[Reader-list] Letter to my Detractors in The Netherlands

[Shuddhabrata Sengupta]

Dear Sanjay.

Thanks for sending in this nuanced statement by Tariq Ramadan. Press  
TV, like much else of the Iranian media is not a tool, either of the  
Iranian regime, nor a mouthpiece of the opposition, just as the BBC  
is neither the voice of Tony Blair, nor of David Cameron. At the best  
of times, It does a precarious balancing act, in its worst moments,  
it chooses silence. In this, it is not by any means exceptional. The  
same could be said of the CNN. And the less said about Dutch  
Television and newspapers, the better.

The position taken by the municipality of Rotterdam and the Erasmus  
University on the basis of Tariq Ramadan's relationship with Press TV  
is indeed regrettable. Tariq Ramadan is a very respected and able  
scholar of Islam, whose work I enjoy reading, though I do not agree  
with everything he writes.

The positions taken by the Municipality of Rotterdam and the Erasmus  
University are indeed of that blinkered variety (not uncommon at all  
in Europe) which insists on seeing things without nuance or subtlety  
whenever it comes to the Islamicate world.

Michel Foucault, whose writing I greatly admire, was extremely naiive  
(in my view) in his wholehearted endorsement of the Islamic  
Republic's regime after the revolution of 1979, because he did not,  
in my view, care to understand the complexities of Iranian politics.  
For him, they were just 'other', whose enthusiasms could be  
infectious, but whose cultures remained opaque, and in fact,  
irrelevant. Similarly, and from the opposite point of view, the  
decision to strip Tariq Ramadan of his university position, is again  
a refusal to engage with the nuance that his point of view  
represents, especially vis-a-vis Iran.

I have always felt that the politics of boycotting institutions and  
agencies, (or individuals associated with those agencies) that happen  
to be based in a particular country, but are not necessarily a part  
of the state of a particular country, is regrettable, and generally  
counter-productive.

If this were to be consistently followed, very few people might want  
to engage with institutions based in say, the United States, the  
United Kingdom, Russia, France, the Netherlands, China, India or  
Israel. I find the policies of the state of the Netherlands with  
regard to immigration as reprehensible as the policies of the Iranian  
state with regard to the freedom of speech and expression. This does  
not mean I think that a decision to boycott Dutch universities, or  
newspapers, or publishing houses and media agencies is particularly  
intelligent. Many in the Muslim world reacted with similar stupidity  
when they called for a boycott of 'Danish' products in the wake of  
the 'danish cartoons' controversy. The decision by Dutch Institutions  
to make a special case of a person who hosts a TV programme on an  
independent Iranian channel reeks to me of the utmost hypocrisy, and  
in fact seems to me to be a particularly stupid mirror of extremist  
Islamist idiocy with regard to the Danish cartoon question.

Some cases become hobby horses, Iran and Israel are both hobby  
horses, India may well become one some day. I find the  
sanctimoniousness of calls for 'boycott' particularly regrettable.  
Calls for boycotting engagement with (fragile) Iranian and Israeli  
public and non-state institutions do the greatest damage to people in  
both countries (and I name these countries only as examples, there  
could be many other such countries) who are committed to change and  
transformation within them.

At times like this, I think we need greater, not lesser engagement  
with people in countries with repressive and unpleasant regimes,  
wherever they may be. The Netherlands (which continues to have  
diplomatic relationships with the Iranian regime, and regularly does  
business with it) only robs itself and its own people of an  
opportunity to continue to engage with the intellect of Tariq Ramadan  
by depriving him of his academic position.

best,

Shuddha

On 19-Aug-09, at 8:57 PM, Sanjay Kak wrote:

> An attempt to slightly enlarge the scrutiny of events in Iran: Tariq
> Ramadan is a well known scholar of Islam. The news story is followed
> by his "Open Letter to my Detractors in The Netherlands".
> Best
> Sanjay Kak
>
> http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss_news/ 
> Tariq_Ramadan_sacked_over_Iran_TV_connections.html? 
> siteSect=204&sid=11096119&cKey=1250682256000&ty=nd
>
> August 19, 2009 - 11:53 AM
>
> Tariq Ramadan sacked over Iran TV connections
>
> Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan has been fired from his position at a
> Netherlands university over connections to an Iranian-funded
> television channel.
>
> In a statement, the municipality of Rotterdam and the Erasmus
> University Rotterdam said that the Swiss-born theologian's hosting of
> a programme on Iran's Press TV was "irreconcilable" with his position
> as a guest professor.
>
> "Although there is no doubt at all concerning Dr Ramadan's personal
> dedication, both boards found this indirect relationship with a
> repressive regime, or even the impression of being associated with it,
> not acceptable," the university wrote.
>
> It said Ramadan should have "immediately and unambiguously" ended its
> relationship with the channel but noted it was happy with his work.
>
> Ramadan, who will chair an Islamic studies department at Oxford
> University at the beginning of September, also lost his position as an
> advisor on integration with the city of Rotterdam.
>
> In a statement released on Tuesday on his personal website, Ramadan
> said he had taken the job with Press TV, an English-language channel,
> as "the path of critical debate".
>
> "I accepted no obligations," he wrote, adding that he intended to take
> "all the time necessary to make the proper decision".
>
> That wasn't enough for the Dutch, who noted that other academics
> formerly associated with Press TV had severed ties in light of Iran's
> crackdown on democracy activists.
>
> Ramadan said: "When they single out a 'visible Muslim intellectual'
> for attack, their real agenda is the politics of Muslim-baiting and
> fear."
>
> Ramadan is barred from entering the United States over money he
> donated to a Swiss Palestinian group from 1998-2002. Washington listed
> the Association de Secours Palestinien as a banned group in 2003,
> saying that it supported terrorism and had contributed funds to the
> Islamic movement Hamas.
>
> Ramadan has maintained that he was unaware of any connections between
> the charity and terrorism
>
> -------------------------------
>
> http://www.tariqramadan.com/spip.php?article10749
>
> An Open Letter to my Detractors in The Netherlands
>
> Tuesday 18 August 2009, by Tariq Ramadan
>
> Once again I have come under attack in The Netherlands. Last May and
> June, I was accused of "doublespeak", of "homophobia" and of demeaning
> women. Upon investigation, Rotterdam Municipality declared the
> accusations unfounded. Today, the argument goes, I am linked to the
> Iranian regime; I support the repression that followed the recent
> elections. Should we be surprised that this latest accusation has
> surfaced only in The Netherlands? It is as if I in particular, and
> Islam in general, were being used to promote certain political agendas
> in the upcoming Dutch elections. Geert Wilders, who wins votes while
> comparing the Qur’an to Hitler’s Mein Kampf, casts a long shadow. I am
> cast as the cause of an outburst of political passions that is far
> from healthy. But the present controversy says far more about the
> alarming state of politics in The Netherlands than about my person.
>
> The attacks on my involvement have been extremely violent; to them, I
> will respond with utmost clarity. When, in April 2008 I agreed to host
> a television program on PressTV, the Iranian worldwide 24-hour news
> network, the decision followed three months of careful evaluation, as
> well as discussions with Iranian friends and media experts. Over time
> I have closely followed political developments and growing internal
> tensions in Iran. I was among the first Muslim thinkers in the West to
> oppose the fatwa against Salman Rushdie. For the past twenty-five
> years, while observing that compared to the Arab countries Iran has
> made substantial headway in women’s rights and democratic norms, I
> have been critical of the lack of freedom of expression there, of the
> obligation for women to wear the headscarf, and, more recently, of the
> 2006 Holocaust conference (which dangerously blurred the lines between
> criticism of Israeli policy and anti-Semitism). It goes without saying
> that I have condemned the shooting of demonstrators and the repression
> that followed the June elections.
>
> My position has always been one of constructive criticism. I have
> devoted much of my time to studying the internal dynamics of the
> Iranian political system. I refuse to be swayed by propaganda claims,
> either from the Iranian regime, or from Israel (which asserts, all the
> while proclaiming its innocence, that Iran is the main obstacle to
> peace), from the United States or the European countries, all of whose
> strategic interests are involved. In Iran, the relationship between
> religion and politics is extremely complex. The simplistic view that
> posits two opposing camps-the fundamentalist conservatives versus the
> democratic reformists-displays a profound ignorance of Iranian
> reality. Moreover, no evolution toward democratic transparency can
> take place under pressure from the West: the process will be internal,
> lengthy and painful.
>
> When I agreed to host a television program on Islam and contemporary
> life, I chose the path of critical debate. I accepted no obligations.
> My guests have included atheists, rabbis, priests, women with and
> without headscarves, all invited to debate issues like freedom,
> reason, interfaith dialogue, Sunni versus Shi’a Islam, violence,
> jihad, love, art, to name only a few. I challenge my critics to
> scrutinize these programs and in them to find the slightest evidence
> of support for the Iranian regime. My program proclaims its openness
> to the world; all guests are treated with equal respect.
>
> Today, as Iran is torn by crisis, I intend to take all the time
> necessary to make the proper decision. All the facts must be carefully
> weighed in order to devise the optimum strategy for supporting the
> long march, in Iran, toward transparency and respect for human rights.
> Violent polemics and overheated debate of the kind we see today in The
> Netherlands lead nowhere. Before deciding on a course of action, I am
> determined to form a fully rounded picture.
>
> When I accepted the offer from PressTV Ltd., in London (my sole
> contact was with the British producers who were proposing a concept to
> the network), I did so on the clear condition that I would be free to
> select my topics and that I would have full editorial freedom within
> the parameters of a weekly program dealing with religion, philosophy
> and contemporary issues. My method, from the start, has been to
> explore these issues without lending support to the Iranian regime,
> and without compromising myself. It has been a choice that many
> Iranian friends have not only understood, but also encouraged. Money
> is not a consideration. Another international news network has offered
> me three times more than what I receive from PressTV, an offer I
> refused on principle. Were I to change my political and religious
> beliefs I would be a wealthy man, as anyone who has followed my career
> well knows. But not for me the flattery of kings and princes, of
> regimes and of the rich. The price for my political stance has been
> high; I have never traded on principle. I cannot to travel to Egypt,
> Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Libya or Syria because of my criticism of these
> undemocratic regimes that deny the most basic human rights. The United
> States revoked my visa because of my outspoken condemnation of the
> wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and its unilateral support of Israel.
> Needless to say, I am considered persona non grata in the state of
> Israel. Twenty years ago, a staff member from the Chinese embassy gave
> me to understand that the Beijing authorities were well aware of my
> commitment to the Tibetans.
>
> I have always taken full responsibility for my views; I have never
> supported either dictatorship or injustice in any Muslim majority
> society, or anywhere else for that matter. As for those who condemn me
> "on principle" for hosting a television program on an Iranian network,
> I reply: to work for a country’s television network does not mean
> support of that country’s regime. Were things so straightforward my
> detractors, those paragons of political virtue, would have long ago
> insisted that the government of The Netherlands sever all political
> and economic ties with Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Israel or China.
> Curiously, their voices are not to be heard, just as when Rotterdam
> Municipality publicly cleared me of the false accusations of
> "doublespeak" or "homophobia", or, more recently, when an American
> Federal Court quashed the decision of a lower court revoking my visa.
> Why the silence? Why the accusations that seem to fit me alone?
>
> The answer is simple: when they single out a "visible Muslim
> intellectual" for attack their real agenda is the politics of
> Muslim-baiting and fear. When it comes to seeking votes, all options
> are on the table, even the most dishonest and the most scurrilous. I
> respect my principles far too much to submit to this deceitful
> propaganda campaign. Not only as a question of personal honor, but in
> the name of human dignity, and faith in the future.
> -----------------
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Shuddhabrata Sengupta
The Sarai Programme at CSDS
Raqs Media Collective
shuddha at sarai.net
www.sarai.net
www.raqsmediacollective.net