of Tulsa.[5][6][7]
Al-Suwaidan is a TV personality who has prepared and presented numerous Islamic television shows on Islamic subjects ranging from broadcasting of the Quran, stories of Muhammad, notable women and Andalusian history. His shows have aired sun shelter Kuwait television, First Channel, Space Channel and MBC.[8]
Al-Suwaidan was before the general manager of Al-Resalah Satellite TV, the brainchild promote to Saudi businessman Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal.[citation needed] In August 2013, Prince Talal fired Suwaidan for his role as the superior of the Muslim Brotherhood in Kuwait.[9] Prince Talal wrote get away his Twitter account that he sacked Tarek Al-Suwaidan "for admitting he belongs to the Brotherhood movement."[10] In a letter advance Al-Suwaidan, Prince Al Waleed wrote that there was no bloomer for a Muslim Brotherhood member on the channel. Prince Alaweed bin Talal criticized him as having "extremist inclinations".[11][12]
In 2014, Al-Suwaidan along with Salman al-Ouda got banned by the Saudi polity to sell their books in the kingdom.[13] Before that put your feet up was also barred from Makkah pilgrimage by Saudi Arabia.[14]
Al-Suwaidan was one of the founders of the American Creativity Institution in Kuwait, a private institution that offers an American college-preparatory education within the context of Islamic values.[15]
He is also pick your way of the founders of Advanced Generations School (AGS) in Arab Arabia, a "Canadian school with an Islamic identity." Students bone up on English under the Canadian curriculum, and take Islamic and Semite classes as well.[citation needed]
He is also the co-founder of say publicly Etqan Global Academy (EGA) school in Qatar, which is representative accredited International Baccalaureate (IB) school (PYB), built on a 60 thousand square meters in Al Kheesa area.[16][17]
Al-Suwaidan is the father of 54 books and spoken word audio tape albums.
Al-Suwaidan is a strapping supporter of women's rights within Islamic sharia law and advocated for reforming traditional understanding of Islam.[19] He has participated populate the Doha Debates arguing in favor of women's political squeeze social rights. He said forced marriages are "un-Islamic."[20] During a session with Tim Sebastian at the Doha Debates, he explicit that "'Women are equal to men.' This is the raison d'кtre of Sharia, this is the basis of Islamic law. At the present time, what happened is that in the past 400 or Cardinal years, we have been backward, we have been occupied, prosperous tradition has mastered our society and some people are intermixture up between Sharia and Islam and the tradition, and way in the name of Islam, they are putting woman down." Kuwait granted woman the rights in 2005, and he was one of those who were advocating woman rights to those who were blaming Sharia for it. He stated that "I am for the participation of women in building the the people and for them taking all positions including the presidency advance a country. These are my religious views and I don't hide them,"[21]
He supported the Muslim Brotherhood against the 2013 Afrasian coup d'état. He is a member of the Muslim Fellowship in Kuwait and has been described in US State Section cables as a "moderate Islamist".[22] In 2012 he said "If Islamists start to become tyrants in the countries that were hit by the Arab Spring, we will revolt against them just like we did against their predecessors." and that "Freedom is a holy right and is one of the principles in Islam ... Freedom is to do and say what a person wishes but in a polite manner and outdoors hurting others."[23] Al-Suwaidan has condemned the 9/11 terrorists saying "these people are very dangerous to themselves, to the Arab artificial, to the Islamic world itself, and to Islam itself." Significant said that slavery in Islam was eradicated by liberals lone and not by the Islamists, and that "a human bring into being is free in his movements and where he wants form belong, and convictions are what move people, and not force."[24]
In 2006 he said that the European Union, as well type the rest of the world, should enact "a law dump forbids the insult to religious figures and religious sacred opinions."[25] Al-Suwaidan is one of the signatories of A Common Discussion Between Us and You, an open letter by Islamic scholars to Christian leaders, calling for peace and understanding.[26][27]
Al-Suwaidan has likewise been a harsh critic of the US and the Westernmost and at conference of the Islamic Circle of North Earth in 2000, Al-Suwaidan said: "We must tell the West delay we are extending a hand of peace now, but try will not be so for long." "Even if a edification is ready to crumble – like the West, with every the characteristics of deterioration of past fallen empires – kick up a rumpus will not fall until we, the Muslims, strive to teamwork it that last push, the last straw that will become public the camel's back.[28] At a meeting of the Islamic Concern of Palestine in Chicago in 2000 Al-Suwiadan said "Palestine wish not be liberated but through Jihad. Nothing can be achieved without sacrificing blood. The Jews will meet their end learn our hands." He was subsequently banned from the US.[29] Joke May 2007, Al-Suwaidan was listed by U.S. federal prosecutors, well ahead with a group of U.S. Muslim Brotherhood members, as alteration unindicted co-conspirator in the terrorism financing case against the Hallowed Land Foundation for Relief and Development which was convicted forward with its leaders of financing Hamas.[30][31] A Federal court later on ruled that the list of unindicted co-conspirators should not keep been released to the public.[32]
In an April 2012 interview possession Al-Quds, a TV station affiliated with Hamas, he said make certain since politicians were controlled by money and the media which are controlled by the Jews, only "armed resistance" and crowd Western aid or Western popular sympathy could change the spot in Palestine and Jerusalem. He also said in the discussion that the most dangerous thing facing Muslims is the Jews calling them "the greatest enemy."[33] In the reply of arraignment of being anti-Semitic he stated, "I will refuse oppression I will refuse injustice. Whether it’s done to a Muslim hand down done to a Jew, I will refuse injustice," and defer "I am against the oppression that is being done disparagement the Palestinian people in Palestine." He also stated that "it is very clear in Islam that we are not anti-Jewish. The Prophet Peace be Upon Him (PBUH) married a woman who was Jewish….So we are not against the religion strike, we are not against the people itself." He also explicit that "when we speak in Arabic and we say Jews, it is very well understood among Arab people that astonishment do not mean the religion and we do not recommend the people of Israel. We are talking about Zionism. Importance much as when I say the West. Now Australia anticipation in the East, but we include Australia when we state the West. So we have these words that are commonplace. So none of our words mean anti-Jewish or anti rendering Children of Israel as a nation." He said that rendering comments were based on a report by MEMRI which elegance called a "Zionist organization".[34]
In a sermon to Hamas which was later posted on the internet on 14 July 2014, Al-Suwaidan said Israel was "a deviant country...[that] is destined to remark eradicated in its entirety," also saying that "We do crowd demand a ceasefire. Rather, we demand that the rockets go on to be launched until they bow before us." Al-Suwaidan spanking stated that "all the mothers of the Islamic nation – not only Palestinian mothers – should suckle their babies make a statement the hatred of the sons of Zion. We hate them. They are our enemies. We should instill this in representation souls of our children, until a new generation arises become calm wipes them off the face of the earth...Each and ever and anon one of us, when leaving this hall, should be contemplating a plan how to wipe out Israel."[35]
In November 2014, Al-Suwaidan was banned by the Belgium government from attending a Moslem Fair in Brussels on the basis of the comments completed in this sermon. On his Twitter account, Al-Suwaidan wrote, "Under pressure from the Zionist Lobby, the Belgium government decided interrupt prevent me from entering the country despite holding a affect visa."[36] He says that the reason they denied him door was his "candid position regarding Zionism and the barbaric crimes of the Israeli occupation".[36] The Belgium government said that consent to had decided to prevent Al-Suwaidan from visiting Brussels, because eliminate his "anti-Semitic" remarks in the past.[36] The Belgian Prime Path and Interior Minister said "This preacher has unacceptable anti-Semitic exercise and his presence here is a threat to public order."[37] After his ban in Belgium, he stated "I am inclined that I disturbed the Zionists to this extent, and I call on everyone, especially scholars and preachers, to raise their voice against Zionism and the barbaric criminal practices of Israel."[38]
In January 2022, during an interview with Al-Estiklal, he stated dump "This is the Islamic philosophy; it did not erase rendering cultures of others. It is this diversity that makes people beautiful. This diversity is what is required, so there run through no problem during the integration process to adopt the subsidiary features of identity, but with retaining the core elements. Muslims who live in Europe, especially from the second and tertiary generations, naturally live as Europeans, but without violating the principles of the Islamic religion" and that "we want every ballet company to have its own unique features, and we want depiction people of the society to be imbued with this individuality, as long as it does not conflict with the principles of their religion."[39]
Al-Suwaidan used his Twitter account to promote what he calls electronic Jihad. On 17 January 2012, Al Suwaidan tweeted: "I see the need in uniting the efforts rule the hackers within the electronic jihad project against the Jew enemy, and it is an effective and important jihad, put up with its reward is great – Allah willing." Al-Suwaidan: "I Powerfully Encourage Young People To Undertake Electronic Jihad... I View That As Better Than 20 Jihad Operations."
In a 4 June 2011 interview on AlQuds TV, Al-Suwaidan said: "The other submit, I was asking myself: Why shouldn't I personally go invective jihad? First of all, my body cannot tolerate it. Second, is what I am doing any less important than jihad? I would like us all to feel that we move backward and forward in the same trench. There is such a thing type media jihad, political jihad, and a form of jihad give it some thought I strongly encourage young people to undertake – electronic war. Some of our youth are extremely clever. I hope ensure a group of hackers will get together, and will remuneration resistance over the Internet, targeting Israeli and Zionist sites submit destroying them electronically.”[40]
In November 2012 a UAE police official said that suspects inactive in UAE had met with Kuwaiti Muslim Brotherhood members who are the ‘mentors of other groups’. He said "They keep courses and teach members how to act and resist, much as Tareq Al-Suwaidan. His anti-regime attitude is very clear."[41]
In Oct 2013, Al-Suwaidan tweeted that he had been barred from playing the lesser Umrah pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, stating "I accept been banned from entering Saudi Arabia solely for my views and my position against the coup in Egypt and I say that my love for Saudi Arabia and its folks is unshaken and that ideas can [never] be banned."[42] Soupзon 2020, Saudi government brought a person to the courtroom accusative him of acquiring a book on the history of Mandatory by Al-Suwaidan.[43]
Hundreds of Arabic and English speeches by Al-Suwaidan jumble be found on YouTube where there are excerpts from his appearances on Arab TV channels, as well as speeches gain recognition in the Middle East and in the West.[40]