Tariq Ramadan's Rape Trial to Proceed in Paris After Illness Claim Dismissed
A former Oxford professor and prominent Islamic studies scholar will face a rape trial in his absence in Paris next week, after a French court dismissed his assertion that he was too ill to attend in person. Tariq Ramadan, aged 63, is accused of the aggravated rape of three women in France between 2009 and 2016.
Medical Experts Rule Ramadan Fit for Trial
The Swiss national suffers from multiple sclerosis (MS), but medical experts concluded he was sufficiently fit to attend the four-week trial. Presiding judge Corinne Goetzmann issued an immediate arrest warrant and ordered the trial to proceed after receiving the medical opinion. This decision followed an adjournment on Monday, the trial's first day, when Ramadan failed to appear, with his lawyers stating he was hospitalised in Geneva due to his MS.
Prosecution lawyer Philippe Courroye accused Ramadan of "using every means available to avoid appearing and being tried." After Judge Goetzmann dismissed the ill health claims, Ramadan's four lawyers left the courtroom in protest. One of them, Ouadie Elhamamouchi, declared, "To stay is to accept this travesty of justice."
Allegations and Previous Conviction
Ramadan denies all charges, arguing the women consented to sexual relations. The allegations involve three women: Henda Ayari, a French feminist activist and writer, who accuses him of rape in 2012; a disabled woman known as "Christelle," who alleges a brutal assault in 2009; and an unnamed woman who claims she was raped in 2016. If convicted, Ramadan faces up to 20 years in prison.
This case is among the most notable to emerge from the Me Too movement, which gained momentum after allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein in 2017. In 2024, Ramadan was convicted of raping a woman named Brigitte in 2008 and sentenced to one year in prison, adding to the gravity of the current proceedings.
Ramadan's Academic and Public Profile
After multiple allegations of rape, assault, and sexual harassment surfaced in 2017, Ramadan took a leave of absence from Oxford University, where he had been a senior research fellow at St Antony's College for a decade. The university emphasised that his leave "implies no presumption or acceptance of guilt." In 2021, he left the university by mutual agreement, taking early retirement for health reasons.
Ramadan has described severe symptoms from his MS, including reliance on a walking frame, permanent headaches, concentration difficulties, memory loss, and intense pain. Despite this, he remains a figure of controversy and influence.
Once a leading Islamic thinker who condemned extremist terrorism post-9/11, Ramadan advised British governments on Islam and society. He was listed in Time magazine's 100 most influential people in 2004 and joined a government task force under Prime Minister Tony Blair in 2005 to investigate extremism roots in Britain. His grandfather, Hassan al-Banna, founded the Muslim Brotherhood, adding to his complex legacy.
Ramadan has faced travel restrictions, being denied entry to countries like Tunisia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Libya, and Syria due to his criticisms of their democratic deficits. The upcoming trial marks a critical juncture in a career marred by legal battles and public scrutiny.
