Tariq Ramadan is a grandson of Hassan al-Banna, a co-founder of the Muslim Brotherhood.Image: keystone
March 6, 2026, 6:47 p.mMarch 6, 2026, 6:47 p.m
The Paris justice system has issued an arrest warrant against the controversial Swiss Islamic scholar and preacher Tariq Ramadan because he did not appear at the start of his rape trial. The Paris criminal court decided that the trial against the 63-year-old would initially be conducted in his absence, as the newspaper “Le Parisien” reported from the courtroom. Two court-appointed medical experts had previously certified that the preacher was fit to stand trial.
Ramadan did not appear in court at the start of the trial on Monday. He suffers from multiple sclerosis and had been admitted to a clinic in Geneva on Saturday, his defense attorney explained, citing a certificate. Because Ramadan violated the judicial requirement to stay in the greater Paris area, the public prosecutor’s office applied for an arrest warrant. As the experts explained in court, the Islamic researcher’s health was stable and they also ruled out the possibility of a stroke.
Ramadan faces up to 20 years in prison
Ramadan is accused of raping three women between 2009 and 2016 in Lyon and Paris. The 63-year-old has been in custody for ten months because of this. Ramadan had always rejected the allegations, but later admitted contact with the women. They described him as manipulative, dominant and brutal. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison.
Ramadan had already been fined in France for revealing the identity of one of the plaintiffs. In Switzerland, the well-known Islamic scholar was convicted of rape and sexual assault in another case in August 2024.
Ramadan is a grandson of Hassan al-Banna, a co-founder of the Muslim Brotherhood. He advocates a European-Muslim identity. He has long been controversial and has also been criticized as a pioneer of Islamism. (sda/dpa)