It is a sad commentary on the American academic establishment. From CNSNews.com, with thanks to Nicolei:
Paris (CNSNews.com) – A Swiss-born Muslim scholar scheduled to begin teaching at a U.S. university next month is a controversial figure in Europe, where he is accused of anti-Semitism and advocating violence against women.
Tariq Ramadan plans to teach at Indiana’s Notre Dame University, instructing students on Islam, conflict and peace building.
Ramadan is the grandson of Hassan Al-Banna, the Egyptian founder of the radical Muslim Brotherhood.
With a perfect command of the language and a tailored western look, he is well-known in France, where disaffected Muslim youths listen to his speeches on Islamic pride. But some municipalities have barred him from speaking because he is considered a threat to public order.
Ramadan has denied allegations in the French media that European agencies suspect him of meeting with senior al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Geneva, in 1991.
Late last year, in a television debate with French government minister Nicolas Sarkozy, Ramadan refused to condemn “lapidation” – the stoning of adulterous women, a punishment that is carried out under strict interpretations of the Koran.
Actually this punishment comes from the Hadith. But the point still holds.
A public outcry followed the publication of an article in which Ramadan accused French intellectuals of being pro-Israel and anti-Palestinian purely for sectarian reasons — that is, because they were Jewish. They were placing their religion above their obligation as scholars, he charged.
Not all the intellectuals he singled out were, in fact, Jews. The article brought him vitriol at a time when France has seen a rise in anti-Jewish violence, often originating in the Muslim community.
“His thoughts seem European and appeal to Muslims living in the West,” said Yonathan Arfi, president of the Union of Jewish Students of France. “And then he talks about ‘lapidation.’ We took a long time to understand his discourse, but now he has been unmasked.”