Her finder du vores study guide til artiklen “You Can't Go Home Again” af Tariq Ramadan. Teksten er fra lærebogen Contexts (s. 204) og hører til temaet IMMIGRANTS.
Tariq Ramadan (f. 1962) er en kontroversiel schweizisk forfatter og filosof med ægyptisk og muslimsk ophav. Time Magazine har udpeget ham som en af de mest 100 inflydelsesrige mennesker i verden.
Receiver
Ramadan’s article “You Can't Go Home Again” deals with the new generation of Muslims living in Europe. Therefore, the main receivers of this text are European Muslims. The sender includes himself in this category, as he refers to European Muslims with the first-person plural pronoun “we”: “We must not fall into a ‘victim mentality’ ” (p. 204, ll. 72-73). The text, therefore, provides advice for Muslims living in Europe on how to co-exist with non-Muslims.
Ramadan also refers to non-Muslims who are not familiar with non-Muslim culture: “They need to face up to their ignorance and reject the clichés and prejudices that surround Islam.” (p. 205, ll. 24-26). While there is a history of discrimination against Muslims, Ramadan might be making generalizations about non-Muslims. Ramadan also challenges non-Muslims to learn about Islam and to understand that Muslims, with their culture, can contribute to the European way of life: “Do you sincerely believe that Muslims – with their spirituality, ethics and creativity – have a positive contribution to make?” (p. 205, ll. 35-38). This also suggests that he is aware of both open and hidden prejudices against Muslims, which means he also addresses people who could hold such prejudices.
Since the topic addresses European culture and society, it targets a European audience. However, the text was published shortly after 9/11 in an American magazine, at a time when Islamophobia was at a high point in the US. Therefore, it is also intended for its American audience, to remind them to not associate Islam with terrorism and to be accepting of Muslims.
