Qaradawi
has long been described as among the most influential
clerics in the Sunni world. A savvy political opportunist, he has long been one
of the best barometers for the mood of a major swathe of the Arab mainstream,
uncannily attuned to shifts in the political mood. He cleverly triangulated Arab
politics, adopting populist positions on foreign policy while pushing for democratic
reforms across the region and advancing a "centrist" Islamist ideology. In
recent years, the Egyptian-born cleric has strongly supported most of the Arab
uprisings, including a controversial late February 2011 appeal to Libya's
army to kill Muammar al-Qaddafi. In
Egypt, he was welcomed the Friday following Mubarak's fall to lead prayer and deliver a pro-revolutionary speech in
Tahrir. But he disappointed many observers by describing Bahrain's uprising as "sectarian,"
in line with the Arab Gulf country's collective stance intended to delegitimize
it.