Muslims must shed victim mentality: Tariq Ramadan

Ijtihad, Rethinking Islam

10 Sep 2008, NewAgeIslam.Com

Muslims must shed victim mentality: Tariq Ramadan

One of the most notable reformist Muslim voices today, Tariq Ramadan is viewed as a "supporter of terrorist organisations" by some and as an "agent of the West" by others. Based in Oxford University, UK, he is active both at the academic and grassroots levels, lecturing throughout the world on social justice and dialogue between civilisations. In Doha to participate in the 'Innovations In Islam' conference, he spoke to Qatar Tribune's Saif Shahin recently about the roots of Islamic fundamentalism and his vision of reform. Excerpts:     Even though the word 'Islam' itself means peace, most terrorists in the world today are Muslims. Why is that the case?   It is not completely true that terrorism and violence are connected with Islam. Billions of Muslims are peaceful people. But yes, we have a tiny minority who suffer from two problems. First, they have a very, very narrow understanding of what the Islamic message is. At the same time, their political understanding is also wrong. This leads them towards violence. We have to condemn this.     Let's talk of their political understanding. What are the root causes of Muslim disenchantment with the West?   The causes are multi-dimensional. The first is the historic cause. Western domination of Muslim societies was long and severe. The scars of colonisation are still there. Then we have the economic imperialism of today. There are also cultural and intellectual causes.   As a result, Muslims generally have a very negative image of West. We nurture a sense of victimhood. But that has to change. We have to liberate ourselves from this mindset to be able to deal with our own principles. We have to give up this confrontationist approach against the West.     What does Islamic reform mean to you?   It means being faithful to our holy texts, but also evolving our understanding of religion to face the challenges of today. So there are certain aspects of Islam that are not going to change, such as our creed and our basic pillars. What must however change is how we implement the religion socially and politically. Muslim societies need more democratisation, more freedom and a better understanding of how to deal with other cultures. We have principles, but what we need is transformational reform.     You say that reforms should not mean adapting to but transforming the society in which Muslims live. You also say that Western Muslims must first become 'Western', as they can only change Western misperceptions about Islam from within. Don't you see a dichotomy here?   No. These are both steps of a larger process. The first step is of course to adapt to the reality we face, as it is only with better understanding that we will be able to transform that reality. In order to contribute to the evolution in Western thought that they desire, Muslims in the West should know the culture, history and collective psychology that has created the current context in the first place. Only by gaining this knowledge can they become a contributing force for more justice, values and ethics.     How pervasive is the idea among Muslims worldwide that their society needs reforms?   I think most mainstream Muslims do realise that we need new ideas, new thoughts and a new vision. Now we have to gather the strength of the community, its minds, its talents, to be able to bring this about. My proposal in my forthcoming book 'Radical Reform: Islamic Ethics and Liberation' is to promote the involvement of the community in decision making and create platforms for scholars of text and context to produce a more effective ethic.     You have also spoken of a 'silent revolution' taking place. What do you mean by that?   Already, there is a movement at the grassroots. Muslim youngsters in the West are evolving to say they are Westerners. And it is happening very fast. Second or third generation Muslims settled in the US, Canada, Europe and Australia are becoming more at ease with having Islam as their religion and Western culture as their reality. And I think it is very important.      How serious is the issue of Islamophobia in the West?   Of course it exists. There is discrimination against Muslims. And we need to fight for our rights. But at the same time, we also have to understand that there are some legitimate questions behind Islamophobia. When people criticise us about the way we treat our women, for instance, they might not be totally wrong.     Many think Islam and democracy are incompatible. Do you agree?   Not at all. But we have to distinguish between principles and models. Democracy has five principles – rule of law, equal citizenship, universal suffrage, accountability and separation of power. We don't have a problem with any of this.   But even though the principles are the same, we have to say that the model of democracy in Islam can be different. Even within the West, the British and French models are not the same because of the divergent histories of the two countries. It is therefore reasonable to say that democracy in Muslim societies will look different still.     Some Western thinkers have begun saying that the West should engage 'moderate Islamists' in order to build bridges with the Islamic world. Will that be a good thing to do?   I am cautious when it comes to defining moderatism and fundamentalism. Political Islam is as diverse and complex as Christianity. I have spent time in Europe, South America and other Christian societies. I have met people who are liberal theologians, who take a very leftist view of political Christianity. I have also met centrist democrats and others who are totally fundamentalist, resembling the people around [US President George W] Bush.   Islamic society is not dissimilar. You have Islamists who want to empower the people and you have people in between, such as [Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip] Erdogan. They have nothing to do with [Al Qaeda's] Ayman al Zawahiri. We have to take that into account.      How do you view the future of Islam?   I am not worried about the future of Islam. But Muslims should wake up and do what they have to do. It is up to us to change ourselves and the world around us.