« Ask Tariq Ramadan: French Suburbs’ Outburst « 

Name

Adam    – 

Profession

Question

You refused to put an islamic spin to the riots in France’s downtrodden suburbs, why while the majority there are Muslims and the are suffering from an obvious dicrimination?

Answer

SalamulLahi ‘alaykum

The problems these French citizens are facing are socio-economic and not religious. The far-right party tries to link these riots with the Muslim or immigrant background of the population living in the suburbs. Fox News did the same speaking about the « Muslim riots ». This is dangerous. The people in the suburbs are forgotten by the French society: they are French and are asking for their rights.

Name

Fady    – France

Profession

Question

The riots of suburbs in France can show us a different image or face of the French model of integration and citizenship that have been introduced as an achievement of the secular society!!! Do you think that Europe and Europeans have to rethink of these 3 concepts (integration, citizenship and secularism) Before calling Muslims to be integrated in such societies which still needs time to define and to create a clear concept of citizenship ?

Answer

All the models are facing crisis and they need respectively to reassess the gap between the ideals they refer to and the realities they apply. The gap is huge. French or British or European Muslim citizens should not wait passively these different models to be reformed by the State or whatever institutions. They must be involved and distinguish the problems: it is for them to ask the right questions and give innovative answer. At the end of the day they are part of the solution and must propose alternatives from within the dynamics and the fabrics of their own societies.

Name

jafer AP    – India

Profession

doctor

Question

Dear Ramadan, Assalamu Alaikum

Many of the contemporary Muslim thinkers were from the western world or at least they lived there for a considerable period. Muhammed Asad,Izzet Begovic,Murad Hoffman,Raja Gerodi etc are all direct descendents of the West. There is also reversion to Islam of people from different background and ethnicity, whose number is not so insignificant if what we see and read in the Muslim media is true. But the general Image of Muslims in the Europe is of an impoverished and ghettoized immigrant community. How we can overcome this?
I could never see any reference in any western media highlighting the thoughts of Begovic which he espoused in the book ‘island between east and west’. Is it deliberately done to mask the intellectual depth of the current Islamic revival?

Answer

Salam ‘alaykum wa rahmatulLahi wa barakatuh,

Once again, do not confuse the questions and the fields.

As to the Islamic discourse and the reality of Islam as being a European religion, we must say, the debate is over. It is a fact even through many European politicians, leaders or intellectuals fail to understand or to accept it. The general public still thinks that Islam is a foreign religion: we must refer, mention and quote all the Muslim intellectuals you cite as one of the facts that shows that Islam has been a European religion for a long time.

Now the social problems are different and the European Muslim citizens must be clear on three main issues: yes, there is a gap between the expressed egalitarian of the Western societies and the treatments on the ground; yes, there is a structural and institutional racism leading to socio-economic discriminations (job market, housing, media image, etc.); yes, the discriminated citizens, be them Muslims or not, are right in asking for an equal treatment. In fact, they are helping the Western societies to try to reconcile themselves with their ideals.

Name

Mirage    – 

Profession

Question

I think the recent unrests in France resurface the problems of representing Islam & Muslims in France just like many other European Muslim communities. Do you think that this crisis will create new representative bodies and institutions of French Muslims?

Answer

Salam to you,

No, I do not agree with this interpretation. The French citizens in the suburbs do not need « Religious representatives ». They need a better political awareness and commitment but the problems they are facing are not religious.

The Muslim organizations that are trying to be involved as « Islamic » have it completely wrong, wa Allahu a’lam. The fatwa against violence in the suburbs issued by the UIOF (Union of the Islamic Organizations in France) was an unbelievable mistake: it was badly received in the suburbs but most importantly it was helping those who want to remind the religion of these « scum » to the French population and transform it into a religious problem.

Name

Abdullah    – 

Profession

Question

Many USA analysts refer to the American model of integration; « the melting pot » as the successful way of managing a « community of immigrants » and blaming the French model of assimilation of causing all the current unrest in France . How can you see the differences between the two models? If the USA model is the successful one, how we should analyze the problems of the American Muslims?

Answer

I think we do not idealize one model and even think that one model is better than the other.
Let us ask the African-Americans leaving in the inner-cities what they think of the great « melting pot » American model. Let us speak about the American justice when one is Black and poor. Let us speak about the American suburbs, the institutionalized racism, violence and marginalization… Let us be sincere and lucid… Which kind of power is really shared in the States? So one can compare an idealized image of the American model with the realities of the French one and be happy… but it is not fair.

The French model has not failed or any other model, every model needs very deep and long term reforms. This is only possible if we look at the reality as it is, meaning to face up to our own racisms, our own hypocrisies, our own failures, our own accepted segregations or/and self-segregations, our own arrogance as well as our own nurtured victim mentalities.

Name

sayneeh    – France

Profession

studient

Question

« Tariq ramadan is the futur of islam » FOR many people in the world,what is your opinion on this?

Answer

A journalist said that he heard a journalist who said that he hear Hassan at-Turabi who once said that: « Tariq Ramadan is the future of Islam »… Nobody knows who said that and if it was said or not. It is maybe a journalist who invented that quote. Allahu a’lam.

I am the future of nothing, wal-hamdulilLah. I am just trying to propose new answers to new challenges. I have studied Islamic sciences for the last 15 years and I met Muslims who question your credential the very moment you question their certainties or you disagree with them. I met other Muslims who idealize my work out of emotion while losing their critical mind. Both are wrong: the future of Islam is not an issue, but the future of Muslims belongs to those who are able to marry a deep faith with a sharp critical mind. In other words; we need a mastered ego and a free mind.

Name

Afro-    – 

Profession

Question

Dear Tariq ,

Do not you think it’s high time to create a real coalition between Muslims and other minorities esp. the Africans or do we expect black-black riots as what has happened in Birmingham between the Asians and the Caribbeans?

Answer

I do not think we need an alliance of minorities… I think we need an alliance of « people of principles ». In the name of a true « ethics of citizenship » let us get rid of this « minority obsession » and speak to our societies the language of the true universalism. Let us remind the people that there is no hierarchy between racisms and that all must be condemned, that there is neither « second class » nor « minority citizenship » in our societies. Let us struggle for equal rights and opportunities… We need national movement of local initiative … minorities or not… we need to gather the people around project promoting the expressed – and so often betrayed – majority principles and values.

Name

moslim    – Germany

Profession

Question

As salem aleikoum dear scholar Prof. Dr. Ramadan,
Before asking you, allow me to thank you for giving your time to answer our question. My question is the following:
What is now really the problem in France? Can you give me more comments?
wa jasakumu lahou kheiren

Answer

SalamulLahi ‘alayk

I wrote many articles on these issues. Please consult my personal website: tariqramadan.com you shall find four or five articles conveying my views on the French crisis. Hope it will help in shâ Allah.

Name

concerned    – France

Profession

Question

I think you guys made a survey on the main reasons of the riots. The results showed that around 26 % went for the religious option. HOw does brother Tareq see this percentage?

Answer

The quick « reading » of the situation leads you to think: there are riots in the suburbs, the majorities are Muslims thus there is a link. Once again, be careful about this kind of quick appreciations. It could be a trap.

The attack against the mosque was clearly a provocation to push the rioters to react on a religious base. They did not wal-hamdulilLah.

Name

Sarah    – 

Profession

Question

Dear Bro.Tariq, did you work among the French suburbanites before? If yes, how did you find such an experience? What are the main reasons of marginalizing those people?

Answer

Salam ‘alayki sister Sarah,

I have visited almost all the big cities and suburbs in France. I have seen the fractures from within.

However I must be clear, we are all disconnected. The Islamic organizations as well as me and my talks are not reaching the suburbs and their disenfranchised populations. There is a clear breach and no one can pretend to represent the suburbs’ populations.

As to the reasons, please we shall find long analyses on my website in sha Allah

Name

Shakir    – 

Profession

Question

What are your expectations after the riots especially after deporting and arresting many people? Do you think that we need a human rights and legal campaigns? Please clarify your answer with practical examples.

Answer

It is high time to work on three fields:

1. Education and civic education in the suburbs in order to create a kind of political awareness and to refuse to speak on their behalf.

2. Human rights and legal campaigns are imperative: against illegal enforcement some laws and illegal expulsions, against the expeditious and unjust judgments against the young and « never-charged-before » rioters.

3. We need a clear political discourse on racism, socio-economic discriminations. Some politicians are speaking of « positive discrimination » and we have to say that the best « positive discrimination » is to put an immediate end to « negative discrimination ». French citizens must take the lead. Wa Allahu a’lam