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About
Tariq Ramadan (born August 26, 1962, in Geneva, Switzerland) is a Swiss-born Muslim academic, philosopher, writer, and theologian known for his work on contemporary Islamic studies and the integration of Muslims in Western societies. He is the grandson of Hassan al-Banna, founder of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, which has shaped his intellectual and familial background. Raised in Switzerland by Egyptian parents—his father being Said Ramadan, a key figure in the European Muslim Brotherhood—Ramadan pursued higher education at the University of Geneva, studying philosophy and French literature before earning two doctorates: one in philosophy focusing on Friedrich Nietzsche and another in Arabic and Islamic studies. He also received intensive classical Islamic training (ijazat in seven disciplines) from scholars at Al-Azhar University in Cairo. Describing himself as a 'Salafi reformist,' Ramadan has advocated for a moderate interpretation of Islam compatible with European values, contributing extensively through writings and lectures to debates on Muslim identity in the West and Islamic revival. His academic career includes serving as a professor of contemporary Islamic studies at St Antony's College, Oxford, and the Faculty of Theology and Religion at the University of Oxford until 2018. He has held positions as a senior research fellow at Doshisha University in Japan, a visiting professor at Université Mundiapolis in Morocco, and previously at the Faculty of Islamic Studies at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar. He founded and directed the Research Centre of Islamic Legislation and Ethics (CILE) in Doha until 2018. In 2018, Ramadan faced serious legal troubles when accused of rape by multiple women, leading to his detention in France. In 2023, he was convicted in Switzerland of raping a woman in 2008, receiving a three-year suspended sentence, and in 2024, a French court convicted him of another rape in 2012, sentencing him to four years, with two years suspended. These convictions have significantly impacted his career and public standing, resulting in the loss of his Oxford position and ongoing appeals. Despite this, Ramadan maintains his innocence, framing the cases as politically motivated, and continues limited academic engagements.