Dr. Tariq Ramadan, author and professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies at Oxford University, kicked off the “Pathways to Peace” lecture series at the Salt Lake City Public Library on March 20, 2013.
Ramadan gave his views about Islam and Human Rights and whether or not the Arab Spring will bring peace to the Middle East.
“If you are serious about human rights, you need to deal with economic stability,” says Ramadan. “We must tackle it in economic terms.”
Food is the first right of the human being according to Ramadan. Food is about the right to choose; food is about poverty.
“If poverty is huge then democracy is weak if not absent,” says Ramadan.
Education is a person’s second right. Countries need to put money into education and not weapons.
“When you have education and can access the job market, you are empowered,” says Ramadan.
In the past seven years, the players have changed in the Middle East. Brazil, China and Turkey are among the nations that now have more influence.
“The Asian capitalism is about efficiency whatever your political system is,” says Ramadan.
Ramadan says that the word “spring” was used too quickly in describing the events. He sees it more as an awakening that needs to be examined on several levels.
“We have been misled. We look at the situation as if it is only a situation we have to analyze in political terms,” says Ramadan.
He remains cautiously optimistic on an intellectual level for the success of any changes being long lasting.
“If you look at the whole region, it’s unsettled, and no one can say what is going to happen,” says Ramadan.
