Abdul Rahman Yusuf (; born September 18, 1970), also known as Abdul Rahman Al-Qaradawi, is an

Egyptian ''Egyptian'' describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of year ...

poet, using his poetry to address political and social issues of Arab society as well as aesthetics of

Arabic poetry Arabic poetry ( ''ash-shi‘r al-‘arabīyy'') is one of the earliest forms of Arabic literature. Pre-Islamic Arabic poetry contains the bulk of the oldest poetic material in Arabic, but Old Arabic inscriptions reveal the art of poetry existe ...

. Yusuf, who holds Turkish citizenship, was convicted

in absentia ''In Absentia'' is the seventh studio album by British progressive rock band Porcupine Tree, first released on 24 September 2002. The album marked several changes for the band, with it being the first with new drummer Gavin Harrison and the f ...

in a sham trial by an Egyptian military court on charges of "opposing the state" in 2017. The trial came after social media posts critical of the El-Sisi dictatorship and his role in backing the advocacy group Egyptian Movement for Change. Following the 2024 fall of the Assad regime in Syria, Yusuf celebrated the collapse and visited the country and the

Umayyad Mosque The Umayyad Mosque (; ), also known as the Great Mosque of Damascus, located in the old city of Damascus, the capital of Syria, is one of the largest and oldest mosques in the world. Its religious importance stems from the eschatological reports ...

. Shortly, he was arrested in Lebanon upon entering through the Masnaa crossing. Lebanese courts issued a ruling in January 2025 to extradited Yusuf to the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

, rejecting calls from

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...

and other human rights organizations and putting Yusuf at risk of

torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons including corporal punishment, punishment, forced confession, extracting a confession, interrogational torture, interrogation for information, or intimid ...

. Prior to his arrest by Lebanese authorities, Yusuf lived in

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

with his family. Yusuf is a critic of the UAE, the Sisi regime in

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

, and

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

. On 8 January 2025, Lebanon extradited him to the UAE.

Life

The third son of the Islamic scholar

Yusuf al-Qaradawi Yusuf al-Qaradawi (; or ''Yusuf al-Qardawi''; 9 September 1926 – 26 September 2022) was an Egyptian Islamic scholar based in Doha, Qatar, and chairman of the International Union of Muslim Scholars. His influences included Ibn Taymiyya, Ibn ...

, he was born on September 18, 1970. He has been a participant in several cultural seminars in

and across the

Arab world The Arab world ( '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, comprises a large group of countries, mainly located in West Asia and North Africa. While the majority of people in ...

. He published his poems in Egyptian and Arabic magazines and newspapers. A campaign leader for

Mohammed El Baradei Mohamed Mostafa ElBaradei (, ; born 17 June 1942) is an Egyptian law scholar and diplomat who served as the vice president of Egypt on an interim basis from 14 July 2013 until his resignation on 14 August 2013. He was the Director General of th ...

in the

2011 Egyptian revolution The 2011 Egyptian revolution, also known as the 25 January Revolution (;), began on 25 January 2011 and spread across Egypt. The date was set by various youth groups to coincide with the annual Egyptian "Police holiday" as a statement against ...

, he recalled the moment at which he reached

Tahrir Square Tahrir Square (, ; ), also known as Martyr Square, is a public town square in downtown Cairo, Egypt. The square has been the location and focus for political demonstrations. The 2011 Egyptian revolution and the resignation of President of Egypt, ...

on 25 January 2011: His sister, Ola Al-Qaradawi, spent four years in Egyptian military prisons in arbitrary detention.

Works

He published seven poetry collections so far: # ''The bleeding letters'', 1992 (نزف الحروف) # ''Facing the mirror'', 2003 (أمام المرآة) # ''A toast to the homeland'', 2004 (في صحة الوطن) # ''I have nothing to lose'', 2005 (لا شيء عندي أخسره) # ''Talking plainly'', July 2006 (على المكشوف) # ''Write the history of tomorrow'', November 2006 (اكتب تاريخ المستقبل)

References

External links

Abdul Rahman's home page

Abdul Rahman's Forum
1970 births Living people 20th-century Egyptian poets 21st-century Egyptian poets Egyptian male poets 20th-century Egyptian male writers 21st-century Egyptian male writers Political prisoners in Egypt {{Egypt-poet-stub