PARIS – For those attending this year’s annual gathering of Muslims in the French city, Le Bourget, the absence of Muslim scholar Tariq Ramadan, now in custody, is casting gloom over the event, which is already struggling to cope with a declining number of visitors.
“Attendance has been declining for a few years, but in addition, this time, people knew that Tariq Ramadan would not be present,” Mourad Latrech, co-founder of SaphirNews and SalamNews, told Le Monde.
The annual Muslim event, RAMF, in its 35th year, opened last Friday, March 30, and runs till Sunday, April 1.
Held under the banner, “An Exceptional Encounter, Unique Spaces”, the occasion is organized every year on Easter weekend at Le Bourget (Seine-Saint-Denis) by Muslims of France (MF), formerly known as the Union of Islamic Organizations of France (UOIF).
This year, it coincides with what many have perceived as an unjust incarceration of Ramadan, a Swiss citizen and Oxford University professor of Islamic studies, who has been held by the French police since early February as part of a preliminary probe into rape charges.
He has denied the allegations against him.
Ramadan, hospitalized recently, reportedly suffers from multiple sclerosis and neuropathy.
At the lobby, volunteers supporting the Muslim theologian could be easily noticed selling his books and arranging support efforts.
“We are dismayed by the situation of Tariq Ramadan, who is not judged as would be another, explains the young woman,” Amel, 25, said.
“He is incarcerated, he does not have the right to visit, no appropriate medical care. Recently, other personalities involved have not been treated in this way, such as [Gerald] Darmanin , [Nicolas] Hulot or [Nicolas] Sarkozy. Even Nordhal Lelandais was hospitalized.”
Amar Lasfar, president of the Muslims of France (MF) urged people to respect the “presumption of innocence.”
“Even if he was condemned, his thought remains intact,” said Lasfar at a news conference.
Le Bourget has become a fixture in the French calendar, a chance for Muslims to meet, hear speeches from intellectuals and scholars.
Thousands of Muslims came in droves from across Europe to attend the annual activities, with a miscellany of books and items on display, attending lectures and vying in contests for the memorization of the Qur’an.
This is in addition to young women in their unmistakable hijabs and enthusiastic young men making up the bulk of attendees.
France is home to some six to seven million Muslims, according to some official statistics, making them the largest Muslim minority in Europe.