Abstract
Tariq Ramadan calls himself a bridge builder between Muslims and European culture, but contradictions in his theology prevent him from fulfilling this role. He is an Islamic intellectual who espouses democracy and pluralism, yet he believes that shari‘a law is universal. He exhorts his European followers to refrain from anti-Semitic violence, yet he cites as an authority Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who is an apologist for Palestinian suicide bombers. He calls for Muslims to be full participants in Western civic societies, yet he calls on Muslims to “resist” the neo-liberal economic order that forms the basis of Western society. Ramadan has made alliances with left wing politicians and academics in France, Britain, the Netherlands, and the United States, but he has a pattern of disappointing and frustrating his leftist allies. In the wake of terrorist attacks in Britain and the Netherlands, the British and Dutch governments called upon Ramadan to support peaceable brands of Islam in these traumatized countries. These efforts failed because Ramadan’s most important constituency has always been “the Muslim street,” and this makes it difficult for him to embrace liberal principles.
Similar content being viewed by others
Further Reading
Baum, G. 2009. The Theology of Tariq Ramadan. Notre Dame: The University of Notre Dame Press.
Bawer, B. 2006. While Europe Slept. New York: Doubleday.
Bawer, B. 2009. Surrender. New York: Doubleday.
Berman, P. 2007. Who’s Afraid of Tariq Ramadan. The New Republic, May 4.
Berman, P. 2010. The Flight of the Intellectuals. Brooklyn: Melville House.
Bernhard, B. 2006. White Muslim. Hoboken: Melville.
Buruma, I. 2007. Tariq Ramadan has an Identity Issue. The New York Times Magazine, February 4.
Caldwell, C. 2009. Reflections on the Revolution in Europe. New York: Doubleday.
Habeck, M. 2006. Knowing the Enemy. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Kepel, G. 2004. The War for Muslim Minds. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Kepel, G. 2008. Beyond Terror and Martyrdom. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Lewis, B. 2002. What Went Wrong. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Ramadan, T. 2004. Western Muslims and the Future of Islam. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Ramadan, T. 2009. Radical Reform: Islamic Ethics and Liberation. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Tibi, B. 2008. Political Islam, World Politics, and Europe. New York: Routledge.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Carle, R. Tariq Ramadan and the Quest for a Moderate Islam. Soc 48, 58–69 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12115-010-9393-4
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12115-010-9393-4