Who’s Afraid of Tariq Ramadan?

[Lithos]

The U.S. government is so convinced that Tariq Ramadan is dangerous, it revoked the Muslim scholar’s visa to teach at the University of Notre Dame. Some in Europe think Ramadan is an anti-Semite who preaches moderation out of one side of his mouth and hate out of the other. Others, though, think he’s the man to reconcile Islam with modernity. So, who is right? Excerpts below:

FOREIGN POLICY: What do you think is more of a problem in Europe today: Islamophobia or Judeophobia?

Tariq Ramadan: I think that both are problematic. I think that, yes, we have Judeophobia, and this is unacceptable and we have to condemn it. To tell you the truth, beyond discussing and comparing Islamophobia and Judeophobia, there is a new wave of racism arising in many European societies. And I think we don’t have to put a hierarchy between this and that. All racism is unacceptable. Some Muslims today feel they are targeted because they are Muslims or Arabs, and this is the case. But it is dangerous to speak in that way. Especially in Europe now, there is a competition: Are the Arabs or Muslims more targeted than the Jews? I think that all together, if really we are citizens—and it’s exactly the same in the United States—all kinds of racism are wrong. If we see acts of anti-Semitism or Islamophobia, we should condemn them not simply as Jews or Muslims. As citizens, we have to condemn all these cases.

More

[Elise]

1. More:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tariq_Ramadan

[bemildred]

2. Much too reasonable, this man IS truly dangerous.

As a side issue, WGAS which is "bigger"?, they both are real problems,
both need to be addressed. Unless propaganda is your purpose, what does
trying to define relative size get you? Nothing, that's what.