Tariq Ramadan, Islam, and the Presumption of Innocence

無罪推定原則

Note: While our nation is grappling with many high profile cases of sexual misconduct, a parallel drama has been playing itself out in the Western Muslim community (specifically in the UK and the US). This blog was written in response to the alleged misconduct of two high profile figures in this—my—community, Tariq Ramadan and Nouman Ali Khan. While I wrote this with that specifically in mind, I thought recent events might justify sharing these thoughts with a broader audience.

“The one place where a man ought to get a square deal is in a courtroom, be he any color of the rainbow, but people have a way of carrying their resentments right into a jury box.”

—Atticus Finch, To Kill a Mockingbird.

I do not know Tariq Ramadan.

I do not know Henda Ayari.

And when I say I do not know them, I mean that in the broadest sense. I’ve listened to maybe 5 minutes of Professor Ramadan’s lectures in as many years. I maintain what we’ll call philosophical disagreements with his late grandfather, and by virtue of Hassan al-Banna’s late-ness these are disagreements I do not think we will resolve.

Were There Any Female Prophets According to Islam?

關於是否有女先知的討論

Short Answer: There is a difference of opinion. Though some scholars are of the opinion that there were no female prophets because “women are imperfect”, “a number of renowned scholars have demonstrated that there were female prophets, as there were male prophets; although they did have different opinions about whom to include in their list of female prophets… It is time to correct the general misperception that no single woman, however excellent she might be, could be equivalent to men in carrying major responsibilities and leading people in the way of good deeds.”

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Asalamu Alaikum sister, 

Thank you so much for your question. 

Some scholars say that there were never any female prophets, and their reason is that a prophet is a “perfect” human being, while women—according to them—could never be perfect, despite the Prophet (peace be upon him-PBUH) having made mention of perfect women (see hadith below).

美國穆斯林社群內部議題

最新聲明。

Disclaimer: MuslimMatters Inc. does not have an official position on this matter – we have published the statement below as submitted with comments closed as requested by the signatories of the statement

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In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “The believers in their mutual kindness, compassion, and sympathy are like one body. When one of the limbs hurts, the whole body reacts with wakefulness and fever”. (Muslim and Bukhari)

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Islam: Greetings of peace and may the mercy and blessings of God be upon you: as salam alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu

We come to you as women and men who care deeply for you, our brothers and sisters in faith. We grieve with you at the state of the world today, where so many are suffering from war, oppression, displacement, and deprivation. Prophet Muhammad, may God’s peace and blessings be upon him, said that the believers are like one body, if one part hurts, the whole body is afflicted with sleeplessness and fever.

It is for this reason that any violation of trust and ethics which comes within our community of faith is even more painful and distressing. We all share that distress, and we wish that such violations never happened. But reality is not based on our wishes, and much injustice has continued because of denial. Allah the Most High says,

論男性宣教士與女性穆斯林教眾的權力關係

今天才知道這件事情。剛才與一位在美國生活的朋友通話，大致了解事情的全貌。簡單的說，一位知名的阿訇被控與女性穆斯林在社群媒體的對話有不適當的行為。若不從伊斯蘭信仰角度來看，這個行為並沒有犯罪，在非穆斯林身上是司空見慣的事情。至於引起爭議的要點在於這位阿訇的能見度遍及全美甚至是全球。他在臉書上有兩百萬的粉絲，經常透過臉書、youtube的社群網絡分享他的理念，在全美甚至全球年輕穆斯林眼中是一個頗值得尊敬的阿訇。後來有人爆料這位阿訇，讓許多以他為榜樣的年輕穆斯林感到困惑甚至起而捍衛。

這邊不是要特別針對這位阿訇的個案討論。而是這種男性宣教士利用宣教的方式，達到個人的利益，在美國與英國並不是特案。如這篇文章A Muslim Preacher's Texting Scandal Is Making Some Women Speak Out About Sexism提到的，不少男性宣教士利用職權關係，讓有心學習伊斯蘭知識的穆斯林女性感受到不舒服。

會有這種現象出現與現代科技的進步有關。20年前網路還不是發達，在沒有臉書、youtube的時代，穆斯林學習伊斯蘭教育的知識除了家庭教育之外，只能到清真寺學習。但現在學習伊斯蘭的管道很多，西方年輕一代的穆斯林宣教士利用社群網絡的便捷，隨時隨地上傳個人對信仰的感受與教授伊斯蘭知識。這些宣教士善用現代科技與演講的技巧，吸引不少年輕穆斯林，其中不乏年輕女性。而宣教士在透過社群網絡傳授知識的界線拿捏不當，容易引發後續的難以想像的效應。如女性穆斯林後來不滿，向其他伊斯蘭團體爆料。或是一些本來嫉妒宣教士高人氣的其他穆斯林，趁這個時機棒打落水狗。

先寫到這邊。之後有什麼想法再做補充。

A Muslim Preacher's Texting Scandal Is Making Some Women Speak Out About Sexism

這個是一個很好的教材，探討一般穆斯林女性與男性宣教士的權力關係。

Once you get past the shirtless selfies and the “sugar daddy” boast, the scandal surrounding Muslim preacher Nouman Ali Khan is a rare window into how difficult it can be for Muslim communities to deal with claims of misconduct by leaders, especially when women are involved.

Khan is a conservative, Texas-based teacher whose lively Qur'an lectures draw hundreds of thousands of fans to his stories blending modern-day scenarios with strict interpretations of scripture. He disapproves of men and women shaking hands, promotes marrying young, and chides Muslims who wear “skintight” clothes. 

Shocking claims that he abused his power to pursue relationships with women set off a nasty battle over how to handle allegations of religious leaders behaving badly.
Last week, the accusations — along with screenshots of text messages and photos allegedly sent to women by Khan — portrayed him as an undercover ladies’ man who violated the rigid moral code he advocates. The claims also raise serious questions about whether he might’ve abused his authority in order to approach young women who attended his lectures or studied at Bayyinah, his religious center near Dallas. Khan, who hasn’t been charged with any crime, said in a Facebook post that the claims are a mix of lies and distortions about “communications” between consenting adults after he divorced his wife. Neither Khan nor Bayyinah could be reached for comment.