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Tariq Ramadan: fashion or fiqh? The powerful charisma of an advocate of Islam in the West

2015; Taylor & Francis; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/14755610.2015.1058532

0143-8301

Ellen van de Bovenkamp,

Religion, Society, and Development

Why is Tariq Ramadan, who built his reputation on his vision on Islam in European society, so popular in Morocco? During my interviews with several Moroccan students and young professionals about the thinking of Swiss Muslim intellectual Ramadan, I discovered that they were not so much interested in his ideas about Islam. They like Tariq Ramadan because they're impressed by his presence, his ability to speak up and put forward his personal opinions, and his role in the media as a porte-parole of Muslims, defending them against prejudices and verbal attacks by Westerners. Tariq Ramadan meets all the characteristics of Alexandre Dorna's leader charismatique (Dorna 2008). The Swiss philosopher essentially thanks his stardom in Morocco to his charismatic personality and the modern martyrdom he embodies by defending – on his own – the image of Islam in the West.