Reading Tariq Ramadan: Political Liberalism, Islam, and “Overlapping Consensus”

Abstract

T he interest of Western intellectuals in Islamic political and ethical traditions (predominantly its traditions of warfare, but also of governance, social order, and gender relations) is now almost matched by our fascination with ‘‘Islam in the West.’’ This interest quite naturally manifests itself in a focus on certain key public figures in European Islam, the single most prominent of which by far is Tariq Ramadan. The fascination with Ramadan is understandable. He is, on the one hand, a scion of political Islam—the grandson of Hasan al-Banna, the Egyptian founder of the Muslim Brotherhood (the wellspring of many of Islamism’s twentiethcentury tendencies); and the son of Sa‘id Ramadan, one of the most prominent mid-century figures in the ‘‘Islamist International,’’ comprised of exiles from Muslim countries, local grassroots movements (from the Brotherhood to more radical ‘‘Salafi’’ groups), and the conservative oil monarchies. On the other hand, he is an outspoken advocate of the notion that European Muslims can be both European and Muslim in equal measure. He calls on Muslims to be active and engaged citizens of European countries, faithful to their constitutional systems, yet insists that this can be done without adopting a diluted, ‘‘liberal Islam’’ in matters of social and personal morality. On top of this, Ramadan is telegenic, articulate, multilingual, and charismatic. For a Western audience he is a unique Muslim media figure: neither a radical bogeyman a la bin Laden or Khomeini (or one of their myriad imitators, such as Sheikh Abu Hamza al-Masri or even, significantly, Ramadan’s own brother, Hani), nor an outright secular liberal (ex-)Muslim a la Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Irshad Manji, or Salman Rushdie. Given the current historical and political moment, Ramadan is an exciting and controversial figure; and it was perhaps inevitable that there should emerge a small journalistic and political industry dedicated to speculation on his ultimate views or intentions. 1 Underlying the scrutiny of Ramadan’s career and