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After four months of pre-trial detention, Tariq Ramadan’s last appeal for bail has again been denied. As scholars and politicians from around the world, we write to demand due process for Professor Tariq Ramadan, incarcerated since February 2nd in a French prison.
It is not for us to judge Tariq Ramadan’s guilt or innocence. We fully recognize the rights of the plaintiffs to have their case heard without prejudice and without injury to their honour. But we wish to remind the country that has affirmed the inalienability of human rights and equality of the importance of respect for the principles that ensure the integrity of French justice.
We ask: Why has Mr. Ramadan been denied bail at the preliminary investigative stage although he willingly came for questioning and has given all required guarantees?
Has Mr. Ramadan been granted the equal treatment so prized by France when high-ranking political figures accused of similar offenses continue to enjoy full freedom of movement?
Is there one form of justice for Muslims in France and another for everyone else?
What justifies solitary confinement, limited family visitation rights, the denial of access to his case file and thus to the necessary means of preparing his defense?
Can prosecutors selectively leak information with impunity? Is it standard procedure in France for high-ranking political figures to publicly denigrate someone awaiting a trial?
In short, we respectfully ask, has Mr. Ramadan benefitted from a fair and equitable legal process, one in which he is presumed innocent until proven guilty?
These are straightforward questions of equal justice. To them we add deep concern for the dignity and humane treatment of all prisoners.
French magistrates have appeared to ignore the diagnoses of nine physicians that Mr. Ramadan suffers from multiple sclerosis, including the chief prison medical authority, who confirmed that his state of health is not compatible with continued incarceration.
Even though Mr. Ramadan suffers from multiple sclerosis and further neurological complications, proper medical treatment has not been provided.
We understand that the defense has appealed to the European Court of Human Rights against undue suffering he has undergone at the hands of the French justice.
We ask our French friends: should it truly come to this?
We, the signatories of this letter, endorse France’s commitment to uphold the values of liberté, égalité et fraternité threatened today around the world. We trust that your response to our appeal will prove these sentiments to be well placed.
Signatories (last updated 2 August 2018)
Professor Boualem Boashash, Brisbane, Australia
Prof Farid Hafez, Salzburg, Austria
Dr Malika Hamidi, Author and Sociologist, Brussels, Belgium
Dr Yacob Mahi, Brussels, Belgium
Dr Ahmet Alibasic, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Dr Mustafa Ceric, Grand Mufti Emeritus of Bosnia, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Dr Francirosy Campos Barbosa, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Pofessor Dr Moustafa El-Guindy, Unicamp, Brazil
Professor Dr Mohamed Ezz El Din Habib, Unicamp, Brazil
Dr Nadia Abu-Zahra, Ottawa, Canada
Dr Katherine Bullock, Toronto, Canada
Faisal Kutty, Toronto, Canada
Yakub Mohamed, Toronto, Canada
Charles Taylor, Montreal, Canada
Thomas Woodley, Montreal, Canada
Houria Bouteldja, Paris, France
Francois Burgat, Political Scientist, Paris, France
Professor Monique Chemiller-Gendreau, Lawyer, France
Ismahane Chouder, Paris, France
Dr Sonia Dayan-Herzbrun, Paris, France
Françoise Duthu, former European Deputee, France
Professor Géraud de la Pradelle, Lawyer, France
Marie-Lorraine Pradelles, Psychologist-psychoanalyst, France
Catherine Samary, Paris, France
Michèle Sibony, Member of UJFP (French Jewish Union for Peace), France
Fatiha Talahite, Economist, Paris, France
Professor Richard Friedli, Germany
Dr Hans-Christian Günther, Freiburg, Germany
Elma Berisha, Kosovo
Professor Dr Anwar Alam, Policy Perspectives Foundation, New Delhi, India
Dr Javad Kashani, Tehran, Iran
Professor Mohammad Marandi, Tehran, Iran
Professor Abdulkarim Soroush, Iran
Massimo Campanini, Trento, Italy
Dr Mohammed Hashas, Rome, Italy
Hamza Roberto Piccardo, Italy
Dr Mohammad Abdur Rahman Siddiqi, Tokyo, Japan
Michel Warshawski, Journalist and writer, Jerusalem
Dr Ahmad Sukkar, Beirut, Lebanon
Tengku Ahmad Hazri, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Anwar Ibrahim, Former Opposition Leader, Prisoner of Conscience, Malaysia
Wan Azizah binti Wan Ismail, Member of Parliament, Opposition Leader, Malaysia
Nurul Izzah Ibrahim, Member of Parliament, Malaysia
Professor Dr Mohammad Hashim Kamali, Writer and Founding CEO, International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies (IAIS), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Dr Merve Kavakci, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Dr Ahmad Farouk Musa, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Dr Chandra Muzaffar, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Aminata Traoré, Bamako, Mali
Abdool Majeed Jeenathally, Mauritius
Dr Paul Aarts, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Alexander Fluegel, The Hague, The Netherlands
Dr Ellen van de Bovenkamp, Leiden, The Netherlands
Dr Tania Saeed, Assistant Professor, Lahore, Pakistan
Dr Hamid Aminoddin Barra, Marawi City, The Philippines
Dr Mutaz Al Khatib, Doha, Qatar
Dr Mawahib Bakr, Doha, Qatar
Dr Mohammed Ghaly, Doha, Qatar
Professor Ray Jureidini, Doha, Qatar
Professor Emad El-Din Shahin, Doha, Qatar
Florin Buhaceanu, Executive President, ECPI (Euro Regional Center for Public Initiatives), Romania
Dr Rachid Id Yassine, Sociologist, Anthropologist, Saint-Louis, Senegal
Professor Farid Esack, Johannesburg, South Africa
Dr Quraysha Ismail Sooliman, Pretoria, South Africa
Jacques Neirynck, Switzerland
Erica Deubert Ziegler, Geneva, Switzerland
Jean Ziegler, Geneva, Switzerland
Dr Sami Al-Arian, Istanbul, Turkey
Dr Sener Akturk, Istanbul, Turkey
Dr Ibrahim Özdemir, Turkey
Dr Daud Abdullah, Director, Middle East Monitor
Professor Dr Arshin Adib-Moghaddam, London, UK
Dr Fauzia Ahmad, London, UK
Dr Abdul-Azim Ahmed, Editor, On Religion Magazine, UK
Dr Liju Ahmed, London, UK
Dr Shabbir Akhtar, Oxford, UK
Dr Seyed Ali Alavi, London, UK
Dr Mansur Ali, Cardiff, Wales, UK
Dr Nadje Al-Ali, London, UK
Dr Arif Anis, Executive Director of European Council on Global Relations, London, UK
Professor Humayun Ansari, London, UK
Dr Walter Armbrust, Oxford, UK
Karen Armstrong, Author and Researcher in Comparative Religions, London, UK
Mohammed Abdul Aziz, Former Advisor to UK government on Race, Religion & Community Cohesion, UK
Professor Masooda Bano, Oxford, UK
Dr Fanny Bauer-Motti, Clinical Psychologist, London, UK
Zaher Berrawi, Director, EuroPal, London, UK
Jonathan Bloch, Businessman and Writer, UK
Professor Stephen Chan, London, UK
Dr Stephanie Cronin, Oxford, UK
Dr Radha D’Souza, Constitutional Lawyer & Professor, London, UK
Dr Abdullah Faliq, London, UK
Jonathan Fryer, Writer and Broadcaster, UK
Professor Geaves, Cardiff, Wales, UK
Dr Bill Gent, Educational Consultant & Researcher, UK
Professor Richard Gombrich, Oxford, UK
Professor Penny Green, Professor of Law and Globalisation, International State Crime Initiative, London, UK
Anne Gray, Campaign Against Criminalising Communities (CAMPACC), UK
Dr Bilal Hassam, Community Activist, Leeds, UK
Salim T S Al-Hassani, Emeritus Professor, Manchester, UK
Shahid Islam, Bradford, UK
Haifaa Jawad, Birmingham, UK
Professor George Joffe, London, UK
Dr Homa Katouzian, Oxford, UK
Mohammed Kozbar, Chairman, Finsbury Park Mosque, London, UK
Ken Loach, Film Director, UK
Ajmal Masroor, Imam and Broadcaster, UK
Oliver Mcternan, Co-founder and Director, Forward Thinking, UK
Dr Shamim Miah, Lecturer, Huddersfield, UK
Dr Ziba Mir-Hosseini, Cambridge, UK
Professor Tariq Modood, Bristol, UK
Amjad Mohammed-Saleem, Peacebuilding Advisor, UK
Dr Tamjid Mujtaba, London, UK
Professor Ian Neary, Oxford, UK
Tanya Cariina Newbury-Smith, Exeter, UK
Professor Kalypso Nicolaidis, Oxford, UK
Professor Jørgen S. Nielsen, Birmingham, UK
Peter Oborne, Writer, Journalist, Producer, London, UK
Dr Farid Panjwani, London, UK
Ismail Patel, Founder and Director, Friends of Al Aqsa, UK
Yvonne Ridley, Scotland, UK
Professor Eugene Rogan, Oxford, UK
Sir Iqbal Sacranie, Founding Member and first Secretary-General, Muslim Council of Britain
Dr Behar Sadriu, London, UK
Omar Salha, London, UK
Professor Salman Sayyid, Leeds, UK
Hussain Shefaar, Faith Inspire, UK
Dr Mustapha Sheikh, Leeds, UK
Professor Avi Shlaim, Oxford, UK
Dr Ataullah Siddiqui, Former Director, Markfield Institute of Higher Education, UK
Imam Fadel Soliman, Director, Bridges Foundation, UK
Baroness Uddin, British life peer and community activist, UK
AbdoolKarim A. Vakil, Lecturer, London, UK
Dr Khursheed Wadia, Warwick, UK
The Rt. Revd Dr Rowan Williams, Cambridge, UK
Professor Jan Zielonka, Oxford, UK
Dr Barbara Zollner, Birkbeck, London, UK
Dr Khaled Abu-El Fadl, Los Angeles, California, USA
Professor Asma Afsaruddin, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
Professor Leila Ahmed, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Dr Azizah al-Hibri, Richmond, USA
Dr Muna Ali, Arizona, USA
Dr Ilham AlMahamid, Albany, New York, USA
Ijaz Arif, Roseville, California, USA
Professor Asma Barlas, Ithaca, New York, USA
Abbas Barzegar, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Dr Hatem Bazian, Berkeley, California, USA
Dr Jonathan Brown, Washington DC, USA
Dr Zahid Bukhari, Frederick, Maryland, USA
Dr Charles Butterworth, Maryland, USA
Dr Dustin J. Byrd, Olivet, USA
Noam Chomsky, USA
Salah Eddin Elbakri, Oakland, USA
Shaykh Shaker Elsayed, Imam, Dar al-Hijra Mosque and Islamic Centre, USA
Professor John Esposito, Washington DC, USA
Dr James H. Faghmous, Stanford, USA
Professor Richard Falk, Princeton, USA
Professor Marianne Farina, Berkeley, California, USA
Dr Norman Finkelstein, USA
Dr Alain Gabon, Virginia, USA
Paola Garcia, writer and lawyer, Columbia, USA
Professor Todd Green, Iowa, USA
Dr Ramon Grosfoguel, Berkeley, California, USA
Dr Farrukh Hakeem, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
Dr Abdullah bin Hamid Ali, California, USA
Dr Nader Hashemi, Denver, USA
Professor Marcia Hermansen, Chicago, USA
Dr Altaf Husain, Washington, USA
Hussein Khatib, Minnesota, USA
Professor Peter Mandaville, Washington DC, USA
Dalia Mogahed, Washington, USA
Dr Aasim Padela, Chicago, USA
Muslema Purmul, California, USA
Dr Yasir Qadhi, Memphis, TN, USA
Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool, Washington DC, USA (former ambassador of South Africa to the United States)
Professor Joan W. Scott, Feminist Historian, Princeton, USA
Professor Robert Shedinger, Iowa, USA
Dr Ahmad Sheikh, Cape Girardeau, Missouri, USA
Shaykh Mustafa Umar, President, California Islamic University, USA
Dr Amina Wadud, Berkeley, California, USA
Hamza Yusuf, Berkeley, California, USA