Tariq Ramadan, Your Grandfather Was a Colonialist

By Published On: February 18, 2011

In a recent article appearing in The New York Times, apologist for the Muslim Brotherhood Tariq Ramadan portrayed his grandfather, Hassan al-Banna, founder of the Muslim Brotherhood as an anti-colonialist.

This is simply not true. Al-Banna was a self-proclaimed colonialist. His own writings prove it.

In an essay titled “Our Mission” written to describe the goals of the Muslim Brotherhood, al-Banna described how the adherence to true Islam fulfills the impulse embodied by a number of different “patriotisms” offered by propagandists who compete with Islam for humanity’s allegiance. In the essay, translated by Charles Wendell and published by the University of California Press in 1978 (Five Tracts of Hasan Al-Banna), the author lists a number of patriotisms whose impulses are better fulfilled by authentic Muslim practices. After detailing the problems of the “Patriotism of the Sentiment” and the “Patriotism of Freedom and Greatness” al-Banna writes

Or if they mean by “patriotism” the conquest of countries and lordship over the earth, Islam has already ordained that, and has sent out the conquerors to carry out the most gracious of colonizations and the most blessed of conquests. This is what He, the Almighty, says: “Fight them till there is no longer discord, and the religion is God’s” [Q.2.193].

This is support for religious colonialism pure and simple. Readers will have to decide for themselves if Ramadan is either misinformed about his grandfather’s beliefs, or if he is willfully mischaracterizing al-Banna’s teachings.

We expose the anti-Israel lies so you don't have to. But we can't do it without your help. Join the fight -- Donate now
CAMERA logo
Tell the World – Share Now!

More from SNAPSHOTS

  • Another Chapter in Yusef Daher’s One-Man Propaganda War

    October 23, 2017

    The confined spaces of the Old City of Jerusalem present real problems for Israeli officials during celebrations of the Easter Triduum. In particular, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and its narrow courtyard present a [...]

  • Hamas Celebrates Qatar’s New UN Gig, Media MIA

    October 23, 2017

    Khaled Meshal On Oct. 17, 2017, it was announced that Qatar would be appointed to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). In a largely underreported move, Hamas, the U.S.-designated terrorist group that rules the [...]

  • The Journalists Bin Laden Could Count On

    October 23, 2017

    Osama bin Laden knew which journalists to feed information to when the terror chieftain wanted information disseminated in a manner useful to his aims. The al-Qaeda founder, like his terrorist counterparts in Hamas, Hezbollah and [...]

  • Where’s the Coverage? Egyptian Army Destroys Sinai Homes

    October 16, 2017

    In a widely underreported move, the Egyptian Army began demolishing the homes of civilians in the city of Rafah on Oct. 4, 2017. The move, an Al-Monitor report noted, was “part of the third stage [...]

  • Fatah: A ‘Sea of Blood’ Will ‘Create the State of Palestine’

    October 16, 2017

    PA President Mahmoud Abbas Fatah is the movement that dominates the Palestinian Authority (PA), the entity responsible for governing the West Bank (Judea and Samaria). Controlled by PA President Mahmoud Abbas, the movement is frequently [...]

  • Imaginary BDS Demon Gets Haaretz Photo Editor

    October 15, 2017

    Oct. 17 Update: Haaretz Prints Correction on BDS Activists That Weren't In his Oct. 13 column ("Exorcising an imaginary BDS demon"), Haaretz's David Rosenberg argues that the anti-Israel BDS (boycott, divest, sanctions) movement is an [...]

  • Where’s the Coverage of Torture in Gaza Prisons?

    October 10, 2017

    Earlier this month, the online news site Al-Monitor wrote about two Palestinian human rights organizations’ reporting on complaints of torture in Gaza prisons. (“Gaza activists decry rise in torture within prisons,” October 1, 2017.) Al-Monitor [...]

  • The Washington Post Belatedly Covers Hamas-Fatah Talks

    October 6, 2017

    The Washington Post has finally reported on recent reconciliation attempts between the two ruling Palestinian groups, Fatah and Hamas—nearly a month after they first came to public light. In an Oct. 3, 2017 dispatch, Post [...]

  • (Updated) Wikipedia’s Jewish Problem

    October 6, 2017

    Note: This post has been updated. Scroll down for information. If anyone has any doubts that Wikipedia has a problem with the Jewish state, let them take a look at the website’s list of national [...]

  • BDS Activist and Media Favorite Uses Las Vegas Tragedy to Attack Israel

    October 3, 2017

    Munayyer A prominent activist in the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) effort, Yousef Munayyer, used the Oct. 2, 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas to attack Israel. Munayyer is the executive director of the U.S. [...]