A prominent Swiss Islamic scholar is in police custody following allegations of rape and sexual assault, according to a French judicial official.
Tariq Ramadan has thus far denied any wrongdoing, but the Paris prosecutor’s office is investigating the allegations, the Associated Press reported.
Last year, Parisian newspapers reported two women filed complaints in France against Ramadan, one for rape in 2009 and the other for assault in 2012. The Paris judicial office has confirmed that two separate lawsuits were filed against Ramadan.
The Swiss national has taken a leave of absence from his professorship at Oxford University as a result of the investigation. According to the professor’s website, he teaches contemporary Islamic studies at Oxford.
Politico notes Ramadan is considered an influential but controversial figure among Muslim scholars. He is the grandson of Hassan al-Banna, founder of the Muslim Brotherhood.
