As for Professor Tariq Ramadan's recent lectures in Penang and Kuala Lumpur, I have a totally different impression on his Islamic advice. According to the first report below, for example, what he said means nothing particular to resolve the more than 30-year-long problem Malaysian Christians have suffered. The other two reports seem to be similar.
His message in English may sound soft, modern, and sophisticated, but when speaking in French in France I watched on You Tube more than a half year ago, he revealed his harsh, aggressive attitude to defend his Islamist position to the non-Muslim Westerners. I suppose that when he conveys his views in Arabic, the content must be honestly aggressive and confrontational.
This is a modern intellectual strategy of an Islamist who is western-educated with the highest, prestigious degree in the West. We, as non-Muslims, have to read between the lines very carefully when we encounter with these kinds of reports.
By the way, what does 'justice' (keadilan) exactly mean in Islamist thought? I have long been fed up with this kind of ‘just talking’plot.
There are 12 pieces of postings which include his name in the past on this blog.
（http://d.hatena.ne.jp/itunalily2/20071203）（http://d.hatena.ne.jp/itunalily2/20080212）（http://d.hatena.ne.jp/itunalily2/20080213）（http://d.hatena.ne.jp/itunalily2/20080325）（http://d.hatena.ne.jp/itunalily2/20080405）（http://d.hatena.ne.jp/itunalily2/20081106）（http://d.hatena.ne.jp/itunalily2/20081112）（http://d.hatena.ne.jp/itunalily2/20091207）（http://d.hatena.ne.jp/itunalily2/20100105）（http://d.hatena.ne.jp/itunalily2/20100318）（http://d.hatena.ne.jp/itunalily2/20120101）（http://d.hatena.ne.jp/itunalily2/20120526） (Lily)
Malaysiakini（http://www.malaysiakini.com）
(1) Scholar: Allah row shows signs of 'inferiority complex', 20 July 2012
by Susan Loone
While use of the Arabic word for God, ‘Allah', has been a hot topic between Muslims and Christians in the country, a renowned contemporary thinker and philosopher sees discussion on the matter as having been "too simplistic".
Speaking at a lecture in Penang on Wednesday, Prof Tariq Ramadan said that for someone coming from the Arab world, arguments as to whether a non-Muslim could use the word ‘Allah' were "completely out of touch with reality".
Tariq - who lectures at the University of Oxford in England - said Christians were using the word ‘Allah' much earlier, before the Muslims in Egypt did because, in Arabic, the term means ‘God'.
"When I speak about God, I use the word Allah. It means one God and no other God," he said in the lecture organised by the Penang Islamic Foundation in George Town.
"So, suppose we say you cannot use this word because it is ours, we would be monopolising the word," he told the 500-strong crowd at the two-hour session.
"It also means we are not confident in our language," quipped the influential Islamic scholar, who is a Swiss citizen of Egyptian origin.
In January 2010, Catholic weekly The Herald won its suit in the High Court, which overruled a ban by the Home Ministry on the weekly's use of the term ‘Allah' in its Bahasa Malaysia edition, -which had prompted fiery protests from certain quarters nationwide.
On a three-day tour
The federal government has since appealed the decision of the High Court, which also granted a stay in favour of the Home Ministry to stop The Herald, from using the word 'Allah', pending an appeal by the ministry.
Tariq - who is the grandson of Hassan Al-Banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood - was on a three-day lecture tour of Penang and Kuala Lumpur, from July 17-19.
He also spoke before a well-attended crowd at the home of PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim in Kuala Lumpur last night.
Tariq also said in Penang on Wednesday that some liberals believed that even when speaking in the English language, one must use the word ‘Allah'. However, this was not the reality.
Muslims believed that diversity of languages was a sign of God's presence.
Not allowing others to use the word ‘Allah' showed "inferiority complex and that we are not confident" about our principles, he added.
(2) Scholar: Not haram to topple unjust Muslim gov't, 19 July 2012
by Susan Loone
Is it forbidden in Islam (haram) for Muslims to support groups that intend to oust a Muslim country's government as claimed in an Utusan Malaysia report?
On the contrary, said one of the world's most influential Islamic scholar and thinkers, adding it is only right that Muslims resist an authority that is unjust.
The outspoken professor Tariq Ramadan - who lectures Contemporary Islamic Studies in Oxford University - said that it is right for Muslims to be constructively critical of their governments.
"We have to resist injustice. The Prophet has said that the best jihad is to take a world of truth and place it in front of a tyrant," he told Malaysiakini when met in Penang yesterday.
Tariq was responding to Masjidil Haram fatwa council member Sulaiman Saloomi who reportedly said that it was haram in Islam to topple Muslim governments, especially if the replacement brought greater danger to society.
Umno-owned Malay language daily Utusan Malaysia in its regular dose of Pakatan Rakyat bashing had quoted Sulaiman as saying that demonstrations are forbidden even if the leadership has gone against Islamic teachings.
The cleric’s solution was that the errant leader should be advised instead, according to the Umno-owned daily.
Cleric siding with the powerful
Tariq however completely disagreed with the remark, saying that Sulaiman's authority was incorrect.
When asked if demonstrations are forbidden in Islam, Tariq replied that the cleric was speaking only for those in power.
"We have to resist based on principles of justice.
"There must be elections. When the leaders are not elected..," said Tariq, who presented a two hour lecture organised by the Penang Islamic Foundation in Penang yesterday.
"It is right for Muslims to resist any unjust power by non-violent means. We can remove unjust leaders like what happened in the Middle East. It was the right thing to do," he added.
He also criticised Sulaiman’s claim, while speaking in Kuala Terengganu, citing Prophet Muhammad that anyone who tries to disrupt the affairs of the ummah (Muslim community) while they are united, should be killed.
Tariq, who was on a two day speaking tour in Penang, replied that it was wrong to say this, as it is not based on the correct Islamic principles.
(3) Tariq warns against 'playing with Islam and hudud', 19 July 2012
by Susan Loone
As the country’s Malay based parties - PAS and Umno - try to outdo each other by showing who is more Islamic, an influential Islamic thinker and philosopher has warned against using hudud on non-Muslims.
In a lecture organised by the Penang Islamic Foundation, Prof Tariq Ramadan said even in the harshest Islamic position, to say hudud is to be implemented on non-Muslim is “un-Islamic”.
Tariq - who lectures at Oxford University - warned against political parties “playing with Islam” and using hudud as a means of competition to show who is more Islamic.
“Why attract the emotions of Muslims? To feel that this is good is in fact something that is wrong. Be careful with this type of politics, it is not right,” he warned during the two-hour lecture in Penang themed ‘A Civil State’.
“Don’t try to use Islam to attract vultures because the elections are coming. The first people to resist is you, the citizens who must be clear on what Islam is and not to play or be distracted by these discourses,” he told the 500-strong crowd yesterday.
Tariq - who is scheduled to speak in Kuala Lumpur today - cautioned against the implementation of the Islamic jurisprudence in the current context as the victims would eventually be “the poor and the women who are more fragile”.
He added that the Islamic law would most probably not be used against the royalty - who he claims use public funds to travel overseas for their personal enjoyment.
“I see this every day. In Switzerland, we see them involved in corruption and prostitution but nothing has happened to them,” he said, referring to Arab kings and princes.
“Back in their countries, for example, the poor Pakistani guy who is involved in the same would have to face hudud as the leaders want to show people how Islamic they are,” he added.
“But they are not. They are just being hypocrites,” he quipped, at the session launched by Deputy Chief Minister I Mansor Othman and chaired by Islamic Renaissance Front chairperson Ahmad Farouk Musa.
‘Implement justice, not punishment’
Instead of hudud, Tariq advocates focussing more on the Sharia’ - which he describes as mainly Islamic principles and not a set of laws to punish people.
He added that the Sharia’ is a set of objectives to promote respect for justice and dignity of all people, and not just for the Muslims as Islam is based on principles and ethics.
“If you want to start implementing justice, stop talking about punishing, and start talking about social justice and transparency,” said the grandson of Hassan Al-Banna who founded the Muslim Brotherhood’
“If you want to punish, punish the corrupt. Don’t play with Islam,” warned the 49-year-old Swiss citizen of Egyptian origin.
In Malaysia, Tariq proposes that to promote Sharia’, the government must be more serious about education, justice, fighting corruption and the manner in which women and migrants are treated.
Women are to be given their rights to be “present and vocal” as the Prophet was very clear about the matter, he added.
He advocates focussing more on implementing Sharia’ in the heart - to be generous, tender and courageous - and to immediately act against corruption and injustice.
“I said all this at an Islamic convention and was heavily criticised. But my position is clear. I am against the death penalty because I am for justice and God is justice,” he said.
“I am not going to support a symbolic representation of my religion but go against the very essence of what God is and that is justice.”
‘Suspend death penalty’
Meanwhile, Tariq spoke passionately against the death penalty - which is still implemented in Malaysia - and reiterated his call for a moratorium on the punishment.
Although Muslims cannot avoid the fact that the matter is stated in the Quran while stoning is mentioned in the Hadith, he asked if the law is to be carried out “literally without considering the current context and the evolution of time and situation”.
He called on Muslim scholars to consider three questions before supporting capital punishment: (1) what the Quran or Hadith says? (2) what are the conditions to consider? and (3) what is the current context?
“I am stressing that we have to suspend the death penalty because we cannot implement it in societies we have today. We can’t kill people like this. Whatever you do in Islam, you cannot forget your ethics or justice,” he said.
“Justice is justice for all and even tyrants need to be judged according to the rule of law , not by killing people as this is not the dignity of our religion,” he added, citing the case of how former dictator Muammar Gaddafi was killed.
“He may be a tyrant and I oppose what he has done in history but the way in which he was killed was unacceptable, as if he was as animal. And we are happy because he was a tyrant?” he queried.
(End)
