Hat tip Investigative Project on Terrorism\
The Investigative Project on terrorism analyzes the recent remarks of Muslim intelectual Tariq Ramadan in which he blames the turmoil in Egypt-specifically the toppling of Mohammed Morsi on the familiar suspects-Israel and the US.
http://www.investigativeproject.org/4078/tariq-ramadan-blames-us-and-zionists-for
Ramadan is smarter than this. Say what you will about him, he is not dumb. I have heard him speak twice and talked with him on one occasion, which lasted a total of five minutes. Ramadan is one of those who knows how to speak to one crowd in English or French, while speaking to another crowd in Arabic. The fact is that he is still an Islamist, albeit with his own ideas. He has not betrayed the teachings of his grandfather, Hasan al Banna, who founded the Muslim Brotherhood only added some Western intellectual spice that come from his Swiss birth (Geneva).
When it comes to Egypt, he is engaging in classic don't blame the perp for his acts-blame others. The Egyptians have created their own mess. It is they who are killing each other. It is they who are carrying out barbaric acts of murder against their Christian minority. If it was truly their wish to go back to war against Israel to rid the Middle East of those Jews, they have nobody else to blame if others oppose that. Whatever Hosni Mubarak's sins, he kept the peace with Israel for 30 years and kept from sending his own military back to be defeated and killed on the battlefield. The fact of the matter is that the military-whatever its own faults- is the best hope for Egypt. Democracy? C'mon. When the Egyptians prove to the rest of the world that they are truly prepared for democracy, then we can resume the discussion. The truth is that only Israel in that region knows how to run a democracy because it is the only country in the region with democratic values.
Last year, when Ramadan spoke to a mixed audience in Anaheim (I was there), he turned to a part of the audience that was all Middle Eastern and said (I am parapharasing, but this is very accurate), "Be patient. We have time. We have our institutions, We have our mosques and our schools." meaning: Our time will come.
http://garyfouse.blogspot.com/2012/04/tariq-ramadan-speaks-in-orange-county.html
We should not underestimate Ramadan. He is very seductive for Westerners so desperately looking for a "transformative" and charismatic figure who can seem to appeal to all sides. You might call him the Arab-Swiss version of Barack Obama. Yet, in the final analysis, we should know with whom he stands. His latest remarks prove it.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
Everyone needs a scapegoat, especially the Eqyptians. Somebody has to be responsible for the failures in their society. It can't be them.
The Jews have fulfilled this need for centuries.
I'm waiting to be accused of being responsible for global warning as well.
It seems like this Ramadan is as persuasive as his grandfather, Hasan al Banna. Of course, it doesn't take much to persuade people to accept the notion that someone else is responsible for their failures.
.
Why do you link to this biased commentary, rather than to what Ramadan said himself?
Miggie, YOU ARE responsible for global warming. It has nothing to do with your being Jewish.
Siarlys,
I know you hate those extra clicks, but Emerson linked Ramadan's article right there.
So it does, and Ramadan's thorough, thoughtful analysis in no way resembles what either you or Emerson have blithely said about it. I suspect that what's going on, on the ground, is even more complex than what Ramadan depicts, but his commentary is a timely splash of cold water on the fevered utterances of almost everyone else.
Take a good hard look at his analysis of the role of the Salafists, who finances them, and why. You might even find some common ground there.
Post a Comment