Tariq Ramadan, a Swiss Muslim academic and Islamic scholar, has been convicted of multiple rapes in Europe. On 25 March 2026, a Paris criminal court sentenced him in absentia to 18 years in prison for raping three women in France between 2009 and 2016.
The court described the offences as involving serious violence and psychological harm, and it imposed long-term judicial supervision, contact bans, and a permanent ban from French territory. He did not appear at the trial, citing health issues, and a French arrest warrant was issued following the verdict. Currently, he is understood to be in Switzerland under medical care.
On 2 March 2026, at the opening of his Paris trial, Tariq Ramadan’s lawyers submitted a petition requesting that the proceedings be postponed, stating that he was hospitalised in Switzerland and unable to appear in court. The court rejected the request, ruling that he was legally able to stand trial, and the trial proceeded in his absence.
Earlier, Ramadan was convicted in Switzerland for a separate case dating to 2008 in Geneva. Initially acquitted, his conviction for rape and sexual coercion was upheld by the Swiss appeals court in September 2024 and confirmed by Switzerland’s highest court in August 2025. He was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment, two of which were suspended.
Ramadan was widely recognized before his convictions as an Islamic scholar and taught contemporary Islamic studies at the University of Oxford’s St Antony’s College. He was known internationally for his writings on Islam, Muslim identity in Europe, and interfaith dialogue. He is the grandson of Hassan al‑Banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood. Ramadan was regularly featured in media outlets such as Al Jazeera, BBC, and other international platforms and was named by Foreign Policy magazine as one of the Top 100 Global Thinkers in multiple years, reflecting his influence in global debates on religion and society.
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