What I Believe [Hardcover]

Tariq Ramadan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 6, 2009

Tariq Ramadan is very much a public figure, named one of Time magazine's most important innovators of the twenty-first century. He is among the leading Islamic thinkers in the West, with a large following around the world. But he has also been a lightning rod for controversy. Indeed, in 2004, Ramadan was prevented from entering the U.S. by the Bush administration and despite two appeals, supported by organizations like the American Academy of Religion and the ACLU, he was barred from the country until spring of 2010, when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton finally lifted the ban.

In What I Believe, Ramadan attempts to set the record straight, laying out the basic ideas he stands for in clear and accessible prose. He describes the book as a work of clarification, directed at ordinary citizens, politicians, journalists, and others who are curious (or skeptical) about his positions. Aware that that he is dealing with emotional issues, Ramadan tries to get past the barriers of prejudice and misunderstanding to speak directly, from the heart, to his Muslim and non-Muslim readers alike. In particular, he calls on Western Muslims to escape the mental, social, cultural, and religious ghettos they have created for themselves and become full partners in the democratic societies in which they live. At the same time, he calls for the rest of us to recognize our Muslim neighbors as citizens with rights and responsibilities the same as ours. His vision is of a future in which a shared and confident pluralism becomes a reality at last.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Tariq Ramadan, a prominent intellectual-activist in Europe and America, represents a new generation of Islamic reformers." --John L. Esposito, author of Unholy War and What Everyone Needs to Know about Islam

"Tariq Ramadan is a Muslim Martin Luther."--Paul Donnelly, The Washington Post

"Ramadan's most important message--his advice to Muslims in the West to make the West their home--is one Americans should particularly welcome."--Alan Wolfe, The Chronicle of Higher Education

"Ramadan has started to pave out the road to reform and changes in the understanding of Islam in Muslim communities in the West."--Le Monde Diplomatique

"Deliberately brief, sensible and accessible.... What I Believe is not just a summary of Ramadan's own views but a primer on modern Western Muslim life."--Publishers Weekly starred review

"What I Believe succinctly, and in Ramadan's own words, is a compact opus that tells readers exactly what they want to know: who he is and what he stands for. This is one of today's most important books."--San Francisco/Sacramento Book Review

"What I Believe offers an accessible and at times quite moving entrée into the thought of this important figure."--Spencer Dew, Rain Taxi Review of Books

About the Author

Tariq Ramadan is Professor of Islamic Studies on the Faculty of Theology at Oxford University, Senior Research Fellow at St Antony's College (Oxford), Doshisha University (Kyoto, Japan), and the President of the think tank European Muslim Network (EMN) in Brussels. He is the author of Radical Reform: Islamic Ethics and Liberation, In the Footsteps of the Prophet: Lessons From the Life of Muhammad, Western Muslims and the Future of Islam, and Islam, the West, and Challenges of Modernity.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (October 6, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195387856
• ISBN-13: 978-0195387858
• Product Dimensions: 0.6 x 4.9 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #337,334 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tariq Ramadan is Professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies at the Oxford University (Oriental Institute, St. Antony's College) and also teaches at the Oxford Faculty of Theology. He is Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Islamic Studies, (Qatar), Senior Research Fellow at Doshisha University (Kyoto, Japan) and Director of the Research Centre of Islamic Legislation and Ethics (CILE) (Doha, Qatar).

He holds an MA in Philosophy and French literature and PhD in Arabic and Islamic Studies from the University of Geneva. In Cairo, Egypt he received one-on-one intensive training in classic Islamic scholarship from Al-Azhar University scholars (ijazat in seven disciplines). Through his writings and lectures Tariq has contributed to the debate on the issues of Muslims in the West and Islamic revival in the Muslim world. He is active at academic and grassroots levels lecturing extensively throughout the world on theology, ethics, social justice, ecology and interfaith as well intercultural dialogue. He is President of the European think tank: European Muslim Network (EMN) in Brussels.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 21 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Misunderstood scholar speaks... December 17, 2009

By B. Oza

Format:Hardcover

Ramadan, the Oxford University theology professor and radical reformist, points to a growing negativity in perceptions of ordinary Muslims since the 9/11 terrorist attacks on America. Other "crises" causing resentment have ranged from the Danish cartoons affair - when artists were threatened with death for insulting the prophet - to the headscarf controversy still raging in France as part of a divisive "national identity" debate. Ramadan singles out remarks by Pope Benedict XVI who, in his Regensburg address of 2006 about the founding of European civilisation, all but excluded the Islamic contribution. "The list is getting longer and longer," writes Ramadan, pointing to Muslims feeling "stigmatisation and constant pressure".

The key to coping with such problems (ones which Ramadan, predictably but fairly, blames the media for magnifying into "juicy" scare stories) is "to resist the temptation to reduce one's identity to a single dimension". This means that western Muslims should not emphasise their religion as their unique defining characteristic. Instead, he writes, "our identities are multiple and constantly on the move". He urges members of marginalised communities to be "creative" in every field of life, to "fully participate in citizenship" and to escape the "minority reflex".

Ramadan - whose academic background extends to a distinctly non-Islamic PhD on Nietzsche - sees societies achieving, as in his own studies, "a true philosophy of pluralism". This would mix a loyalty to classical religious texts with the imperatives of life in modern, multicultural, western societies. Such confident advice is particularly clear as it relates to Muslim women, with Ramadan attacking "literalists" who propagate horrors including female circumcision, forced marriages, honour killings and domestic violence. He says "Women must be present in the religious community's decision circles, in organisations, in mosque managing bodies, and other places."1

"Things should be shaken up so that women can recover their proper place, but women themselves must also get organised." Such an emphasis on rights and responsibilities runs throughout "What I Believe", with Ramadan arguing that religious and cultural ghettoes benefit nobody. That said, he dislikes the word "integration" because, by definition, it "highlights differences, it defines caricatured entities, and maintains the idea that after several generations certain citizens remain guests, who are too different, who perpetually need to 'adapt'."

Ramadan says that, on the contrary, being a Muslim should be about striving to feel "comfortable and at home" in whichever society one finds oneself. Filling in the gaps left by the pope at Regensburg, he mentions the Islamic thinkers "who deeply contributed to both Europe and the west at large, nurturing and enriching them with their critical reflections."

Ramadan wants to resume this tradition, emphasising this shared past in everything from school curricula to official histories. He is only too well aware of the discrimination faced by western Muslims in their day-to-day lives, calling for a "genuine jihad" battling for mutual understanding and trust between communities.

It is a high ideal, but the book is not a naive one. Ramadan understands the modern world, and his religion's place within it: this book makes this abundantly clear.

1 i have paraphrased from nabila ramdan

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Intro to Ramadan's Thought December 9, 2009

By Adam Ericksen

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Ramadan gives a great introduction to his work. He has become controversial because he seeks to critique both the Muslim world and the Western world. Of course, this prophetic voice offends people on both sides - but Ramadan makes his critiques in the spirit and hope of reconciliation. Western Muslims must not take on a victim mentality, but take ownership in the West as citizens of the West by respecting the laws of the country where they live. The West must refuse to define Muslims as a negative "other." Both need to move forward with programs that seek to include rather than exclude. Ramadan's project is demanding and will require discipline, because it is tempting for all people to take on a victim mentality and define the "other" in a negative light. But he is right: The Muslim presence in the West will not go away. The West needs to live up to it's ideals of Democracy and Muslims have, and should continue to be faithful Muslims in a Democratic context.

"What I believe" has 17 chapters, each ranging about 3-5 pages. Of course, no one can go into much depth in 3-5 pages, but this book is meant to be an introduction for people who want to learn something about Ramadan's work but don't have much time to read his larger books. For more, I recommend "Western Muslims and the Future of Islam."

For more, check out the Raven Foundation.

5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing May 3, 2013

By Dania Khan

Format:Kindle Edition

An interesting take on how as Muslims, it's our responsibility to integrate with society while maintaining our identity and rejecting the stereotypes by showing the positive and peaceful ways of Islam.