The Slick Moderate

Ibn Warraq reviews a book about Tariq Ramadan:

In November 2003, in a televised debate with Nicolas Sarkozy, then France’s interior minister, Ramadan was asked about his brother Hani, who had justified stoning adulterous women to death. Instead of condemning the custom outright as barbaric, Ramadan replied, “I’m in favor of a moratorium so that they stop applying these sorts of punishments in the Muslim world. What’s important is for people’s way of thinking to evolve. What is needed is a pedagogical approach.” In other words, Ramadan wanted, as my dictionary entry on the word informs me, “a legally authorized postponement of the fulfillment of an obligation”—a temporary ban.

Yup. Tariq Ramadan opposes all such barbaric, Islamic punishments--for the moment. He's definitely a shining moderate Muslim.

Comments

[Pastorius]

MSM Rule of thumb when analyzing Muslim idealogues: believe they mean well.

My rule of thumb when analyzing the words of Muslims idealogues; always suppose they mean to kill you, and then look for ways in which, perhaps, they mean well.

[Isaac Schrödinger]

Your rule of thumb is, sadly, more sensible.