Rotterdam: City dismisses Ramadan homophobia claims

Rotterdam: City dismisses Ramadan homophobia claims


The city of Rotterdam is extending its contract with Tariq Ramadan for another two years, dismissing claims that the Swiss philosopher made homophobic and mysogenistic statements.


Last month, the Gay Krant, a newspaper for the homosexual community in the Netherlands, accused Tariq Ramadan of making homophobic and mysogenistic statements on tapes in Arabic destined for the immigrant communities in Europe.


Ramadan (46), a Swiss philosopher and theologist of Egyptian descent, was hired by the city of Rotterdam two years ago to "help lift the multicultural dialogue to a higher level". He dismissed the Gay Krant's accusations as slander.


The city of Rotterdam has since carried out its own investigation, the results of which were presented on Wednesday. The city had 54 Arabic-language cassette tapes translated and examined. According to council executive Rik Grasshof of the Green party GroenLinks, the Gay Krant's reporting was incomplete en inaccurate.


As a result, Ramadan's contract with the city will be extended for another two years, during which he will lead public debates in an effort to bring the various communities in Rotterdam closer together.


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Source: NRC (English)

See also:
* Rotterdam: VVD complains about Tariq Ramadan prayer
* Rotterdam: Municipality to investigate Ramadan tapes
* Netherlands: Ramadan unmasked

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