Doha Qatar Television Service in Arabic, official television station of the State of Qatar, on 20 February 2004 at 0858 GMT carries a live 60-minute sermon from Umar Bin-al-Khattab Mosque in Doha.

Shaykh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, an Egyptian cleric based in Doha, delivers the sermon. He praises God and thanks Him for "having honored us by the best of books and the best of prophets." Islam, he says, "has guided people to the right path," urging Muslims not to boast about themselves. Jews, he says, have claimed that they "are God's chosen people," calling on Muslims "to pursue virtues as a way to salvation in this life and in the Hereafter." . . .

Regretting the imbalance of power between Israel and the Palestinians, the imam says: "Some people say that the Arab-Israeli conflict is no longer an Arab-Israeli conflict but is a Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Israel has everything. What do Palestinians have? They have nothing but their souls, which they sacrifice by blowing themselves up for the sake of their religion, homeland, sanctities, and cause. Therefore, some people consider them terrorists and criminals, who should be fought and resisted. Palestinians defend their right. They have no warplanes, tanks, missiles, or weapons arsenals, like those of Israel. Israel is backed by American money, American weapons, and American veto."

Regretting the fact that the 1.3-billion Muslims in the world have no political, religious, or ideological leadership, the imam says "we have no choice but to appeal to God to unite this nation." [That's just what Osama wants to do.] . . .

In conclusion, the imam prays to God: "O God, support our mujahidin brothers on the land of Palestine. O God, strengthen them, unite them, and help them score a victory. O God, turn against the arrogant, usurper, unjust, aggressor Jews and their wicked Crusader allies."