Is Tariq Ramadan’s dismissal anti-Islamic?
Tariq Ramadan is furious over his dismissal as integration adviser to the city of Rotterdam because of his talkshow on Iranian TV; he is threatening to take the city government and the Erasmus University to court.
In an open letter published by NRC Handelsblad on Tuesday, the Swiss-born Islamic scholar wrote: “The present controversy says far more about the alarming state of politics in the Netherlands than about my person,” a reference to populist politicians such as Geert Wilders and anti-Islamic attitudes in Dutch politics.
“It is as if I in particular, and Islam in general, are being used to promote certain political agendas in the upcoming Dutch elections,” Ramadan wrote.
An editorial in NRC Handelsblad on Wednesday pointed out that the Iranian TV connection may have been just a convenient excuse to get rid of Ramadan, but also that someone as controversial as him was perhaps never the right person to “build bridges” between the communities in Rotterdam.
Have your say. Is Ramadan’s dismissal the result of anti-Islamic sentiments in Dutch politics and society? Or was Ramadan (who barely speak Dutch) the wrong choice to begin with?
More about the Ramadan affair:
Saturday 22 August 2009, 13:19
For me as a Dutch Muslim, the news about the dismissal of Mr.Tariq Ramadan is a very very sad and unfortunate one! Although I never met him but had a wish to have a personal dialogue with him in regard to his personal ideas, philosophy, analysis of issues on and towards Islam and the Muslim Community living here in our country.
All those who have sympathy with Mr.Tariq Ramadan should join me that ” if his dismissal is under the rules and regulations of his job contract with the City of Rotterdam and the Erasmus University, then his removal is justified.
But if there are other precedences that not only a Muslim but any body else had broken the service rules and no disciplinary action was taken by the concerned authorities, then his removal has no justifications,then Mr.Tariq Ramadan have full right to seek justice.
By no means he or any one else should use this opportunity to help the already existing distance (between the Muslim Communities and the others) to grow bigger, which may result in to a very unhealthy,negative atmosphere in Netherlands. A country and nation which needs stronger solidarity and harmony and not the friction in our society on the basis of believe and ethnicity.
I really hope that If Injustice have been done to Mr.Tariq Ramadan then in that case he should be reinstated and If not then a highly educated person like him wont have any problem to find a suitable job any where around the globe.
Tuesday 25 August 2009, 0:30
Watching all the “achievements” of Rotterdam’s city hall I do not regret anyone who is involved there. I will not go into details but if Hamit Karakus with his buzz off to Eastern-Europeans and open arms to Muslims is all what Rotterdam can afford than I prefeer to watch “Spin City” instead. At least they are funny there.
Tuesday 25 August 2009, 16:47
This is the way we have dicussions in the Netherlands nowadays. A ‘respected’ columnist of my newspaper NRC Handelsblad gives a podium to write about European islamist that “(..) they have two faces and many different tongues.”
Afshin Ellian writes about the anti-semitism of the Iranian government: “In the past we would call them “those filthy Jews”". An intellectual and a professor of law at Leiden university doesn’t get the fact that nowadays we call them “those filthy muslims”.
Wednesday 26 August 2009, 10:24
Tariq Ramadan was a bad idea to start with. He does not speak dutch nor does he accept the way society treats homosexuals and women. He cannot be a scientist due to his adherance to his faith.
I would not consider Rouvoet (VP) a politician either but rather a missionary to convert the non-religious base in the Netherlands to his values.
Nor does freedom of religion mean that tax-payer moneys are used to subsidise these religion-based schools. (we tell our kids to believe in Santa Claus and an optional easter-bunny is that not enough?)
Either person should not be in the position they’re in.
Wednesday 26 August 2009, 21:25
Tariq is a clever boy, but boyish non the less, for boys never know when to take their losses and wait untill another cause comes by. taking that gig at TVPress was playing poker, without knowing what could happen. he is to eager to get his pretty (oops, no fellas, not gay, no no, not gay, not me!)face on the tube, forgetting the amount of people with somewhat smaller ego’s who want him off that tube.
so they found a stick to hit the dog, after which the barking in courtyards can begin, but I fear parties there will catch rabies.
Thursday 27 August 2009, 16:35
As an American of Dutch ancestry, I find it painful to consider that the Netherlands is turning into a multicultural multiracial battle field. It was a terrible mistake to let so many muslims move to the Netherlands. Thanks to their high birth rate they are certain to eventually outnumber the Dutch. Why would any country allow this to happen to itself?
Friday 28 August 2009, 21:35
Don’t care if Ramadan speaks Dutch, as long as he speaks English. Erasmus himself taught at many European universities, which was possible because all academics spoke Latin. Nowadays one communicates in English.
Presumable the task of ‘bridge builder’ implies that Ramadan was supposed to develop a modern version of Islam, that is pro women’s lib, pro gay rights, tolerant of dissidents and sinners, while friendly to Jews and Muslims. And Ramadan did no such thing. How disappointing.
There may have been a little too much wishful thinking behind his appointment. Ramadan’s views on Jews, women and gays may not be welcome, but they differ little to the views of that other (thoroughly Western) bridge builder; his Holiness the Pope.
Friday 28 August 2009, 22:30
I think it is totally besides the point to consider this as “anti-islamic”. Whenever an act of government affects someone of islamic religion, that does not automatically make that act “anti-islamic”. In fact, by always branding everything as “anti-islamic” we will never get one step closer to treating each other as equals.
Apparently Ramadan lost his credibility as someone who could bring muslims and non-muslims closer to each other. Let’s just respect Rotterdam’s decisions without immediately reacting with a 60′s spasm of calling it a racist or anti-islam move.
This is Ramadan’s own fault. If you’re a high profile public figure, you should know that you cannot at the same time be loyal to liberal democracy and to oppresive theocracy. And even if he can justify it to himself, it cannot be tolerated in the job he was paid for to do. This decision therefore considers Ramadan, and only Ramadan. To suggest it is a symbolic act against Islam is short-sighted, and it shows how our dogmatic leftwingers can only see Ramadan as a muslim. So who’s the racist now?
Tuesday 1 September 2009, 11:51
In my opinion first of all Ramadan has not been succesful in his duty to make a bridge between muslims and non muslims because the whole idea is wrong. These bridges should be made by people themselves. Why we don’t try to make bridges between other religions? Because they don’t need someone to make and they do it themselves. Participating in an Iranian TV program actually gave them a reason to get rid of him but he could be easily dismissed by saying that his efforts has not been effective enough. Why don’t we try to be direct?
Sunday 6 September 2009, 4:20
God forbid – that anything we do today – is anti-Islamic !!
I did not keep up with Ramadan career – although I did view some of the debate between Ramadan and Hirshi Ali.
My question would be – is a man who believes in the supremacy of Shariah law over Western law and democracy – the best person for the job of helping Muslims integrate into Dutch society?
Almost every Westerner – we are aware of – who works for Press TV has radical views – not necessarily Islam versus democracy – but Islam’s supremacy – and all that goes with that ideology – Muslims are suppressed – Muslim lands are under siege – and often put down Western governments – in favour of some of the most radical regimes in the world – such as Hugo Chavez and of course – one has to pay the piper – the Iranian regime.
While the Iranian opposition protests were taking place – Press TV’s coverage – went from between wildlife underwater docu’s – to the long renditions / news features on Israel/ Palestine problems – it was a bit naive of Ramadan to image that somehow his appearance – on the TV channel would not be viewed as a conflict of interest.
To blame Wilders – for all of Islam’s problems in the Netherlands – as well as Ramadan’s own – is perhaps below the belt.
To simply suggest that there should be Sharia law (as many have) is to move religion into the political realm – and then to request special protection for this political movement on religious grounds – suggests that Muslims are overstepping their sympathy vote.
Do EU Muslims believe they should be allowed to act without the scrutiny leveled against others – protected by their religion and the threat to label challengers – with titles like racist and Islamophobic?
It seems so…
Tuesday 8 September 2009, 19:32
I really don’t understand where people get their ideas about Ramadan from. Having read most of his books, I see that 1) he doesn’t want Sharia implemented in Europe; 2) he is not against homosexuals, he just points out that it is forbidden by all 3 religions of the book; and 3) he doesn’t see a contradiction between being a Muslim and being European.
Unfortunately a lot of Dutch people do see a contradiction there.
Ramadan being fired by Rotterdam was sketchy and shady. As he said in the debate on Saturday in Rotterdam, his job was NOT to integrate Muslims into Dutch society. Rather his job was broader, and the reports he wrote about unemployment etc show that he was doing something. Of course nobody is talking about those reports now.
At the end of the day, losing the Rotterdam position probably means nothing to him. He’s a professor at Oxford, a university that has a little more class than to fire a professor because of their connections to a hostile regime. And anyway, are professors linked to China, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and any other dictatorships also being fired?
Like he said on Saturday:
“I’m leaving. Goodbye. Wilders is staying. Good luck.”
Wednesday 9 September 2009, 12:18
Wrong choice… and now Ramadan should stop acting like a cry-baby.
Thursday 10 September 2009, 6:02
Watching this from across the ocean, I am sad to see Europe reverting to its antisemitic past. I guess “freedom” is only for those who accept to close their own minds against the “other”, and not for those, like Ramadan, who want to build bridges and respect among people.
Wednesday 16 September 2009, 10:46
Of course it was anti-Islamic, nothing can convince me otherwise. This was a man who wanted to bring everyone together and he had respect for all people and their religious beliefs. The Netherlands should be ashamed of itself, the Dutch moved backwards in time before world war 2.
Thursday 24 September 2009, 16:33
Out of all the posts thus far, I found only one that was precise, reasoned, open-minded and cogent. It was from Khalid, the Dutch-Muslim. The rest were hyperbolic. It is interesting to me that sometimes it takes a supposed ‘outsider’ to clearly and objectively articulate the rules and goals of a society.
–Rob, U.S. Citizen trying to become Dutch.
Sunday 27 September 2009, 14:40
I’m so happy with this news! Many times, when I wrote comments criticizing Mr. Ramadan in the Comment is Free in the Guardian (UK), I was unjustly censored. I find so far, from many articles written by Mr. Ramadan, to be highly deceiving, especially within vulnerable or misguided left, where many felt genuine but understandable grief by the Iraq war. I was one of such misguided person. But when I returned to Malaysia after many years and realize how (suspected) Al-Qaeda-Muslim Brotherhood-Iran joint-led Islamists, including through many Pakistani and Bangladeshi (footsoldiers)students and migrant workers, are infiltrating many Malaysian Islamic movements and brainwashing the educated younger generation in universities, I realize how deceitfully opportunistic these Islamists are and how frighteningly real this dream of a homogenous and Dark Age Arabic/Iranian-led “Islamic Empire” is! I felt ashamed as a former hard left, to have let my emotion against the Iraq War blinded me towards the rise and real threat of the twenty first century, of such Islamist fascism. And from what I have observed from Mr. Ramadan’s writings, to my opinion, his views are hiddenly and deceivingly on the same side of the coin as these Islamists, but based strategically as supposedly a progressive “Islamic intellectual” in the West!
Monday 12 October 2009, 18:38
Probably it was the way that he was dismissed that was the most shocking of all. I sincerely hope that he has more or less got over the *shock* from his ruthless sacking from his two positions in Rotterdam by now and is able to enjoy with his various job committments in Oxford & elsewhere. I would have expected the Mayor of Rotterdam Mr. Aboutaleb to have handled this really sensitive matter with much more delicacy but I did not see much moral courage being exercised by anyone, other than some of Mr. Ramadan’s fellow colleagues from the various universities. This incident is definitely one of the low points of 2009 in this country!