“Peace” and Translating Tariq

Long-time readers will remember the noted Swiss philosopher Tariq Ramadan, who also happens to be the grandson of Hassan al-Banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood. Dr. Ramadan spent time behind bars in France for thrusting his unwanted attentions on several young women. He was released on bail, and recently spoke publicly on Khalil Gibran and Machiavelli at a literature conference scheduled for January 21 (see Jihad Watch, “Tariq Ramadan, Accused of Rape by Five Women, to Speak at French Conference”).

The following account by Michael Copeland provides some useful context to the public utterances of the silver-tongued Tariq Ramadan.

“Peace” and Translating Tariq

by Michael Copeland

Peace, we are assured by Western politicians, is the theme of Islam. Those leaders, as Pat Condell says, are all Islamic scholars: “They are, aren’t they?”

“Islam is peace.” — George W. Bush

“Muslims are peaceful and tolerant people…” Hillary Clinton

The peace message was contradicted by Anjem Choudary to the BBC:

“You can’t say that Islam means peace. Islam does not mean peace: it means submission.”

His interviewer scowled with disbelief: apparently the BBC know better. Choudary’s assurance has, in any case, not been heeded by British leaders. Consider their confident unanimity:

“The doctrine and teachings of Islam are those of peace and harmony…” — Tony Blair

“…a peaceful religious faith” Gordon Brown

“Islam is a religion of peace.” David Cameron

“A religion of peace was being distorted, …perverted…” Nick Clegg

“Islam is a peaceful religion.” Theresa May

Rather significantly, these politicians all have something in common: they were advised by Tariq Ramadan. What Ramadan said to British leaders has not been published, but in an interview with the BBC he assured his interviewer of:

“…the global message of Islam which is ‘Spread peace wherever you are’.”

Nowhere in Islam’s source texts, the Koran, the Hadith (traditions), and Sunna, the biography of Mohammed, can that message be found. It is Tariq Ramadan’s invention, or, as he might say, summary.

As well as being a serial liar about his sexual assaults, for which he is awaiting trial, Ramadan is an experienced purveyor of taqiyya, Islam’s authorised deception. In the Manual of Islamic Law, Reliance of the Traveller, it is detailed under the heading “Permissible Lying” (r8). It features in “The Project”, the Muslim Brotherhood’s secret internal document captured in a police raid in Switzerland after 9/11: “Use deception to mask intended goals.” “The Project” was authored by Tariq Ramadan’s father, Said Ramadan. Significantly, Tariq’s mother was the daughter of Hassan al-Banna, founder of the Muslim Brotherhood.

“The Muslim Brotherhood has been militant from its very beginning”, said the US Congress in 2018. “Its founder, Hassan al-Banna, who started the group in 1928, said that, quote: ‘Jihad is an obligation from Allah and [sic] every Muslim and cannot be ignored nor evaded.’ And in a book entitled The Way of Jihad he wrote: ‘Jihad means the fighting of the unbelievers and involves all possible efforts that are necessary to dismantle the power of the enemies of Islam, including beating them, plundering their wealth, destroying their places of worship, and smashing their idols,’ end quote.”

Congress declared the Muslim Brotherhood to be a global threat.

As Point de Bascule (“Tipping Point”) explains, Tariq Ramadan “has vowed to follow his father’s footsteps…”

Ramadan has stated:

“I have studied Hassan Al-Banna’s ideas with great care and there is nothing in this heritage that I reject.”

At a Muslims-only gathering in Texas, Ramadan urged his listeners:

“It should be us, with our understanding of Islam, our principles, colonizing positively the United States of America.”

Translating Tariq

The peace message has been very potent in influencing Western leaders and their public: after all, it is what they want to hear. It is false. Ramadan has acquired quite a reputation for having his own deceptive definitions of words. Caroline Fourest titled her book Brother Tariq: The Doublespeak of Tariq Ramadan.

Ramadan helpfully expanded on his claim to the BBC that Islam’s message is, ‘Spread peace wherever you are’:

“you have to be agents of peace, and to be agents of peace means resist the oppressors, and at the same time work for justice, work for dignity, and work for equality between human beings.” (from 1.41)

Here are suggested translations of Ramadan’s words.

Spread peace

“Peace”, explained Syed Qutb, a leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood, “is when the whole world is Muslim.” Spreading peace, in Ramadan’s lexicon, is identical with spreading Islam. The characteristic method by which Islam has been “spread” throughout its history is force, as the ancient scholar Ibn Khaldun expressed it, “by persuasion or by force”. The Yazidi men attacked by the Islamic State were offered the choice of converting to Islam or being killed. They opted for “persuasion”. Ramadan’s Muslim listeners will be familiar with Koran 8:39, “Fight and kill the kafirs until all the governance is Islam”.

On a site now unavailable, a commenter, Reagan40, helpfully explained:

“Islam does not obtain peace through peace, but through war. It seeks a world without conflict by killing anyone who might disagree with its totalitarian ideology.”

In Ramadan doublespeak “Spread peace” means “Fight in jihad to impose Islam”.

Resist the oppressors

How inspiring it sounds: “Resist the oppressors”. However, “oppressors” in Islam’s terms are those who prevent Islamic law from being applied. This includes all Western and non-Muslim states. Non-Muslims, kafirs, “are clearly an enemy to you”, explains Koran 4:101 (part of Islamic law) and have to be fought against. Resisting these “oppressors” entails using all those “possible efforts” above, as detailed by Hassan al-Banna, as well as the “fighting” (to the death) commanded by the Koran. “Resist the oppressors” means “Kill the kafirs wherever you find them” (Koran 2:191, 9:5).

Work for justice

“Work for justice” is another fine-sounding declamation. However, there is only one kind of justice that a Muslim has to work for, and that is Sharia justice, Islamic law. As Ramadan himself explained to a Muslim-only audience:

“The only law we must respect and apply is the Shari’a.”

“Work for justice” really means “Strive in jihad to impose Islamic law”.

Work for dignity

Dignity, for Muslims, means the recognition of their superior status as “the best of peoples raised up for mankind” (Koran 3:110) over and above the filthy kuffar, who are “the most despicable” (98:6), and who are to be regarded with “enmity and hatred forever” (60:4). Dignity requires not just recognition but confirmation in specie: this is when the kuffar pay the Muslims jizya, the extorted “protection” money. “Work for dignity” really means “Exact payment of jizya.”

Work for equality between human beings

“Human beings” means Muslims, and of them, only the males. Females are not equal: they have inferior status. Beneath them, and counting as animals, merely “cattle”, are the filthy kuffar, “the vilest of beasts” (8:22), “as apes and pigs” (5:60). Working to achieve and confirm this status involves inflicting Sharia on the kuffar. “Work for equality” means “Depose man-made governments, by force if necessary.”

Sheik Omar Bakri, adviser to Anjem Choudary, made it clear:

“…definitely we will force Islamic rule on all the world when we have power.”

The baneful outcome of Tariq Ramadan’s deceptive “advice” to British leaders is their confident lack of awareness of Islam’s threat, and their dangerous ignorance of its hostile teachings. Brother Tariq has been very influential.

For previous essays by Michael Copeland, see the Michael Copeland Archives.

7 thoughts on ““Peace” and Translating Tariq

  1. Myself, I got betrayed by the deception of Karen Armstrong. She should have known better. Possibly, she did, and is a traitor.

  2. Women women everywhere and not a brain to think. Females have
    Romed too far from the home. No match for the remaining men of this world. For now the Muslims occupy mostly capitols. How will the countrysides do? When they go for partition?

  3. I believe Western leaders who spread the “islam is Peace” falsehood have been bribed with petro dollars. The Gulf Arabs have enough money to pay off the politicians and the activities of politicians in Europe and the USA tells me they are all for sale at the right price.

    • There are undoubtedly those who are on the take, but unfortunately far too many who give it away for free because of virtue signaling or just plain malice, stupidity, or a combination of both.

      Politicians are by nature prostitutes, only they have found it more lucrative to sell access to their power instead of access to their bodies.

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