Un journaliste viré (kicked out) d’une conférence (lecture) de Tariq Ramadan
Is this most boring duplicituous book ever written about Islam’s Founder?
LIBERTÉ DE LA PRESSE -Hier soir, un journaliste de la Voix du Nord, Lakhdar Belaïd, a été éjecté d’une conférence publique à la mosquée de Lille-Sud sous les yeux de ses confrères. Tariq Ramadan s’y exprimait surla Palestine. Le recteur de la mosquée, Amar Lasfar, a justifié ce geste devant l’assemblée en l’accusant d’avoir écrit «des mensonges», et précisant que «tout journaliste qui joue de la sorte avec nous, nous saurons lui dire que nos portes ne lui sont pas ouvertes» (Libération: 8.1.2009, read more here)
“Press Freedom. Yesterday a journalist of the Voix du Nord, Lakhdar Belaïd, was ejected, in the presence of his journalist colleagues, from a Public Lecture at the Southern Lille Mosque given by Tariq Ramadan on Palestine. The Head of the Mosque justified this act in front of the audience by saying the reporter had written ‘lies’, and that “any journalist who plays around with us should know that our doors are not open to him.”
Tariq Ramadan is presented in Britain as the voice of reasonable Islam. A pompous and fairly unreadable one (as anyone who has glanced at his portentous writings knows). His website, written in American, is on a par. This figure is lauded by those seeking a progressive Isalmicism (on the grounds that Ramadan has vaguely criticised the financial crisis of globalisation and calls for something called ‘justice’ – not explained in detail). Oh and he calls for some moratorium on Sharia punishments (not their abolition Nota Bene).
He also associates with people who take such exception to a journalist who has upset the Mosque, that they take it upon themsleves to prevent him from doing his job. Because, apparently, he wrote something which they didn’t like and they consider him a ’social-traître ’(needs no translating). I wonder if many democratic organisations would fling out a journalist from their public meetings on such grounds?
Will Ramadan stand up for that journalist’s write to report in liberty? Or will it be taken that Mosques have a special right to hold public events and only allow reporting that is favourable to them?
