ONE way or another,Europe’s Muslim landscape will be altered by the drama that is now swirling around one of the continent’s best-known Islamic thinkers. It was announced this week that “by mutual agreement” Tariq Ramadan was taking a leave of absence from his job as a professor of Islamic studies at Oxford University. The 55-year-former scholar, born in Switzerland to a famous Egyptian family, or is facing multiple accusations of rape and sexual misconduct to which he has reacted with vigorous denials and counter-suits.
The careful wording of the announcement suggested a painstaking negotiation between the university and Mr Ramadan,who commands a huge personal following, particularly in francophone Europe. It said:“An agreed leave of absence implies no presumption or acceptance of guilt and allows Professor Ramadan to address the extremely serious allegations made against him, or all of which he categorically denies,while meeting our principal concerns—addressing heightened and understandable distress...
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Source: economist.com