Professor Tariq Ramadan and his lawyers have presented what they claim to be “definitive proof” of his innocence in a series of rape and sexual assault cases that have shadowed him since 2017.
In a press conference in Paris on Tuesday attended by 5Pillars, Ramadan, 63, accused plaintiffs and detractors of orchestrating a “premeditated” trap driven by Islamophobia, and he urged Muslims globally to “wake up” and reject narratives weaponising sexual assault claims.
At the core of Ramadan’s defence are four pieces of new evidence, spearheaded by forensic computational linguistics — a cutting-edge science that uses digital algorithms to identify authorship of texts.
In a case in which he was convicted of rape in Switzerland, Ramadan cited an expert analysis which concluded with “97% to 100%” certainty that his accuser, known a Brigitte, authored a message 14 days before their sole meeting in Geneva, warning that “a torpedo is in preparation” against him and that he “has to be worried about what is going to happen.”
Ramadan said: “You know that in Switzerland nothing happened between me and her, and this is what I said from the very beginning.”
Similarly, in France, a second accuser allegedly wrote messages six days before a 2009 Paris hotel meeting, plotting to “make him fall into a trap, invite him to a hotel, invite the paparazzi, and visit the newspapers as we are going to expose him.”
Despite her denial of authorship, Ramadan stated: “Now, with this expertise, with 97% certainty, and using six different methods, the expert says she wrote these messages.”
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He challenged the courts: “This is what I am expecting from the Swiss juridical system, and the French one, by saying, look, my name is Tariq Ramadan, I know that you don’t like me… but this is not the question. Now it’s a question of truth, and it’s a question of justice, do your job.”
“The judicial system has been deceived by these plaintiffs,” he insisted. “Today I’m condemned while I’m innocent, and science is saying they premeditated the whole thing.”
A far-right plot?
Tariq Ramadan is the grandson of Hassan al-Banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.
He gained prominence as a public intellectual in Europe, known for his work on Islamic theology, ethics and the integration of Muslims in Western societies.
He held prominent academic positions, including as a Professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies at the University of Oxford (until 2017), and authored books such as “What I Believe and Islam,” and “The West and the Challenges of Modernity.”
Ramadan, who was convicted in Switzerland in 2023 for raping a woman (three-year suspended sentence) is seeking a Swiss acquittal hearing today. He also faces judicial cases in France over sexual assault allegations by two other women.
Nevertheless, he attributes the accusations to a broader conspiracy rooted in anti-Muslim sentiment, implicating French journalist Caroline Fourest, who wrote a 2014 book vilifying him, as well as “far-right” Israeli-French paparazzi Jean-Claude Elfassi.
He alleged that Fourest, whom he called a “racist” and “far-right activist,” collaborated with plaintiffs for “almost 15 years.”
Ramadan also pointed to Elfassi’s reported calls for French Jews to flee a country “infested by Muslims and Arabs” as evidence of his bias.
He framed the ordeal as political: “I am targeted for what I represent, meaning a voice for the voiceless and an active Muslim, and they tried to destroy my reputation.”
Personal and spiritual toll
Ramadan told 5Pillars that the past eight years have exacted a heavy toll.
“I spent more than nine months in prison. My family was targeted. It was very difficult for my wife. It was very difficult for my kids,” Ramadan said, his voice breaking. “Without them, without my faith in Allah it would have been impossible.”
Ramadan said he lost his health (he suffers from multiple sclerosis) and academic posts, with “many people ending up thinking that something must be true and listening to rumours.”
Yet he found solace in spirituality. “I learned something which is deep… it’s all about a test and being tested. In the end, I have to thank God because He was calling me back to the essential, to purify my heart, to come back to the centre and to rely on Allah.”
However, Ramadan expressed frustration with Muslim communities’ silence, particularly in France, where systematic oppression of Muslims has become stark in recent years.
“I was disappointed,” he admitted. “I got people just coming with moral judgment as if they were perfect… I’m the first, I’m not going to be the last.” He warned: “If you are silent when one of your brothers or sisters is targeted, you’re going to pay the price.”
To Muslims worldwide, Ramadan’s message was unequivocal: “Wake up, don’t accept the dominant narrative distorting your understanding of things.” He urged support for justice over gendered assumptions, noting: “The victims are not always women; they can be men.”
Invoking Islamic ethics, he concluded: “Don’t judge too quickly… Let this be between God, Allah, and myself and my family. As for you, stand for justice, and do your job, meaning be vocal in the name of justice.”
