Belgian writer urges us to take a critical look at Tariq Ramadan's message

Yesterday evening I wrote a blog post about controversial Muslim scholar Tariq Ramadan who will be addressing a Muslim conference in Ottawa this weekend. I noted that while Ramadan likes to portray himself as a moderate, critics see him as an extremist. In 2004, Ramadan was hired to teach at Notre Dame University but his appointment was controversial and Washington denied him a visa. Here is another article that argues Ramadan's views are harmful. Marij Uijt den Bogaard writes in the Brussels Journal (Tariq Ramadan and Islam’s Future in Europe, May 13, 2003):

But the very absence of a well defined doctrine makes Islam a Trojan horse. You have to wait to see what is inside, and the latter could be a big surprise. Unfortunately, a radical version of Islam is becoming dominant in Europe. It is the so-called “European Islam,” promoted by modern Islamic philosophers like Tariq Ramadan.

Extremist Muslim groups, such as the Salafists, find in Ramadan a defender of their range of thought. Considering the man’s background this is hardly strange. Ramadan’s maternal grandfather is Hassan al-Banna, founder of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and a source of inspiration for the distribution of Islam as a strict teaching. The Muslim Brotherhood is a worldwide organisation that puts the Quran above the law, with violence if need be. The organisation is forbidden in Egypt – all the more reason for a critical look at Ramadan’s message.

[. . .]

In Ramadan’s orthodox Salafist opinion, Europe’s Muslim youths must refuse to come into contact with non-Islamic environments. They have to isolate themselves from Western influences.

[. . .]

Mr. Ramadan will say that this is exactly how it should be because of Quran regulations. Such conduct however, is not correct according to our European principles. Ramadan’s “European Islam” has not in the least been influenced by European values. I am not a philosopher nor a scientist, as Ramadan, who currently lectures at Rotterdam University, pretends to be. I wonder, however, whether the West should allow Islamists the right to undermine our legal system by advocating the primacy of Islamic law and the imposition of the Sharia in Europe. Why do we have to allow separate swimming hours for Muslim women in public swimming pools? Why do we allow it? Why has Ramadan been given a lectureship at Rotterdam university?

Read all of Marij Uijt's den Bogaard's article.

See also:

Heroville, Canada

Tariq Ramadan to address Muslim conference in Ottawa