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    Tariq Ramadan – Building a ‘new we’ in Europe

    Is it unproductive to continue discussing integration and cultural difference in Europe today, asks Tariq Ramadan. Beginning with a firm yes, he calls for a partnership between Muslims and non-Muslims alike to battle all kinds of social exclusion.


    An interview to Pavlos Hatzopoulos for Re-public


    The urgency of social justice

    Pavlos Hatzopoulos: You were one of the few Muslim voices present in the European Social Forum in Athens. What kind of connection or possible alliance do you see between the political struggles of European Muslims and European social movements?


    Tariq Ramadan: European Muslims are now becoming European citizens; there is a greater sense of belonging to European societies. We, Muslims, are the first to face problems of social discrimination and unemployment. Out of our own experience comes the will to struggle for distributive justice and full employment. European Muslims are realizing the need to fight for social reform and social justice. These are the fields where the connections or partnerships between European Muslims and social movements in general become possible.


    P.H.: Do you think that contemporary European models of integration are promoting social justice?


    T.R.: What often happens these days is that European countries are just comparing themselves to one another: they worry about whether the British model of integration is better than the French one, etc: all this is wrong. Policies ought to be related to what is done on the ground. European values are great in themselves: social justice, equality, and the rule of law. However, when you see what happens on the ground, you have to say that there is a discrepancy and a lack of consistency between what is proclaimed and what is actually done.


    European policies concerning social mixing, social justice, and unemployment ought to be transformed. Are Muslims integrated in European societies? It’s done already: there are millions of Muslims living in Europe. Integration is not the question. It is used to make us digress from the real problems. When there are people asking for more jobs and more respect, these are not religious problems. We have to be very cautious against these politicians that attempt to present these as religious problems. At local level, it is really important for local authorities to become more involved in promoting participatory democracy and in building trust with European Muslims.


    P.H.: You are talking about a re-orientation of European societies?


    T.R.: Not just a re-orientation, but a reform. A reform because there is currently a lack of creativity in the field of social policy. What we also need is a new discourse about European society. I am launching a manifesto these days, one year after July the 7th and the London bombings, a manifesto for a ‘new we’. Meaning that the new we are these Europeans -Muslims and non-Muslims- working together, in the name of our common values, against the injustices in our own societies.


    Acting in common

    P.H.: Is dialogue the crucial tool for building this ‘new we’ in Europe?


    T.R.: A dialogue is still a conversation between ‘you’ and ‘me’, between two different entities. Dialogue is about building trust, but now we need to work together. The ‘new we’ is beyond dialogue. We already know that we have common values, we already know that we live, we will live, and can live together. So, what becomes important today is to change our perception of contemporary reality. It’s a question of acting together in partnership.


    P.H.: Do existing civic, political, and religious identities need to be transformed if we were to work for this ‘new we’?


    T.R: I think that we are talking too much and not acting enough. We are talking obsessively about integration and identity because there is a great deal of fear. We, Muslims, are already living in Europe and do not have a problem observing the rule of law. Out of our partnership, our common reality, we can build this ‘new we’. It is of course important to have inter-communal, inter-faith, and inter-civilisational dialogue, but we have to move beyond that.


    We are speaking about why we have a problem out of our ignorance. We have to share this project and out of this project to try and get better mutual knowledge. This implies that we have to shift our way of looking at the problem. Even today, Europeans often refer to 4th or 5th generation Muslims living in France or in Britain as ‘European citizens of Muslim background’, as if they were speaking about foreigners.


    We don’t have to link social exclusion in European societies to religion. We don’t have to fall into the trap of reducing social to religious problems. One ought to say to all European citizens: ‘remain who you want to be, but we have to act together against all kinds of exclusion’.


    P.H.: Do you consider this as a civil society initiative?


    T.R.: Yes, as a social movement. We need many local initiatives at national level. Fear has marred European societies for too long. We need to substitute this predominance of fear with a ‘revolution of trust’.


    Further links


    Tariq Ramadan’s homepage


    European Muslim Network


    Special issue: out of bounds, recent articles
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