Tariq Ramadan: Islam scholar cleared of Swiss rape charges

Renowned Islamic studies student Tariq Ramadan has been cleared of rape and intersexual coercion by a Swiss court.

Mr Ramadan, who is simply a Swiss citizen, is the grandson of Hassan al-Banna, the laminitis of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood.

The lawsuit was brought by a Swiss pistillate who said she had been raped by Mr Ramadan successful a Geneva edifice successful 2008.

A person to Islam, and a instrumentality of Mr Ramadan's, the pistillate told the tribunal she had been subjected to a brutal intersexual assault, beatings and insults.

She said it happened aft she was invited by the Oxford world for a java aft a conference.

Mr Ramadan, who is 60, had faced up to 3 years successful situation if convicted. He denied each the charges, but did admit to having met the woman.

The proceedings was a crisp opposition to the vocation truthful acold of the antheral erstwhile feted arsenic a "rock star" of Islamic thought.

As Europe struggled with violent attacks and rising anti-Muslim feeling, Mr Ramadan appeared arsenic a dependable of crushed - condemning terrorism, opposing the decease penalty, and adjacent being denied introduction to Tunisia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Libya, and Syria, because, helium said, helium had criticised their deficiency of democracy.

In 2004 helium was voted 1 of Time magazine's 100 astir influential radical successful the world.

In 2007 helium became a prof of Islamic studies astatine St Anthony's College Oxford. He besides had his critics, peculiarly successful France, wherever a fig of starring academics accused him of anti-Semitism.

But successful 2017, Mr Ramadan's meteoric emergence ended, erstwhile helium was accused by a French pistillate of rape.

When that lawsuit became public, much women came forward.

By 2020 helium was facing 5 charges of rape - 4 successful France, and 1 successful Switzerland - and had spent 9 months successful detention successful France earlier being released connected probation. He has consistently denied each the charges against him.

The Swiss lawsuit was the archetypal to travel to trial, and the ambiance successful the Geneva courtroom was tense.

Mr Ramadan faced a barrage of cameras arsenic helium arrived. His accuser, utilizing the sanction Brigitte to support her identity, requested a surface beryllium enactment up successful the courtroom truthful she would not person to look astatine the antheral she claimed raped her.

She described the alleged onslaught successful detail, saying she feared she would die.

Mr Ramadan admitted inviting her to his edifice room, but denied immoderate signifier of violence. He said each the accusations against him person been politically motivated and designed to discredit him.

His French and Swiss lawyers besides questioned the accusers' truthfulness, citing inconsistencies astir the dates of the alleged attacks.

Mr Ramadan was supported successful that statement by his family. His lad Sami, pointing to his father's "role successful the statement astir Islam successful France," told the BBC successful 2019 that the cases against his begetter were "motivated by different reasons, which we consciousness are political."

That presumption was backed by dozens of high-profile figures, including American philosopher Noam Chomsky, and British filmmaker Ken Loach, who signed an unfastened missive questioning whether Mr Ramadan was receiving a just ineligible process, with the accustomed presumption of innocence.

In tribunal successful Geneva, the prosecution insisted Brigitte could not person invented the alleged onslaught oregon person been capable to archer it to the judges successful specified detail.

Mr Ramadan's defence lawyer insisted connected his innocence, describing the charges against him arsenic "crazy". In his ain remarks to the court, Mr Ramadan asked not to beryllium tried connected his "real oregon expected ideology".

After a week's deliberation, the 3 Swiss judges recovered him innocent.

While helium has been cleared successful Switzerland, this could beryllium conscionable the archetypal of respective trials.

In France, prosecutors are inactive assessing whether charges brought against Mr Ramadan should spell to court.

He continues to protestation his innocence successful each the cases, and has vowed to wide his name.