Angry cries from several far-left and Jewish student groups demanded Tariq Ramadan’s removal from the European Social Forum (ESF), which was held two weeks ago in London.
In an emergency motion put forth by the National Union of Students (NUS), the renowned European Islamic scholar was deemed a threat to student interests because of his support of Shari’ah (Islamic Law), which the resolution states “denies basic human rights for women and homosexuals.”
The move enraged Federation of Student Islamic Societies (FOSIS), the umbrella federation group of student Islamic societies in Britain, who said it was passed without any sound proof or consultation with a Muslim organisation. “They provided no evidence whatsoever,” said Jamal El-Shayyal, an executive member of FOSIS.
“If any of these people were to read one chapter of Ramadan’s [book] To Be a European Muslim they would see that any of the accusations levelled against him are not only false but ludicrous. Particularly seeing as he has recently been promoted by the Foreign Office as a model for integration and positive participation in Western societies.”
“If you’re going to call Ramadan an extremist then who’s next?” he added.
The motion affirmed that Ramadan “defends the application of Sharia law in majority-Muslim areas, in which women, LGBT people and those who wish to convert from Islam are denied basic human rights.” He also defends marital violence “as a last resort.”
Danny Stone, a member of the National Executive Committee of the NUS and representative of United Jewish Students, voted in favour of the motion. The main issue was that Ramadan wasn’t the right person to be speaking on behalf of all students at the ESF, he said.
“The European Social Forum is a place to discuss progressive social values,” he said. Ramadan “is not representative of Muslims…he has specifically failed to condemn things around women and sexuality. I certainly wouldn’t consider him necessarily as a mainstream spokesperson.”
He also refuted FOSIS’ claim that NEC members from Alliance Workers of Liberty, the far-left socialist group who had put forth the motion, had not provided evidence of Ramadan’s alleged denial of human rights. “They produced a document which illustrated the concerns. There were enough articles in evidence to have a discussion on both sides,” he said.
“The bigger issue is the vision of the ESF and how it was being used for purposes of concern other than progressive social development,” he said.
But FOSIS refutes this. Tariq Ramadan’s discussion of marital violence and the rights of homosexuals is very limited, if even at all, El-Shayyal argues.
“What he promotes is for people to live and participate in a Shari’ah that is set in itself, and which is 500 years old – but one you don’t have to implement in the exact way as then. You live in that system according to your principles. For example, if you are living in the UK or France it is your Muslim duty to partake in that society. This is what offended me the most – [the implication that] 1.2 billion Muslims around the world are in denial of human rights.”
“I don’t think they’re in a position to state who is fit to be a Muslim representative,” he added. “FOSIS feels he is one of the most moderate leaders in the Muslim world and he is widely respected.”
Since FOSIS’s condemnation, the NUS Executive Committee has added an amendment to the motion. It states: “Following the NUS/NEC meeting on Tuesday, October 5, a majority of the committee have raised concerns that the motion regarding Professor Tariq Ramadan was passed without a fully informed debate.” The resolution is to be reconsidered at the next executive meeting.
Tariq Ramadan, 42, spoke without any official protest at the ESF in London on Europe and the Arab World. Born and educated in Geneva, he taught at the University of Fribourg until recently accepting a professorship at Notre Dame University in Indiana, USA.
Ramadan met similar hostile response when he flew into the US last July, where his US visa was revoked under suspicion of terrorist links. He now teaches by teleconference while the US authorities reconsider his application.