Dutch university fires Islamic scholar Ramadan
Submitted by Administrator on Wed, 08/19/2009 - 06:17
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PDF versionBy TOBY STERLING (AP) – 8 hours ago
AMSTERDAM — A Dutch university fired Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan on Tuesday for hosting a show on Iran's state television, which the school said could be seen as endorsing the regime.
Ramadan — known as a reformist who condemns terrorism, seeks to modernize Shariah law and urges Muslims
[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="186" caption="In this May 8, 2007 file photo, Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan speaks during a debate at the Swiss Television in Geneva, Switzerland. A Dutch university fired Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan on Tuesday for hosting a show on Iran's state television, which the school said could be seen as endorsing the regime. Ramadan, known as a reformist who condemns terrorism, seeks to modernize sharia law and urges Muslims living in Europe to integrate has recently been criticized in the Dutch press for allegedly voicing more conservative views for Muslim audiences than he does in the West. (AP Photo/Keystone, Salvatore Di Nolfi, File)"]
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living in Europe to integrate — has recently been criticized in the Dutch press for allegedly voicing more conservative views for Muslim audiences than he does in the West.
Both the City of Rotterdam and Erasmus University dismissed Ramadan from his positions as "integration adviser" and professor, saying his program "Islam & Life" airing on Iran's Press TV is "irreconcilable" with his duties in Rotterdam.
Ramadan "continued to participate in this program even after the elections in Iran, when authorities there hard-handedly stifled the freedom of expression," Rotterdam and the university said in a joint statement.
It said Ramadan had "failed to sufficiently realize the feelings that participation in this television program, which is supported by the Iranian government, might provoke in Rotterdam and beyond." He had worked at the university since 2007.
The professor, a Swiss citizen who is now on vacation in Morocco, told Dutch radio he would appeal the "naive and simplistic" decision.
Ramadan has written an open letter to Dutch media saying the show was a debate forum, and that he had no involvement with Iran's government.
"Repression against and killing of civilian people cannot be accepted and must be condemned," he said in the letter, published by Dutch media last week when the debate broke out. "I support transparent, democratic process, and I expect the Iranian regime to respect this principle."
Ramadan has lectured in France, England and the United States, and also has had trouble with the U.S. government.
He had his U.S. visa revoked in 2004 shortly before he was to receive tenure at Notre Dame University in Indiana. He was denied entry to the U.S. in 2006 on the grounds that he had given $1,336 to a charity linked to Hamas, which the U.S. considers a terrorist organization.
The American Civil Liberties Union launched, and initially lost, a case arguing that the U.S. had wrongly excluded Ramadan based on his beliefs. In July, an appeals court said the government should have told Ramadan why his visa was rejected and given him a chance to prove he doesn't support terrorism. The case is now back in lower court.
Ramadan had opposed the U.S. invasion of Iraq and said he sympathizes with the resistance there and in the Palestinian territories. He also was among the most prominent Muslims to condemn the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
It is unfortunate, I am
It is unfortunate, I am confused.
I live in Rotterdam, I heard this man speak several times, to a large audience of mostly Dutch Muslims, one for young students. And like city council and Erasmus-university was impressed when he talked about them not being Turkish or Moroccan etc, but DUTCH! That they should feel part of and loyal to the country they lived in, instead of the country they came from. And this being Dutch-attitude these Muslims did NOT show before, by and large. And about the entirely possible co-existence of Islam and Democracy. Indeed he gave me hope. I liked him. Now I just don't know. Why did he choose to connect with the Iranian regime?!
Tariq did it because ALL OF
Tariq did it because ALL OF ISLAM ARE ONE UMMMA. rEGARDLESS OF WHERE THEY ARE THEY ARE ONLY ON THE SIDE OF MUSLIMS RIGHT OR WRONG. ALLAH AND MUHAMMAD TOLD THEM THAT MUSLIMS ARE THE BEST OF MANKIND YET NOTHING THEY DO IS FOR ALL MANKIND BUT MANKIND SHARES WITH MUSLIMS. Infidels need to do the same and let muslims know how it feels to be lied to.
Hi, Raisinhead, I still
Hi, Raisinhead,
I still liked what Tariq Ramadan said and I have used it also in discussions with Muslims. With Muslims talking about his comments I could influence them. And it pleased them that I complimented one of their own. He tried to be a bridge-builder and that enabled people from Rotterdam to be bridge-builders a little bit more, by talking about what we had in common, not about the overwhelming quantity we disagreed on.
But what you said was good; He may have done it for the UMMA only, not for Mankind. Muslims always seem to attack/ criticize non-Muslims, but never their fellow-Muslims, and that is why FFI is so important.
Very well said; Allah and Muhammad DID tell them that they are the best of Mankind! And so; all we have to do, time and again, is prove to ourselves, and them, with much knowledge of Islam and behavior of Muslims, in past and present, that the Muslims are NOT the best of mankind, only equal to the rest at best.
You see, if we only concentrate on refuting any superiority, extra quality of Islam, then we also take away their right and ambition to control all other people. We make clear to them that other people have the same rights as they have, everywhere. And that women just must have autonomy, must be their own boss, not subordinate to men! All because Islam is not ANY better than any other religion, way to live, organise society.
That way we don't have to prove anymore that Islam is much WORSE than all other religions, because if we do that, we give Muslims anger, propaganda against us, and we get a whole lot of criticism over Christianity and Hinduims from them, because then they try to prove that Islam may be flawed but that the other religions are flawed too. But we want to establish that all religions, including theirs, have faults and shortcomings. And so let all have equal rights.
He simply speaks to the
He simply speaks to the audience before him. If they are conservative Muslims then he take the hawkish line, if they are non-believers he paints Islam as the 'religion of peace'.
I am just glad the US would not let him move to Notre Dame University. He is just another Muslim who is trying to start the Islamic cancer in the free west.
Demsci Muslims still believe
Demsci
Muslims still believe they are the best of all mankind and they will kill you to prove it. Tariq knows what he is doing and he is a moderate with moderates and a radical with radicals and an infidels when with us. One has to know what Islam says to see through his rhetoric. He is a liar to himself and to all who listen to him. He sees himself as a great man.
Demsci Like so many infidels
Demsci
Like so many infidels we are sick and tired of the Islamic lies to rule the world. they have done nothing to make the world, so why should they be in charge. If a patient is not the doctor why should the patient be in charge.
The man is a blatant liar. He
The man is a blatant liar. He should have no place in any civilized society.
He's interpreting Islam to please his audience as he deems fit -- be they Islamic radicals or kuffar.
Islam is what Mohammad, Qur'an, Hadiths, and Sira say -- no more, no less. Being an academician, he is articulate about interpreting Islam in a syrupy manner while an ordinary Muslim is "raw" in stating his/her belief in Islam that Islam is the Best religion, Mohammad is prophet of Allah and Qur'an is word of Allah, there is peace in the world only if Islam is the religion of ALL, the duty of a Muslim is to enforce Islam by surrendering to it or by being killed, and, till this goal is achieved every Muslim is bound to do jihad.
There is nothing like a moderate, democratic, liberal, peaceful or even a DUTCH Muslim. Talibaan and Al-qaeda represent the real Islam and what Islam is all about, and how to practice and go about practicing Islam.
Let us not be deceived by any "moderate" Muslim.
Radicals, moderates,
Radicals, moderates, extremists law abiding moslems are all the same .SH*T from the same bucket.Top or bottom does it matter?
He says: “I support
He says:
“I support transparent, democratic process, and I expect the Iranian regime to respect this principle.”
This is very curious statement from some who knows that Iran will NOT 'respect this principle.'
What does it mean to have 'expectations' that one knows will NOT be fullfilled?
Did he challenge the Mullahs and the President of Iran to be truely democratic and transparent?
Dear Administrator. May we
Dear Administrator.
May we have comment numbers back, please?
Thanks