Rape-Accused Oxford Professor Tariq Ramadan 'Questioned by Police in Paris

Oxford University professor and government adviser Tariq Ramadan has been detained for questioning months after two women filed rape charges against him, according to a legal source.

The prominent Swiss Islam academic was summoned for questioning with Paris judicial police and taken into custody "as part of a preliminary inquiry in Paris into rape and assault allegations", the source said, confirming a report by RTL radio.

He can be detained for questioning for a maximum of 48 hours after which he could be simply freed, placed under formal investigation or made an "assistant witness" - a status suggesting there is less reason to suspect he committed a crime.

Prof Ramadan has previously strongly denied all allegations against him and has claimed he is being targeted by "a campaign of slander clearly orchestrated by my longtime adversaries".

In October, Henda Ayari, a former Salafist turned secular feminist author, alleged Mr Ramadan had raped her in a hotel room in 2012. She had mentioned the rape in a book published in 2016 but said she had not named Mr Ramadan after receiving "threats".

She said she had decided to "name and shame" Prof Ramadan as a "pervert guru" following the Harvey Weinstein scandal.

Referring to the alleged rape, she said he had "pounced on my like a wild animal" after she went to tell him she admired his work.

"He kissed me really hard... then for a few seconds he choked me, I really thought I was going to die".

She said that in his eyes, "either you're veiled or you are raped", adding that he "uses Islam to satisfy his sexual urges".

The second complainant - a 42-year old convert to Islam - has alleged that she was raped by Prof Ramadan in the Hilton hotel in Lyon in 2009.

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