The BBC has written an excellent profile on one of the most talked about Islamic thinkers of our time, Tariq Ramadan:
Islamic extremist or the man leading reform of the faith? Professor Tariq Ramadan explains why his critics are wrong and why the London bombings mean more than ever that Western Muslims must split from the East.
He’s the man the Sun loved to hate.
Five days after the London bombings, the newspaper ran a front-page story inviting readers to “MEET ISLAMIC MILITANT PROFESSOR TARIQ RAMADAN”, urging the government to ban the Swiss academic from a conference this past weekend.
A week later, The Sun had a change of heart and ran a second piece, describing him as a “hero of young Muslims”. Prof Ramadan came to London and indeed spoke to a large audience on the “Middle Way” at one of London’s largest mosques.
So will the real Tariq Ramadan please stand up?
The Sun’s attack on Prof Ramadan is only the latest he has faced in a controversial career. It has been widely written that he is banned from the USA as an extremist and condones suicide bombings.
He predicts he will be soon allowed to teach in the States and fulfill some of the 20 oustanding invitations he has to speak there. On the other issue, he insists that he absolutely condemns the taking of innocent life (for more on this, listen to his linked interview on BBC Radio Four’s Today programme).
In both cases he says these allegations were deliberately put about by American right-wingers who “would nurture this ‘clash of civilisations’ theory, that somehow the Islamic East and West are incompatible.”
Love him or hate him, this guy makes some good points.
No Comments so far ↓
There are no comments yet...Kick things off by filling out the form below.