A Muslim scholar rated by Time magazine as one of the
100 most influential people in the world joins the Notre Dame
faculty this fall.
Tariq Ramadan is expected to teach Islamic philosophy and ethics
in the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies. He'll hold
the Luce Chair in Religion, Conflict and Peacebuilding, a full-time,
tenured position.
Ramadan's appointment has drawn plenty attention. In its April
26 edition, Time said that in the past five years Ramadan
had become highly influential among Muslims throughout Europe.
He often writes and lectures about how Muslims can remain true
to their religion and culture in the modern world.
His views are both liked and disliked by many, according to
an article by Chicago Tribune religion reporter Geneive
Abdo. His grandfather, Hassan al-Banna, founded an influential
conservative religious and political organization, the Muslim
Brotherhood, in 1928. The grandson's views, Abdo writes, are considered
too conservative by some Muslim modernists and too modern by Muslim
traditionalists, including his grandfather's followers.
Some Jewish leaders accuse him of being anti-Semitic for criticizing
the Israeli occupation of land claimed by Palestinians. But Scott
Appleby, Regan Director of the Kroc Institute, said that accusation
is unfounded. Appleby also said the Kroc Institute is committed
to "engaging a variety of influential voices and perspectives"
in seeking alternatives to violent conflict and that Ramadan is
"but one of many such voices."
(July 2004)
