Oxford University Islamic professor denies rape allegations by French author

Professor Tariq Ramadan in a statement released through his lawyer said he 'rejects all these false allegations'

PARIS: A professor of Islamic studies at Oxford University has denied rape charges filed against him by a French author.

Professor Tariq Ramadan, 55, was said to have attacked Henda Ayari after inviting her to his hotel room following a conference on Islam in Paris in 2012. Ramadan is the grandson of Egyptian scholar Hassan al-Banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood.

However, the 55-year-old professor, released a statement denying any such accusation to be true. In a statement issued through his lawyer, Yassin Bouzrou, Ramadan said he “categorically rejects all these false allegations” and will lodge a complaint for slander and defamation with the public prosecutor in Rouen, The Telegraph reported.

Oxford University's spokesperson said, “We are aware of these reports and are taking them extremely seriously. We are not in a position to comment further at this time."



 

The complaint, filed with the Rouen prosecutor’s office in northwest France by Ayari, now a secular activist, detailed criminal acts of rape, sexual assault, violence, harassment and intimidation, according to a document reviewed by AFP. The Liberators Association, of which Ayari is president, said on Facebook that she was “a victim of something very serious several years ago,” but did not reveal the name of her aggressor for safety reasons.

In her book “I Chose to be Free,” published in November 2016, she described her aggressor as Zubair. She wrote that she met him at his hotel in Paris after he had given a lecture. “I will not give precise details of the acts he has done to me. It is enough to know that he has benefited greatly from my weakness,” Ayari wrote.



She added that when she rebelled against him at one point, he screamed at her, insulted her, slapped her and treated her violently.

“I confirm today, that the famous Zubair is Tariq Ramadan,” Ayari wrote on Facebook. Her lawyer Jonas Haddad said she did not report the assault earlier out of fear.

“After revelations over the past few days of rape and sexual assault claims in the media, Henda has decided to say what happened to her and take legal action,” he told AFP.