Tariq Ramadan
The strength of democratic societies relies on their capacity to know how to stand firm against extremism while respecting justice in the means used to fight terrorism.
Terror will crash down on us if we fail to understand that a pluralistic society requires the personal and daily commitment of every citizen.
We must confront our own racism. Discriminatory housing and employment policies are nothing more than institutionalised racism.
It is of the highest importance to provide equal access to the labour market. Governments should act to establish equitable employment standards and penalise racial discrimination.
Freedom of expression is not absolute. Countries have laws that define the framework for exercising this right and which, for instance, condemn racist language.
Fear and its accompanying emotional reactions have become part of the public mindset. Such reactions, while often legitimate, are also being exploited with increasing frequency for political ends.
My experience of living with people of diverse religions and cultures taught me that one will never be at peace with the other if one is at war with oneself.
The very moment you understand that being a Muslim and being American or European are not mutually exclusive, you enrich your society. Promote the universal principles of justice and freedom, and leave the societies elsewhere to find their model of democracy based on their collective psychology and cultural heritage.
The challenge for Muslims in America is to respect the fears of ordinary people while resisting the exploitation of those fears by political parties, lobbies and sectors of the media. To meet this challenge, Muslims must reassess their own involvement, behavior and contributions in American society.
I can see both trends among the youths: people who are ready for a constructive, critical and active presence, and others who are ready to become invisible Muslims and to compromise to be accepted. I put my hope in the former and pray for the latter.Collection: People
To be kind is good. To be kind without expecting anything in return is better.Collection: Kindness
This is the problem we have with many Muslim leaders: They claim to differentiate between domestic and foreign issues and they are obsessed with being accepted, at sitting at the table of power in order to talk (or rather to listen) and to be tolerated. This is the starting point of our weakness. It is in our minds because we do not realize we are part of the system.Collection: Order
Having traveled a lot and met people from different horizons it makes you more humble and ready to listen.Collection: Humble
Islam is a religion of justice and dignity, and we are taught to never keep silent when facing injustice, discrimination and double standards.Collection: Justice
Don't treat people the way they treat you. Treat them better.Collection: People
The more you look into and understand yourself, the less judgmental you become towards others.Collection: Judgemental
Behind every great man is not a woman, she is beside him, she is with him, not behind himCollection: Men
You can't say 'I don't do politics,' because silence is a political statement.Collection: Silence
We are in a world that is connected, but is not communicating.Collection: World
Islam has no problem with women, but Muslims do clearly appear to have serious problems with themCollection: Islam
I am not a politician. I have often been approached in this regard, but I have always declined these sorts of offers. I view myself as an independent, critical intellectual, as someone who tries to stimulate thought on the left and the right, to encourage intellectual evolution.Collection: Independent
A true teacher doesn't teach you to think like him, but to think without him.Collection: Teacher
I don't like what you`re doing, but I won't insult you. Why? Because who you are tomorrow may be better than who I am todayCollection: Who I Am
To be courageous is to be a voice for the voicelessCollection: Voice
Man is certainly free, but he is responsible for this freedom before God as before men. This responsibility is inevitably moral. In order of this morality, to be free is to protect the freedom of others and their dignities.Collection: Responsibility
Your sensitivity is power. Don't let people transform your qualities into weaknesses.Collection: People
Our task is to change the world for the better, not to adapt ourselves to the world.Collection: Tasks
Criticizing to destroy is easy, thinking in order to build is much more difficult to achieveCollection: Thinking
If you read the Qur'an with your head, you find repetition. If you read it with your heart, you find depth.Collection: Heart
Cherish your tears and their reasons, they will be the light of your smile, your inner peace and reconciliation.Collection: Light
Modesty is the way you deal with beauty not the way you avoid it.Collection: Inspirational
Teach the heart not to give way to proud emotions and arrogant thinking; bring the mind to heart-soothing solutions that make it possible to control oneself gently and wisely.Collection: Heart
We should not treat people as they treat us, we should treat them better.Collection: People
The West hasn't been naïve, it has been patronizing the South by imposing its own views on what should be done - ironically after having been so close and so supportive of dictators who were not respecting the people.Collection: Views
The diversity is the risk of war, the necessity of diversity is mutual respectCollection: War
Feeling sympathy and searching for explanations isn't the same as believing that the violence is justified.Collection: Believe
Very often when I see people who are perceived to be, or who call themselves progressives, sometimes I see an imbalance. Yes I understand the courage in their mind but I don't see the spirituality in their heart, good you are questioning the limits, but what about yourself, are you also liberating yourself?Collection: Heart
What we also need to have a discussion on the philosophy of art: so we must ask what is it that we want in the first place? Is it just about saying and doing whatever you want, or is it about something more? We should let the artist be free, but we must also question how exactly he deals with freedom. Is it arts for elevation or arts for destruction? Is there dignity in the process?Collection: Art
It is like using a smoke screen, the same thing for an individual. The topic here is Islam. If French politicians are no longer talking about Islam, they know they will have to talk about something else, which brings the spotlight on their inefficiency. They will have to talk about domestic social and economic issues and they will have to justify their foreign policy, which is obviously something they need to avoid at all costs.Collection: Issues
We are not competing for the good when we only compete for numbers, being preoccupied with how many converts we are gaining. The true competition for good only happens when we are implementing our values of justice.Collection: Numbers
To have a moral sense is not to be dogmatic in dealing with rules. It can be an open way with dealing with questions of objectives and purpose, which is completely different.Collection: Different
I am talking about anything that is a provocation - ignore it. When something falls under freedom of expression, you can read it and take a critical distance.Collection: Distance
In fact all the Islamists, that is the reformists not the Salafis, now they all say that they want a civil state, a civil state with Islamic reference points. They are not talking about an Islamic state, or sharia in the way this was once understood in the fight against the colonisers, or just afterwards in the 70's, 80's and 90's.Collection: Islamic
As Muslims, our interests are our values. In any society, be it in Western or Muslim-majority countries, our duty is that of critical loyalty: Staying loyal to our countries by always being critically engaged in the name of the principles of justice, equality and human brotherhood. We should be the ethical and moral voice wherever we are by saying that, even though we understand economic and geo-strategic interests, we cannot accept a violation of these principles by any society.Collection: Loyalty
The Muslim contribution to the future of America is to not only speak out as Muslims, but to also speak out as citizens in the name of our common values. Our main contribution is to reconcile the American society with its own values, those that are not in contradiction to Islam. We have a duty of consistency.Collection: Speaks Out
I want the American Muslims to tell the leaders what they are telling me all the time. I want this internal debate to happen and the Muslims cannot just criticize the leadership without being involved. At the end of the day, you have the leadership you deserve.Collection: Leader
It is important that the Muslim leaders, scholars, and intellectuals are much more vocal and explain what Islam is.Collection: Leader
We need to revisit how the Prophet dealt with water, animals, in how he talked about slaughtering, caring for plants and so forth. Respect towards nature is a part of Islam. This is essential but Muslims are not aware. The whole world is talking about global warming and respecting nature but Muslims are not doing enough of that.Collection: Caring
We need to deal with three things that are important: first, we need a very deep reconsideration of how we are dealing with the economy. Second, there must be a very deep reconsideration of our way of life. We cannot simply adopt American-style consumer culture. To Islamize that is to de-Islamize Islam.Thirdly, it is important for us to understand the economy and the environment are common challenges for everyone. This is where the singularity of Islamic principles needs to join the universal values that we share with others.Collection: Islamic