One should therefore condemn the atrocities of Da’esh and shut up ? To simplify the message in order not to appear ambiguous? A simple message, although simplistic, to avoid any suspicion? Big deal indeed.
The condemnation of what these so-called Muslim groups are doing is absolute. I have been repeating it again and again. Like the horrors of the bombings in Afghanistan, New York, Bali, London, Pakistan, Madrid, Syria, … All of them must equally be condemned, without exception.
So because we condemn those atrocities, we should support wars and invasions in Afghanistan, Iraq, North Mali, etc.? What does mean this crazy and murderous logic? Hundreds of thousands of innocent Afghans, Iraqis, Syrians, etc. have been killed and would count for nothing? Chaos and death produced by these wars would mean nothing and we should only be upset when an American, British or French hostage is shamefully executed? What world are we living in? What type of hierarchy, distinguishing between the dead and their nationalities, shall we buy and accept? Such a shame!
And what if we push cynicism in order to consider political and economic calculations of great American and European powers? For a few of “our” dead, how much gain in oil, gas, uranium, “market” and geostrategic opportunities? That hundreds of thousands of Arabs or Asians die is not so important at the end of the day … our public opinions are mainly moved by “our dead”… moreover this “deal” provides some justification for continuing killing and invading. The loop is closed and the cold cynicism has won.
Shall we condemn and shut up and pretend to believe that the great Powers of the North love the people of the South? Really? To become so silly and coward, at my age? That is beyond my strength, I am afraid …
Professor Tariq Ramadan is a man of no need to introduction. He holds MA in Philosophy and French literature and PhD in Arabic and Islamic Studies from the University of Geneva. In Cairo, Egypt he received one-on-one intensive training in classic Islamic scholarship from Al-Azhar University scholars. Tariq Ramadan is Professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies at Oxford University (Oriental Institute, St Antony’s College ). He is also teaching at the Faculty of Theology at Oxford. He is at the same time a Visiting Professor in Qatar (Faculty of Islamic Studies) and in Morocco (Mundiapolis) and a Senior Research Fellow at Doshisha University (Kyoto, Japan).[/symple_box]
This was originally posted on Dr. Tariq Ramadan’s Facebook account.
