Islamic Scholar Tariq Ramadan Addresses More Than 500 People at Centennial Hall in London

A multi-faith crowd packed a London hall Thursday night to hear a renowned religious scholar dubbed ‘Islam’s Martin Luther.’

Tariq Ramadan’s theme was belief in one truth in a pluralistic society, the topic of his 2010 book, The Quest for Meaning: Developing a philosophy of pluralism, and how traditional Islam can fit into modern society.

“We need to acknowledge that it’s not easy for Muslims – or Christians or Jewish (people) or Buddhists – to have principles and live by those principles in our world,” Ramadan told the crowd of more 500 at Centennial Hall.

“Because we are scared of the world we, end up being very protective. We close ourselves off,” he said.

Ramadan’s address was organized by King’s University College, as part of a religious speakers’ series.

Ramadan said “one of the main problems in the West” isn’t ignorance of Islam, but that people “very often don’t know their own tradition.

“When you don’t know who you are, you are scared of who you are not.” he said.

The Swiss native advocates peace, understanding and a traditional Islam that can co-exist with the West.

In 2002 Sloan magazine suggested Ramadan was one of the most important intellectuals in the world.

Ramadan said he isn’t out to reform Islam, but the minds of Muslims.

“I don’t have a problem with Islam in itself, but we have to change Muslim minds,” he said. “We have to change the Muslim ways of reading the world and reading the scriptures to be consistent with our values and to be faithful.”

While the crowd was enthusiastic about Ramadan’s appearance, he did not come without some controversy.

His critics say he only masquerades as a reformer, pointing to his stances on gender equality and his emphasis on the role of religion in society.

In 2004 the United States revoked his visa for donating money to a charity that helped fund Hamas militant groups in Palestine. It was reinstated in 2010 by Hillary Clinton.

“Most of the problems that I have are with people who are not there or who are listening to me with an idea that, by definition, a Muslim or a Muslim scholar is not trustworthy,” Ramadan said, noting that’s often the case when people come across something they don’t understand.

One of Time magazine’s top seven most influential religious leaders, Ramadan said the response to his talks is generally positive.

“It has an impact and people are understanding the message,” he said.

“I’m driven by principles — if one person says I’m going to do something with what I’ve heard, that’s enough for me.”

See more on this Topic
George Washington University’s Failure to Remove MESA from Its Middle East Studies Program Shows a Continued Tolerance for the Promotion of Terrorism
One Columbia Professor Touted in a Federal Grant Application Gave a Talk Called ‘On Zionism and Jewish Supremacy’
The Department of Education Has Granted Millions of Dollars in Funding to University Programs Taught by Anti-Israel Professors