The National Union of Students has voted to protest against the invitation of Islamist academic Tariq Ramadan to speak as a "voice from the global south" at the upcoming European Social Forum.
NUS protests against religious obscurantist speaking at European left gathering
Date: October 14th 2004
Time: 1pm
From: Alan Clarke, National Union of Students NEC
For immediate release
On Wednesday October 6th, the National Union of Students national executive committee voted overwhelmingly to oppose the invitation to Swiss academic Tariq Ramadan to speak at the upcoming European Social Forum. The ESF, of which NUS is a major sponsor, is a gathering of progressive forces from across Europe, including left-wing political organisations, grassroots campaigners and the trade union movement. Mr Ramadan is a prominent Islamist whose views the NEC thought should not be promoted as the “voice of the global south” at the ESF.
Despite his claims to be in favour of democracy and equal rights, Mr Ramadan has described himself as being in the same “Muslim reformist” tradition as his grandfather Hasan al-Banna, founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, the largest Islamist or Islamic fundamentalist party in the Arab world. He believes that homosexuality is unnatural, stating that “God wanted things in order. And that order is ‘man for woman’ and ‘woman for man’”. Rather than opposing physical punishments such as stoning and amputation and demand their abolition, he proposes only a “total and absolute moratorium, to give us the time to go back to our fundamental texts. . .and to determine precisely the necessary conditions”. He sees the clerical dictatorship in Iran as a positive example of “democratic institutionalisation”.
Unfortunately, NUS President Kat Fletcher is refusing to carry out the motion in question, citing the fact that some executive members have since got cold feet.
NUS NEC member Alan Clarke said “This is not about Tariq Ramadan’s right to speak and debate, his right to hold an academic tenure or his right to travel. We would be perfectly happy to debate Tariq Ramadan, but we do not think a major gathering of the European left should have a religious obscurantist prominent on its platforms. I call on Kat Fletcher to implement the NEC’s decision to protest.”
He was supported by Nadia Mahmood of the Middle East Centre for Women’s Rights, who said “We deeply regret that the organisers of the ESF have chosen to give preference to Tariq Ramadan over progressive, secularist, feminist and socialist activists from the Middle East, such as the new independent trade union and women’s movements in Iraq. Promoting Tariq Ramadan as some sort of spokesperson stereotypes all people from Middle Eastern and Muslim countries and communities as religious obscurantists.”
Note to editors
More information, including a briefing on Tariq Ramadan and the ESF, at
http://www.workersliberty.org/node/view/3206
For more details, email
alan.clarke@nus.org.uk or ring 07976 000 940.
Date: October 14th 2004
Time: 1pm
From: Alan Clarke, National Union of Students NEC
For immediate release
On Wednesday October 6th, the National Union of Students national executive committee voted overwhelmingly to oppose the invitation to Swiss academic Tariq Ramadan to speak at the upcoming European Social Forum. The ESF, of which NUS is a major sponsor, is a gathering of progressive forces from across Europe, including left-wing political organisations, grassroots campaigners and the trade union movement. Mr Ramadan is a prominent Islamist whose views the NEC thought should not be promoted as the “voice of the global south” at the ESF.
Despite his claims to be in favour of democracy and equal rights, Mr Ramadan has described himself as being in the same “Muslim reformist” tradition as his grandfather Hasan al-Banna, founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, the largest Islamist or Islamic fundamentalist party in the Arab world. He believes that homosexuality is unnatural, stating that “God wanted things in order. And that order is ‘man for woman’ and ‘woman for man’”. Rather than opposing physical punishments such as stoning and amputation and demand their abolition, he proposes only a “total and absolute moratorium, to give us the time to go back to our fundamental texts. . .and to determine precisely the necessary conditions”. He sees the clerical dictatorship in Iran as a positive example of “democratic institutionalisation”.
Unfortunately, NUS President Kat Fletcher is refusing to carry out the motion in question, citing the fact that some executive members have since got cold feet.
NUS NEC member Alan Clarke said “This is not about Tariq Ramadan’s right to speak and debate, his right to hold an academic tenure or his right to travel. We would be perfectly happy to debate Tariq Ramadan, but we do not think a major gathering of the European left should have a religious obscurantist prominent on its platforms. I call on Kat Fletcher to implement the NEC’s decision to protest.”
He was supported by Nadia Mahmood of the Middle East Centre for Women’s Rights, who said “We deeply regret that the organisers of the ESF have chosen to give preference to Tariq Ramadan over progressive, secularist, feminist and socialist activists from the Middle East, such as the new independent trade union and women’s movements in Iraq. Promoting Tariq Ramadan as some sort of spokesperson stereotypes all people from Middle Eastern and Muslim countries and communities as religious obscurantists.”
Note to editors
More information, including a briefing on Tariq Ramadan and the ESF, at
http://www.workersliberty.org/node/view/3206 For more details, email
alan.clarke@nus.org.uk or ring 07976 000 940. 
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Comments
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Bravo
14.10.2004 12:09
John D
'Workers Liberty' need to take a good look at where they're headed
14.10.2004 14:26
To be honest AWL press releases these days too often read like Melanie Phillip's odious Islamophobic columns in the Daily Mail. No doubt I'll be accused of over-simplifying, but read the first comment here and tell me they aren't offering comfort and political cover to anti-Muslim bigots.
Which is tragic because I know there are good, genuine anti-racist people in AWL. Can they all be happy with this direction? I hope not.
Anyway, bad news that they seem to have manouvered the NUS leadership into echoing their latest line and stirring up some division and bad feeling around the ESF. That won't help anyone but the political Right.
trade unionist
where are Workers Liberty heading?
14.10.2004 15:17
Which is tragic, cause I know there are honest anti-racists in AWL. Are they happy with where they're headed or who they seem to be lining up with? Some AWL press releases read uncomfortably like rants we get from the likes of Melanie Phillips or Nick Cohen...
And in this case they're trying to work through the NUS leadership to cause maximum division and distrust at the ESF, the biggest gathering for peace and social justice in Europe this year. Is this really what a socialist group should be about?
trade unionist
yada yada yada
14.10.2004 16:18
jjf