France doesn’t have a problem with rapists nor ‘good Muslims.’ Why does it have one with Tariq Ramadan?

Zineb R. Yacoubi
Sep 1, 2018 · 5 min read

Skepticism surrounding the ‘Tariq Ramadan affair’ has been fading away day by day. French authorities have been subject to strong criticism and ridicule, globally, emanating from people of all colors and (non-)religious affiliations. [1] Many have felt that Ramadan has been subject to severe, unjustified treatment because he is Muslim. However, the affair surrounding Saad Lamjarred, Moroccan Muslim pop-star, urges us to reconsider the previous conclusion. France has a problem with a special kind of Muslim.

Swiss Muslim academic Dr. Tariq Ramadan in December 2017, less than two months before his incarceration (Credits: Irfan Kottaparamban/Wikipedia)

There is probably little need to list all of the abuses that French officials have been inflicting to Ramadan since the start of the affair. Dr. Alain Gabon [2] and Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl [3] have enumerated and documented them thoroughly. For the sake of offering the reader perspective, it might be worthy to briefly note that French officials have detained Ramadan in solitary confinement for seven months in the largest prison complex in Europe. For seven months, Gabon and Abou El Fadl note, they have severely restricted access to his family and attorneys, putting him at great psychological and legal disadvantage. More astounding is the fact that they have denied Ramadan, who has been suffering from a chronic neurological illness, proper medical treatment. His daughter recently testified that his health has been deteriorating so much that he is now unable to walk.

In a climate where women are abused daily and must struggle to be heard against powerful men, one might almost applaud France’s wish and commitment to punish alleged sexual predators. What is glaringly peculiar in France’s treatment of rape charges, however, is the clear double standard to which it subjects prosecuted men. Dr. Yvonne Ridley notes how lenient French authorities have been with Ministers Gérald Darmanin and Nicolas Hulot. Both have been charged with sexual assault by several women, yet, ‘unlike Ramadan, these two were interviewed briefly and then allowed back into the workplace where they continue to serve in government.’ [4]

French Ministers Nicolas Hulot (left) and Gérald Darmanin (right) (Credits: Alain Jocard/AFP)

Perhaps Darmanin and Hulot have received special treatment because they are French citizens. But Ridley notes that Englishman David Matthews, too, who has been accused of assaulting a minor, was given permission to return to his native Great Britain. This has prompted Ridley to believe that Ramadan’s inhumane treatment was a case of racism on religious grounds.

However, the case of another Muslim foreigner who has been charged with sexual assault has taken a drastically different direction from that of Ramadan’s. Moroccan pop-star Saad Lamjarred has been charged with sexual assault in France twice in less than two years — and a previous time in the United States. French authorities have accepted to bail him out and have equipped with an electronic bracelet the first time, back in 2017. Shortly after his release, bracelet clutched to his ankle, he shot a video for a new song at the end of which he thanks King Mohammed VI who provided him with financial assistance to prepare his defense. [5]

Moroccan Muslim pop-star Saad Lamjarred

Earlier this week, Lamjarred was once more accused of having assaulted a young woman following a party in Saint-Tropez. Surprisingly for some and unsurprisingly for others, French authorities have released him after less than 48 hours spent in custody. Lamjarred’s musical repertoire isn’t restricted to pop music. He has also sung religious hymns since his release in 2017. On top of being Arab and not holding a French or European nationality, unlike Swiss-born Ramadan, Lamjarred is then also overtly Muslim — as far as one can know.

In light of this, it is bewildering that French authorities would refuse Ramadan’s repeated bail proposals and commitment to wear an electronic bracelet. They fear, we are told, that he might flee. They fear, we are also told, for the plaintiffs’ and other women’s safety. In short, a paralyzed Tariq Ramadan is still too dangerous and too smart of a predator to be held down by overwhelming public pressure and an electronic bracelet. In fact, even if he is disabled and severely ill, he is more dangerous and more powerful than French Ministers, Moroccan pop-stars, and countless other men who don’t see their basic human rights violated and lives threatened.

Tariq Ramadan is not an enemy of the French because he might be a rapist. He is not their enemy because he is Muslim. He is their enemy because he is a special kind of Muslim. Dr. Salman Sayyid [6] juxtaposes two kinds of Muslims who emerge from Western discourse on Islam: the ‘Muselmann’ (per Slavoj Žižek) and the ‘Double Muslim’ (per Richard Pryor); the submissive and the rebellious; the liberal and the radical; the ‘good Muslim’ and the ‘bad Muslim.’ Although Ramadan is a respected academic in the US, Britain, India, Japan, and Morocco, to the French, he is ‘ambiguous’ and ‘sick in the head.’ In fact, Tariq Ramadan is a threat because he transcends the ‘good Muslim’/‘bad Muslim’ established dichotomy: he is unapologetically Muslim and does not fear to speak against power, but he can never be suspected of terrorism. Saad Lamjarred, on the other hand, sings religious hymns but is publicly apolitical. He is, therefore, a ‘good Muslim;’ a ‘Muselmann.’ Lamjarred might be a threat to women, but he is definitely not a threat to France.

It should be enough that a man’s life is at stakes. For French and international citizens who hold justice in high regard, it is now cut clear that anti-conformists who fall into the dubious gears of the French legal system are in danger. This holds true for people who do not identify as Muslim as well; the tragedy of environmental activist Rémi Fraisse proves it all too well. [7]

As far as Muslim French and European citizens are concerned, Ramadan himself would often say that he was only ‘l’arbre qui cache la forêt’ — the tree hiding the forest. This holds true in many ways. First, the overt racism of which he has been victim strikes countless Muslims daily. In other words, the ‘Tariq Ramadan affair’ is but a symptom of an ideology which touches a myriad of Muslims — namely, Islamophobia. Second, Ramadan used to speak through the microphone while others watched, agreed or disagreed, and learned, with him or with others. Now, they have come out en masse, and they will continue to do so. [8] France should keep Pablo Neruda’s statement in mind: ‘You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep spring from coming.’

Updated Sunday 2 September 2018 at 10:15am GMT

Written by

B.A. English Literature and Cultural Studies / M.A. candidate in North African and Middle Eastern Studies

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade