Tariq Ramadan Quotes

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Tariq Ramadan

Profession : Writer

Birth : August 26, 1962

Political rhetoric leads only to confusion.

Tariq Ramadan

Times have changed; so must the lenses through which we see the political future.

Tariq Ramadan

Cultures are never merely intellectual constructs. They take form through the collective intelligence and memory, through a commonly held psychology and emotions, through spiritual and artistic communion.

Tariq Ramadan

Culture constitutes an essential element of social and political liberation. As people rise up across the Middle East and North Africa, the diversity of their cultures is not only the means but also the ultimate goal of their liberation and their freedom.

Tariq Ramadan

Cultures, along with the religions that shape and nurture them, are value systems, sets of traditions and habits clustered around one or several languages, producing meaning: for the self, for the here and now, for the community, for life.

Tariq Ramadan

The process of reclaiming the self is one of reconciliation with meaning.

Tariq Ramadan

Tunisia's responsibility, and especially that of its political and intellectual elites, is enormous. All the protagonists of the nation's social, cultural, economic and political life must work to overcome useless and counterproductive polarisation, and to find solutions to domestic, regional and international problems.

Tariq Ramadan

In the name of the rule of law, democracy and human rights, we cannot accept that the rights of individuals (Arab or Muslim) be trampled upon, or that populations are targeted and discriminated against in the name of the war against terrorism.

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.

Tariq Ramadan

Terror will crash down on us if we fail to understand that a pluralistic society requires the personal and daily commitment of every citizen.

Tariq Ramadan

We must confront our own racism. Discriminatory housing and employment policies are nothing more than institutionalised racism.

Tariq Ramadan

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.

Tariq Ramadan

Freedom of expression is not absolute. Countries have laws that define the framework for exercising this right and which, for instance, condemn racist language.

Tariq Ramadan

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.

Tariq Ramadan

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.

Tariq Ramadan

This simple truth is the essence of my message to Muslims throughout the world: know who you are, who you want to be, and start talking and working with whom you are not. Find common values and build with fellow citizens a society based on diversity and equality.

Tariq Ramadan

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.

Tariq Ramadan

The great majority of Americans do not know much about Islam but nonetheless fear it as violent, expansionist and alien to their society. The problem to overcome is not hatred, but ignorance.

Tariq Ramadan

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.

Tariq Ramadan