Tariq Ramadan says Erdoğan should practice what he preached to Mubarak

Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan speaks in New York. (Photo: AP, Kathy Willens)
Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan speaks in New York. (Photo: AP, Kathy Willens)


Date posted: January 1, 2014

Prominent scholar Tariq Ramadan, grandson of the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, has criticized the Turkish prime minister for seeking more power and urged him to rethink staying in power for a longer time.

Ramadan said during his speech at the Reviving Islamic Spirit (RIS) talks in Toronto on Dec. 29, posted to YouTube on Tuesday, that Turkey is not a model for all Muslim-majority countries because its approach to governance is specific to its history.

“And I was critical with that government there, too,” Ramadan said, adding that he had said both in Turkey and when he was at the UN that what Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan once told former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak — that one day he will have to know how to leave — is true for him as well. “[Erdoğan] also needs to get this right.”

Ramadan stated that having something he called a “very interesting” strategy of going from being a prime minister to being a president is something “you have to think about.” Ramadan was referring to Erdoğan’s plan to shift to a presidential system of government in Turkey and his unannounced ambition to lead the country as president.

He noted that sometimes leaders have to understand that being in power is bound to time and that one day they should leave. “Leave, leave, and let the [other] people come,” Ramadan stressed in his speech.

He deemed his remarks “constructive criticism” — not for the purpose of destruction but for the sharing of ideas. In a bid to assure his audience that he only wants what is best for Turkey, Ramadan said he was also critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin when he switched jobs with current Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to serve another term as president and that he is voicing similar concerns so as not to see the same thing happen in Turkey.

Throughout his speech, he was also critical of leaders, particularly Islamists, who seek ever more power and warned against the disadvantages of being in power for extended periods.

He said both seculars and Islamists in the Muslim world are talking about the creation of a “civil state with Islamic reference as a nature of the state.” He said he hears similar points when he speaks to Islamists. “No real, deep, clear vision. These are words to please, not meant to implement, and the vision is lacking,” Ramadan said.

He noted that there are other challenges gripping the Muslim world as well, and rampant corruption comes as one of the main challenges people in Muslim-majority countries face. He noted that the second problem is education, and urged Muslim leaders to confront social injustice and the lack of education.

He heavily criticized what he called new “trends” in many countries in the Muslim world, particularly among the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, in which people seek power.

“You are making mistakes,” Ramadan said. “This is not the right way. You are so obsessed with power because you were in the opposition for 60 years that now you are focused on power. And my position was don’t go for it, don’t go to elections. This is the trap. This is the trap that won’t serve the people. Be the counter-power. Let it be that you are here to serve, not to take over,” Ramadan said.

He noted that he had said similar things about Hamas, a party that rules the Gaza Strip. “You have authority but not the power. They want you to win to end … you,” he added. He said he was surprised when Islamists criticized him for similar remarks he made last year. “What are you talking about?” Ramadan said Islamists asked him. “This is a time for Islamists to celebrate.”

He criticized the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt for being naïve.

He also said that Egyptian Defense Minister Gen. Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is “a tyrant and a liar” who worked a great deal with US and Israeli forces before. He said the army is playing behind the scenes and that many have failed to see the whole picture.

Source: Today's Zaman , January 1, 2014


Related News

8.5-month pregnant woman under arrest though baby faces heart, kidney problems

With only days to go before the delivery, a Kayseri woman is still held under arrest even though her baby has heart and kidney problems. If she was not under arrest, the baby would have been treated before it was born.

Fethullah Gülen says Turkey’s involvement in a war would bring mass destruction

Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen has warned against the dire consequences of Turkey’s possible involvement in a war in Syria or Iraq, saying Turkish authorities should avoid any action that may cause the Turkish people to experience sorrows similar to those of World War I.

Police officials who carried out graft operation detained in raids

As many as 100 high-ranking members of the police force were detained in a large-scale operation which began late Monday night/early Tuesday morning in over 20 provinces as part of the government’s attempt to contain an embarrassing graft scandal which has implicated several ministers and dozens of pro-government businessmen. The operation has been described as […]

Imam Wahy-ud Deen Shareef: What we see in ISIL may be fire, but it is not illumination

American-born Imam Wahy-ud Deen Shareef, 64, the imam of Masjid Waarith ud Deen in Irvington, New Jersey, has said, “What the American Muslims see in the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) may be fire, but it is not illumination.”

Canada’s Green Party leader on human rights violations in Turkey: I am entirely horrified

Canada’s Green Party leader and lawmaker Elizabeth May said during a panel discussion held at the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa on widespread human rights violations in Turkey that “I am entirely horrified by the behaviour of the Turkish government. We need to be more speaking out loud.”

Erdoğan gov’t abusing regulatory agencies to punish opponents

Pressuring state regulators to abuse their powers, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government has mounted an aggressive campaign to punish groups and companies that are critical of the government’s handling of a massive corruption investigation, which has led to questions about the credibility and independence of regulatory agencies in Turkey.

Latest News

Fethullah Gülen’s Condolence Message for South African Human Rights Defender Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hizmet Movement Declares Core Values with Unified Voice

Ankara systematically tortures supporters of Gülen movement, Kurds, Turkey Tribunal rapporteurs say

Erdogan possessed by Pharaoh, Herod, Hitler spirits?

Devious Use of International Organizations to Persecute Dissidents Abroad: The Erdogan Case

A “Controlled Coup”: Erdogan’s Contribution to the Autocrats’ Playbook

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Purge-victim man sent back to prison over Gulen links despite stage 4 cancer diagnosis

University refuses admission to woman jailed over Gülen links

In Case You Missed It

Council of Europe concerned over government’s ‘hasty’ judicial bill

Turkish Islamic scholar Gülen loses 72-year-old brother

Asylum for Fethullah Gulen Movement Supporters?

US under Trump still highly unlikely to extradite Gülen

Parents protest demolition of Fatih College wall

200 public servants sue PM over ‘parallel state’ statements

Kimse Yok Mu helps 2 mln people across the world during Ramadan

Copyright 2023 Hizmet News