Big happenings going on in Singapore. Islamic big wigs and mucky-mucks from around the globe have gathered for a conference on issues faced by Muslims living in multicultural societies.
Ominously, according to the published brochure, a primary goal of the conference is to find Islamic inspiration to develop and transform multicultural societies through Islam. Nothing in the literature mentions integration with existing societies, just transformation of existing societies.
See here for the panel of distinguished speakers. Identified as the convener is professor Tariq Ramadan of Oxford University who readers may recall was once denied entrance into the U.S. because he had ties to Muslim extremist organizations. Since his grandfather reportedly founded the Muslim Brotherhood, arguably a leader in extreme philosophy, Ramadan’s ties to extremism would seem to be familial and undeniable.
In any event, Ramadan is now headlining the International Conference on Muslims in Multicultural Societies being sponsored by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore. The conference concludes tomorrow.