Islamic Sciences Professor Takes Leave from Oxford University After Being Accused of 'Rape'

On Tuesday, November 7, Oxford University announced that following allegations of rape and sexual harassment against Tariq Ramadan, a prominent professor of Islamic sciences at the university, he has decided to take a leave of absence. According to Agence France-Presse, two French women have accused Mr. Ramadan of rape, and other allegations of sexual harassment involving minors from the 1980s and 1990s have also been raised against him. Tariq Ramadan, a Swiss citizen and regarded as a leading Islamic thinker in the West, has denied all these allegations, claiming they are part of a campaign by his opponents to tarnish his reputation. Oxford University stated, "By mutual agreement, and effective immediately, Tariq Ramadan, Professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies, has taken a leave of absence from his activities at Oxford University." The university noted that the allegations against Mr. Ramadan have raised serious concerns, and the protection of students is its priority. Mr. Ramadan, who firmly denies all the allegations, claims he will confront those who have accused him in court. He defended the university's statement, asserting that it upholds the principle of innocence until proven guilty. According to the report, despite the allegations of two rape cases being raised against Tariq Ramadan some time ago, he continued to work at Oxford University. His conservative views on Islam have garnered him both significant popularity and many enemies. The two women who claim Mr. Ramadan raped them say they sought religious guidance from him. Henda Ayari, a Muslim feminist activist, told the newspaper Le Parisien, "When he attacked me in a hotel room in Paris in 2012, I felt I was going to die." The second woman, who is disabled and remains anonymous, claims Mr. Ramadan raped her multiple times and beat her in a hotel in Lyon, France, in 2009. A judicial source told Agence France-Presse that the prosecution is simultaneously investigating both rape allegations and will also examine sexual harassment, acts of violence, and death threats. Tariq Ramadan's lawyers argue that a thorough investigation should be conducted to prove that the two women did not conspire with each other. According to Reuters, the Paris prosecutor's office began investigating the case last month following a complaint by Ms. Henda Ayari. In response, Tariq Ramadan has filed a defamation lawsuit against Henda Ayari. Tariq Ramadan, a researcher and professor of Islamic sciences, is the grandson of Hassan al-Banna, an Egyptian thinker and Islamist activist considered the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood. In a related incident, staff members of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo have received death threats via Twitter, and following the magazine's complaint, police and judicial authorities have opened a separate investigation into this matter. Last week, Charlie Hebdo published a caricature of Mr. Ramadan on the cover of its magazine in connection with the rape allegations against him. The French Minister of the Interior stated that the threats against Charlie Hebdo will be taken very seriously. In a previous attack on the Charlie Hebdo office, which occurred after the publication of a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad in January 2015, 12 people were killed.