Tariq Ramadan on Islam in the US

[Rex Brynen]

Tariq Ramadan, one of the most thoughtful contemporary Islamist modernist thinkers, offers some valuable thoughts on both the NY mosque issue and what it is to be Muslim in America:


Tariq Ramadan: Even now, Muslims must have faith in America (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/10/AR2010091005366.html?hpid=topnews?hpid=topnews)

By Tariq Ramadan
Washington Post
Sunday, September 12, 2010


Just a short time ago, Europe seemed to be the part of the West where fears of Islam were most evident, with its bitter controversies over headscarf bans or the construction of mosques in France, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland. Yet in recent weeks, America's relationship with Islam appears to have changed. The battle over a planned Islamic community center near Ground Zero in New York and the proposed burning of the Koran by a Florida pastor have revealed similar worries, and journalists and intellectuals (including, ironically, European ones) have been quick to describe the rise of Islamophobia in America.

Polls show that nearly half of Americans have unfavorable views of Islam, and the fear of this faith in America is undeniable. But is it as simple as xenophobia and racism? I do not believe so. Natural and understandable concerns can be transformed into active rejection and open racism when political discourse and media coverage fan the flames for ideological, religious or economic interests. That is what is happening in America today.

The great majority of Americans do not know much about Islam but nonetheless fear it as violent, expansionist and alien to their society. The problem to overcome is not hatred, but ignorance. The challenge for Muslims in America is to respect the fears of ordinary people while resisting the exploitation of those fears by political parties, lobbies and sectors of the media. To meet this challenge, Muslims must reassess their own involvement, behavior and contributions in American society....

Ironically, despite his very moderate views, Ramadan has been barred from the US (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/29/AR2006092901334.html). Of course he's hardly the only anomaly in that regard. One of my former students, himself now one of the leading experts on the deradicalization of jihadists, couldn't get into the US for several years because of information supplied by a his native country to the US. The irony in this case was that the "information" was provided not because he was an Islamist (he isn't), but because he was a pro-democracy advocate.

Earlier this year I was at a conference in DC where one of the guests, a UK university professor, was barred from boarding the plane in London by DHS. Frantic calls from the conference organizers were unable to resolve the problem. The organizers? The NIC (http://www.dni.gov/nic/NIC_home.html)...

[Fuchs]

It's not just a problem of no-fly lists. The fees, the treatment like a criminal (fingerprint, photo...) keeps many from visiting the U.S..

The tourism sector suffered so much during the last decade that it decided to lobby for a advertising campaign.
The money for this advertising campaign shall come from an additional fee to be paid by tourists...as stupid as it gets.


By the way, I wonder why he mentioned Germany in regard to mosques and headscarf bans. There's not much controversy about mosques. Most get built anyway, and there's only one that made a few more headlines. That controversy is related to a very local political campaign that's not representative for the whole country (and unsuccessful anyway).

The more recent - and national - topic is a mix of immigration/integration/Islam debate incited by an agent provocateur called Sarrazin. He combined correct observations with apparently stupid ideas on the roots of the observed problems and apparently as stupid proposals.

[Rex Brynen]

...although it should be noted that the US and Canada (and the UK) tend to have less unfavourable attitudes to Muslims than do most European countries:

http://pewglobal.org/files/legacy/248-6.gif

Source: Pew Global Attitudes Project (http://pewglobal.org/2005/07/14/islamic-extremism-common-concern-for-muslim-and-western-publics/) (2005).

Similarly, Europeans are much more likely to support restricting the ways in which Muslims may dress:

http://pewglobal.org/files/2010/07/12089-1.png

Source: Pew Global Attitudes Project (http://pewglobal.org/2010/07/08/widespread-support-for-banning-full-islamic-veil-in-western-europe/) (2010).

[Joske]

I find it quite worying that populist politicians both in Europe as in the US are increasing their popularity and spreading fear, in the name of the fight against radical islam. (a great example of this is Geert Wilders)
While actually they are in my view forwarding the cause of radical islam, by attacking all muslims including moderate muslims or muslims who identify themselves as muslims but wouldnt mind a looser interpretation of certain religious customs (ramadam is one), they actually alienate those muslims and drive them towards more radical groups.
A better way to combat radical Islam in the western world (or maybe even in the framework of the GWOT), would be to encourage as many willing imams to get together and preach a less strict form of Islam and which would incorporate westernized values (separation of faith and state), and use this to counter radical islamists and anti-islam populists.


Similarly, Europeans are much more likely to support restricting the ways in which Muslims may dress

I also support a ban on the burqa (complete coverage) in public places, not because the moral implications but simply because you cant see who is underneath, in the same way that it is not allowed to wear a balaklava when you go out in public.

[jmm99]

Prof. Ramadan has been the subject of several short articles in Foreign Affairs:

The Prophet of Moderation: Tariq Ramadan's Quest to Reclaim Islam (http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/62630/jonathan-laurence/the-prophet-of-moderation-tariq-ramadan-s-quest-to-reclaim-islam?page=show) (Jonathan Laurence, May/June 2007).


Most Westerners have a pretty clear idea of what comes to the mind of a Danish cartoonist when he imagines the Prophet Muhammad. They also have a good idea of what comes to the mind of a cave-dwelling Taliban fighter or an al Qaeda operative. Tariq Ramadan, however, is mortified by the caricatures that have shaped public perceptions of the man to whom Allah revealed the Koran in 610. Accordingly, the prolific Swiss-born theologian, who has become both a media star and a lightning rod for controversy, has made it his mission to change the way both Muslims and non-Muslims view Islam. ...

Brief comment on Laurence's article in Explaining the Terrorists (http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/62837/gideon-lichfield/explaining-the-terrorists) (by Gideon Lichfield, September/October 2007).


Veiled Truths: The Rise of Political Islam in the West (http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/66468/marc-lynch/veiled-truths?page=show) (by Marc Lynch, July/August 2010):


This spring, Tariq Ramadan arrived in the United States nearly six years after being denied a visa by the Bush administration. The U.S. government had previously refused Ramadan entry on the grounds that he had donated to a French charity with ties to Hamas. Then, last January, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that Ramadan was welcome. His appearance in the United States seemed to manifest the White House's changing rhetoric about the Muslim world. In June 2009, President Barack Obama spoke in Cairo of reaching out to Muslims with "mutual interest and mutual respect." Figures such as Ramadan -- symbols of a nonviolent Islamism long shunned as enablers of extremism -- may now represent a bridge across previously intractable divides. .....

To the Lynch article, a response and counter-response, Islamism, Unveiled From Berlin to Cairo and Back Again (DECODING DOUBLE TALK) (by Paul Berman, Jeffrey Herf, and Marc Lynch, September/October 2010):

DECODING DOUBLE TALK


Paul Berman

In "Veiled Truths" (July/August 2010), Marc Lynch's suggestion that clever U.S. diplomats ought to play rival factions of the Islamist movement against one another has a ring of common sense, which I applaud, even if the idea is not exactly novel. But I worry that Lynch's one intelligent remark may lull readers into supposing that his other comments are equally sensible -- for example, his judgment that Hamas is a "moderate" movement, useful as "a firewall against radicalization." But mostly, I worry that this one comment may lull readers into believing anything that Lynch writes about me or my book The Flight of the Intellectuals. ....

and


THE NAZIS' ARABIAN NIGHTS

Jeffrey Herf

Marc Lynch writes that Paul Berman's "obsession with Nazism is distracting, and his dissection of [Tariq] Ramadan approaches the pathological." This sentence -- which dismisses concern about Nazism and makes an ad hominem attack on an accomplished public intellectual -- reflects badly on Lynch and this magazine. Lynch's essay also presents more substantive issues, which merit a fuller reply.

Lynch refers to "Berman's ludicrous efforts to construct an intellectual and organizational genealogy linking Nazi Germany and contemporary Islamism." I share in this supposedly ludicrous endeavor: since 9/11, I have argued that the rhetoric and ideology of contemporary Islamism draws in part on the history of Arab and Islamist collaboration with Nazi Germany. Contemporary Islamism draws on paranoid and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories that resemble those used to justify mass murder in the 1940s. And in their hatred of Western modernity and democracy, as well as in their suppression of women, Islamists do recall the Nazi and fascist ideologues of the previous century. ....

and Lnych's counter:


LYNCH REPLIES

Paul Berman is correct to point to European Islam as a fundamental arena for the development of new ideas and models for how Muslims can live as citizens and believers. He and I share many concerns about trends within the Muslim communities of Europe and the Middle East, even if we disagree about how to understand and counter them. Those disagreements matter. Berman errs in framing the struggle within these communities as one between Islamists and "liberals from Muslim backgrounds," which is one, but not the primary, line of contestation today. Understanding the challenge of how Muslims in Europe and throughout the world will decide to participate in politics and society requires a sense of the ongoing struggle among Salafists, Islamists, and a vast middle ground of politically motivated but non-Islamist Muslims. Berman's call to embrace figures widely viewed as hostile by most Muslims and his demonization of those seen as mainstream feeds the most dangerous narratives of a war between the West and Islam; whatever his intentions, Berman is likely to empower the violent extremists whom we both hope to marginalize and defeat.

... [intervening discusion of Yusuf al-Qaradawi, Qatar-based Islamist] ....

Jeffrey Herf takes exception to my depiction of Berman's account of the Nazi influence on the Islamic world as "ludicrous." He protests that his recent book, Nazi Propaganda for the Arab World, offers substantial evidence in support of Berman's claims. It does not. Through an analysis of newly studied U.S. embassy documents, Herf's book does offer fascinating details on the content of German propaganda broadcasts to the Middle East. But few students of propaganda and strategic communications would be so bold as to assume that a message sent is a message received. In order to prove that this propaganda decisively shaped the evolution of political Islam or attitudes in the Middle East today, one would have to look closely at the evolution of ideas and trends within contemporary Islamism. ...

The brief quotes above give some flavor to the discussions concerning Ramadan. But, they are only the tip of the iceberg.

No doubt that Ramadan is a "modern man", but so also is the techie who puts together the latest electronics and explosives to create a modern IED.

------------------

from Rex
Ironically, despite his very moderate views, Ramadan has been barred from the US.

This statement may be simply a choice of an ambiguous tense. The "has been" usage suggests to me an assertion that the statement became true in the past and continues into the present. On the other hand, if "has been" was intended to = "was", the statement is more or less accurate.

Facts are (see here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tariq_Ramadan#U.S._visa_revocation_and_subsequent_ lifting)) that Ramadan's US visa was revoked in 2004; the matter proceeded through the courts - the 2nd Circuit opinion (http://www.ca2.uscourts.gov/decisions/isysquery/c79d2c34-c40b-4149-aec1-461257eacfc1/1/doc/08-0826-cv_opn.pdf) not deciding that Ramadan was entitled to a visa:


Conclusion

Since Ramadan’s undisputed conduct – making donations that he knew afforded material support to ASP – fits within the statute relied upon to deny him a visa, the only issue requiring a remand is further consideration of whether the consular officer properly construed and applied the “unless” clause of § 1182(a)(3)(B)(iv)(VI)(dd) by confronting Ramadan with the allegation that he knew that ASP provided funds to Hamas and then providing him with a reasonable opportunity to demonstrate, by clear and convincing evidence, that he did not know, and should not have reasonably known, of that fact.

and the bottom line is this:


On January 20, 2010, after more than five years of waiting, the American State Department has decided, in a document signed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, to lift the ban that prohibited Ramadan (as well as Professor Adam Habib from South Africa) from entering the United States. On the lifting of this ban, Ramadan has stated (emphasis added):


Coming after nearly six years of inquiry and investigation, Secretary Clinton’s order confirms what I have affirmed and reaffirmed from day one: the first accusations of terrorist connections (subsequently dropped), then donations to Palestinian solidarity groups, were nothing more than a pretense to prohibit me from speaking critically about American government policy on American soil. The decision brings to an end a dark period in American politics that saw security considerations invoked to block critical debate through a policy of exclusion and baseless allegation.

On April 8, 2010, Ramadan spoke as part of a panel discussion at the Great Hall of Cooper Union in New York City, his first public appearance since the State Department lifted the ban.[37] The group debated the lengths to which Western nations should go to accommodate their Muslim populations.

[37] ^ Tracy, Marc (April 9, 2010). "Live, From New York, It's Tariq Ramadan" (http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/30306/live-from-new-york-it%E2%80%99s-tariq-ramadan/). [Retrieved today, 11 Sep 2010].

I'd be curious what Prof. Ramadan would say about Jacob Hornberger's headline and article, Barack Obama: Torturer-and-Assassin-in-Chief (http://www.fff.org/blog/jghblog2010-09-09.asp) (cited in this "War Crimes" post (http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/showpost.php?p=106360&postcount=522)).

Regards

Mike

[Valin]

Before people get all giddy over this guy. A very different take on Tariq Ramadan can be found in
The Flight of the Intellectuals (http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&sqi=2&ved=0CBsQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FFlight-Intellectuals-Paul-Berman%2Fdp%2F1933633514&rct=j&q=the%20flight%20of%20the%20intellectuals&ei=MOCLTJrVIZ3enQeT4IGYDA&usg=AFQjCNHIxGlhCEDxPd5eufQtnRJ4BW_F_A&cad=rja)
Paul Berman

Needless to say this small book has raised quite a to do in some circles.

[Valin]

...although it should be noted that the US and Canada (and the UK) tend to have less unfavourable attitudes to Muslims than do most European countries:

http://pewglobal.org/files/legacy/248-6.gif

Source: Pew Global Attitudes Project (http://pewglobal.org/2005/07/14/islamic-extremism-common-concern-for-muslim-and-western-publics/) (2005).

Similarly, Europeans are much more likely to support restricting the ways in which Muslims may dress:

http://pewglobal.org/files/2010/07/12089-1.png

Source: Pew Global Attitudes Project (http://pewglobal.org/2010/07/08/widespread-support-for-banning-full-islamic-veil-in-western-europe/) (2010).

Thanks.

[Rex Brynen]

Before people get all giddy over this guy. A very different take on Tariq Ramadan can be found in
The Flight of the Intellectuals (http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&sqi=2&ved=0CBsQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FFlight-Intellectuals-Paul-Berman%2Fdp%2F1933633514&rct=j&q=the%20flight%20of%20the%20intellectuals&ei=MOCLTJrVIZ3enQeT4IGYDA&usg=AFQjCNHIxGlhCEDxPd5eufQtnRJ4BW_F_A&cad=rja)
Paul Berman

Needless to say this small book has raised quite a to do in some circles.

I think that Ramadan's position on Islam, modernity, and the West stand on their own--unless someone finds anything particularly obnoxious in the WashPo piece I posted.

On the debate over Ramadan, and over Berman on Ramadan, Foreign Affairs (July/August 2010) had an excellent piece by Marc Lynch, and follow-ups by Berman and Lynch. You'll find them here (http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/66468/marc-lynch/veiled-truths) and here (http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/66550/paul-berman-jeffrey-herf-and-marc-lynch/islamism-unveiled?page=4).

[Fuchs]

The polls seem to vary a lot about the Burqa issue.

http://www.rp-online.de/panorama/deutschland/Haelfte-der-Deutschen-fuer-Burkaverbot_aid_826954.html


Die Hälfte der Deutschen ist einer Umfrage zufolge für ein Burkaverbot.


Das berichtete die "Financial Times" am Dienstag. Nach der von ihr in Auftrag gegebenen Umfrage plädierten 70 Prozent der Franzosen für ein Burkaverbot, 65 Prozent waren in Spanien und 63 Prozent in Italien dafür. Auch in Großbritannien plädierten 57 Prozent der Befragten für ein Verbot.

this poll (apparently financed by Financial Times Deutschland) says
for a Burqa ban:
70% Frenchmen
65% Spanish
63% Italians
57% British
"half " of Germans


Besides; A Burqa ban is not anti-Islamic, but rather anti-certain Islamic interpretations.
Turkey - an Islamic secularised country - has (or had) such a ban, for example. It was there - just as in France - part of a fight not against Islam, but against a very patriarchal family model that subjugates women.
The veil is not really religious, but a social and cultural issue.
Many Muslim societies don't know veils for females, some (Touareg, for example) even ban females from using veils because it's associated with masculinity instead.


The ban in Belgium and France looks to me like symptom-oriented politics; they attempt to make the existence of a non-integrated subculture less visible, that's all.

[Fuchs]

The polls seem to vary a lot about the Burqa issue.

http://www.rp-online.de/panorama/deutschland/Haelfte-der-Deutschen-fuer-Burkaverbot_aid_826954.html


Die Hälfte der Deutschen ist einer Umfrage zufolge für ein Burkaverbot.


Das berichtete die "Financial Times" am Dienstag. Nach der von ihr in Auftrag gegebenen Umfrage plädierten 70 Prozent der Franzosen für ein Burkaverbot, 65 Prozent waren in Spanien und 63 Prozent in Italien dafür. Auch in Großbritannien plädierten 57 Prozent der Befragten für ein Verbot.

this poll (apparently financed by Financial Times Deutschland) says
for a Burqa ban:
70% Frenchmen
65% Spanish
63% Italians
57% British
"half " of Germans


Besides; A Burqa ban is not anti-Islamic, but rather anti-certain Islamic interpretations.
Turkey - an Islamic secularised country - has (or had) such a ban, for example. It was there - just as in France - part of a fight not against Islam, but against a very patriarchal family model that subjugates women.
The veil is not really religious, but a social and cultural issue.
Many Muslim societies don't know veils for females, some (Touareg, for example) even ban females from using veils because it's associated with masculinity instead.


The ban in Belgium and France looks to me like symptom-oriented politics; they attempt to make the existence of a non-integrated subculture less visible, that's all.

[Valin]

I think that Ramadan's position on Islam, modernity, and the West stand on their own--unless someone finds anything particularly obnoxious in the WashPo piece I posted.

On the debate over Ramadan, and over Berman on Ramadan, Foreign Affairs (July/August 2010) had an excellent piece by Marc Lynch, and follow-ups by Berman and Lynch. You'll find them here (http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/66468/marc-lynch/veiled-truths) and here (http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/66550/paul-berman-jeffrey-herf-and-marc-lynch/islamism-unveiled?page=4).

Thanks guy!