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Tariq Ramadan (I): Horizons of an Islamic Socio-Political Project! |
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Mohammed Hashas - AlJazeeraTalk - Oujda. Morocco
 In two lectures he delivered in French respectively at the Faculty of Letters, Mohamed I University, and in the Public Hall Dar Essabti, in Oujda, Morocco, in January 4th, 2008, Dr Tariq Ramadan spoke about the perspectives of an exemplary Moslem World where Shari’a (الشريعة) is truly respected without being extrovert to the non-Moslem world. He entitled the first lecture ‘Islam and Sociology: What Perspectives?’, and the second ‘The Islamic World: What a Socio-Political Project?’ Dr Tariq Ramadan teaches Islamology at Oxford, and lectures in Europe, America, and Asia as well. Though it was a very rainy day, I was personally amazed by the number of the attendants, which is not usually the case in fact. The lecturer was invited by CERHSO (Center of Studies and Research in Humanities and Sociology in Oujda); the president of the university, university teachers, researchers, and students were at attendance.
Synopsis
As could be inferred from the titles of the lectures, it was mainly about posing questions for the sake of opening horizons of work and re-work on all the fields that could bring about a strong and ‘healthy’ socio-political Moslem World. Initially, the lecturer stressed the idea that there is not one pure Moslim society in this globalized world, because differing ethnicities, races, and beliefs do exist (or co-exist) within a society that claims to be purely Moslem. That is, there are only ‘Moslem majority societies’ - where the Moslems make the majority. This was followed by this primordial question: how can such a society be faithful to the message of Islam in the contemporary era? How can a society truly define itself as ‘Islamic’ or ‘Moslem’ while its institution is not based mainly on the device text Koran and the Prophet’s sayings the Sunnah?
Dr Tariq Ramadan believes that the Islamic World, or say the ‘Moslem majority society (-ies)’ to use his term, is still lagging behind in so many fields of research, because of lack of creativity and courage. This is the case since there is always a kind of fear that hinders the ulama (Moslem scholars) from ‘prospecting’ future fatawa before the subject of these fatawa is discussed by non-Moslem decision makers in different communities. Dr Ramadan takes it in his contention that the Moslem scholars have generally been unable to keep abreast of the developments going on in the exact sciences and disciplines like medicine and economics; so, their fatawa are more or less defensive (on the defence line) instead of being always among the first to voice Islam’s point of view over any newly debated issues. But recently, goes on Dr Ramadan, Moslem doctors, physicians, economists, physiologists, etc. are taking part in considering the world’s scientific developments so that the Islamic fatawa could be delivered at the right time, and not until it is too late.
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It's rather because Islamic media are blind to Islamic creativity.