Tariq Ramadan
Tariq Ramadan, the Swiss-born Islamic scholar and intellectual, who is the grandson of Muslim Brotherhood founder Hasan al Banna, has just put out a tweet this week regarding scholars and intellectuals who are imprisoned and/or tortured for their beliefs. Ramadan is currently being prosecuted in France for rape based on the accusations of several women.
https://twitter.com/TariqRamadan/status/1256619592937623554
We must not forget all the scholars and the intellectuals (many are Muslims) who are in jail, isolated and/or tortured. Their only fault, mistake or sin is to think freely. We may agree or not with their thoughts, yet we shouldn't be silent when freedom of expressions is trampled
9:20 AM · May 2, 2020
Ramadan made headlines several years ago when he called for a moratorium on stoning for adulterers, claiming that it was being applied unfairly. In 2012, I saw him speak twice in Southern California, and on one occasion at Loyola Marymount University, I got a chance to have a 5-minute one-on-one with him in which I asked why he didn't simply call for its abolition. His response was to refer somewhat vaguely to "the texts" and added that it would have to be gradually abolished other- wise "the Muslims wouldn't accept it."
Previously, Ramadan had complained about being "abandoned" by many Muslims and that his case is a political set-up. He has admitted engaging in sexual affairs that undermine his religious piety as a Muslim.
“Now if you come to the case, the way I was put in jail, the way I was treated. Now I am vocal. I am able to speak out and to say what happened to me is happening to so many Arabs and Muslims in the European jails and in the French jails as it’s happening to black and Muslims in the American jails."
I have no idea as to whether the rape charges against Ramadan are true or not. As to this week's tweet, I am not entirely clear in what kind of context it was made. (This week, he has also tweeted in defense of Julian Assange and prisoners in Bangladesh.)
Is Ramadan including himself in this category? Is there something between the lines here? I also see a bit of hypocrisy here.
If some Muslims are being imprisoned for their beliefs, how many of them are imprisoned in Muslim countries? As for the Muslims in French, European, or American jails that Ramadan references above, I disagree. They are there because they have engaged in terrorist activities or committed other crimes. In the case of Europe, many have engaged in violent hate speech, which under European laws, can be prosecuted just as non-Muslims in Europe have been prosecuted for hate speech-and in some case, what is deemed hate speech.
What about all the non-Muslim minorities in Muslim-majority lands who are in jail, isolated and/or tortured for thinking freely-in other words, belonging to another religion or no religion at all-or for having left Islam? Many, probably most, are not scholars or intellectuals but simply ordinary people, such as Asia Bibi in Pakistan or the Baha'is in Iran. The list is long. I have always found it amazing how so many Muslim leaders constantly complain about Islamophobia while denying the obvious- that Islam is the most intolerant religion on earth. Ramadan speaks of freedom of expression, but under Islam, there is no freedom of expression when it comes to criticizing Islam or the Prophet Mohammad. That calls for the death penalty.
Ramadan is believed by many to be a reformer within Islam. I don't buy it. To me, he is just another one of those skilled communicators who makes non-Muslims feel good. In his case, he is one of the most skilled. He is smart, eloquent, urbane, and impressive in both English and French.
I have no desire to see Ramadan locked away for his beliefs. Given the climate in France today, I have a hard time believing they would try to imprison him for that sole reason. As to the rape charges, I only hope that truth will prevail. Taken alone, the words in his tweet are benign. With Ramadan, however, it seems there is always something between the lines.
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