This discussion has been broadcasted on CBC Radio on 14th March 2010Tariq Ramadan is a Swiss citizen who lives with his family in Britain. He is Professor of Islamic Studies at Oxford University, and President of European Muslim Network, a think-tank based in Brussels. Ramadan has been writing and talking about Islam and its place in the West for decades. His latest book is called What I Believe, and he has tough words for Muslims and non-Muslims alike, about how to get past the barriers of prejudice and misunderstanding that divide us.
SOURCE : CBC Radio
AssalamouAlaykum wa rahmatu Allahi wa barakatuh
Dear Brother Tariq,
Your statement about what is legal may not be necessary ethical is very powerful. Within this topic you also said that freedom of speech should not be used to hurt sensitivities of others. And then as an example you mentioned some indecent usage of freedom of speech such as laughing at the suffering of others, Jews for example. This is all fine. However I am wondering why you did not take the opportunity at that moment to use another example of indecent and unethical usage of freedom of speech which did hurt many Muslims around the world and I am talking here about the famous danish cartoons.
Again when your host decided to ask you about the cartoons she focused on the « violence » it generated among Muslims and again you did not take this opportunity to relate this to the powerful theoretical statement that you made initially. Though they were legal, the cartoons were not ethical and were a form of violence against Muslims. Violence is not only physical. So I think this cartoon story should have been clearly linked to the unethical usage of what is permitted by the law.
The second thing I want to comment on is the question about the « youth that are attracted to violence » …
I am astonished that you did not question her question. Though such cases of youth attracted by violence exist, there are also a lot of cases of injustice where innocent youth are arrested and even framed or trapped by authorities . And when you host was asking this question she has in mind a particular case that is famous in Canada and the way this case was conducted is very questionable … So we should be careful not to accept these kind of statement at their face value.
Abou Ahmad
I’m not a muslim, I have double citizenship, both italian and brazilian, and I come from a very laic background, and yet Tariq Ramadan is a big, indeed very important influence in my spiritual life. I just think he seems to worry TOO MUCH to adapt to the british audience, he doesn’t make the philosophical, spiritual and social arguments with the same strengh we hear in french. I wish he could retain his universal messages’ depth and hope (as opposed to controlling) the audience will grasp and engage.
Dear Mr. Ramadan,
Here is my gift to you.
Videos
-[Discussion around Tariq Ramadan’s thoughts 1/3->http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xcugr8_discussion-around-tariq-ramadanys-t_webcam]
-[Discussion around Tariq Ramadan’s thoughts 2/3->http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xcugg5_discussion-around-tariq-ramadanys-t_webcam]
-[Discussion around Tariq Ramadan’s thoughts 3/3->http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xcug7k_discussion-around-tariq-ramadanys-t_webcam]
Have a nice day !
Reducing one´s identity to just one thing is so artificial; people are much more complex than that. My best friends are not Moroccan or muslim. What do we have in common? Being human of course, being female, some of our experiences. But I like to be with Moroccan people as well and speak the language of my parents, and reckognize another aspect of myself in them. It’s all me, and it just depends on the setting which part is most present.
A Dutch Berber Moroccan, who by the way is muslim too:-)