TARIQ RAMADAN

[Kamal35]

I have a meeting with Tariq Ramadan tomorrow. We're gonna talk about Nietzsche, his brilliant idea that European muslims are common European citizens as European christians, European jews or European atheists or non believers. He brought the idea that Europe (not the Western Wold) owes so much to Christian culture as to Islamic culture. A muslim in Europe has to feel so proud of being European as being muslim. Islam doesn't belong to Arab countries, but to the whole world. He thinks that there's a misconception about Arab=Muslim. I'm agree on that. You don't need to drink camel milk to be muslim nor to wear all those Arab clothes to feel muslim.

Tariq Ramadan is Muslim and... European. A lot of people that I know are European and muslims. They love democracy, respect, freedom of speech, reading good books or belonging to NGO's in order to help Africa and Third World countries. They're very easy people to talk to, friendly, talkative, good manners, good style. People with class. Most of my friends are muslims, girls included. I enjoy their friendship, their costumes, the things I can learn from them. We don't hate each others if I think this or they think that. We only discuss about it with good manners. We talk in front a coup of Moroccan tea. And i's fine.

I think Tariq Ramadan represents this new spirit of Islam: the Islam that always was... respectful, friendly, talkative, always learning from Greeks, Asians, always ready to learn from other cultures.

So I'm having this conversation with Tariq Ramadan tomorrow...

Any suggestion you would like to express to him?

[eternauta]

So I'm having this conversation with Tariq Ramadan tomorrow...

You will publish the conversation on a newspaper/magazine?

[*jr]

Mr. Ramadan is intellectual and prominent Muslim scholar; he's rated by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. I am glad you have a chance to interview him...Please ask him about the controversy surrounding his visa revocation by the US to teach University of Notre Dame, and if there is any chance the US is ready to reverse that decision.