Salut!

Tariq Ramadan: Dreyfus-level persecution or a case of Jekyll and Hyde?

The National asked me to write about the curious case of Tariq Ramadan, the renowned Islamic scholar, academic and commentator who currently sits in a French jail held on suspicion of raping at least two women. A third French case is also the subject of inquiry and other women, in Switzerland and the US, have made allegations of sexual abuse since the first cases came to light. The National's editor kindly permits reproduction of my work here ...

The first of several women to accuse the Swiss academic Tariq Ramadan of rape says she wants neither to ruin nor humiliate him, but to spare others what she claims to have suffered.

France and Islam: a divided religion in a divided country

The mosque at Lunel, a small southern town from which up to 30 people left to join terrorist groups in Syria or Iraq, or to accompany those doing so: see this previous item

I recently completed a fairly comprehensive three-part series for The National* on France and Islam - and many of the issues of tolerance, integration and radicalisation that arise from such a broad subject. In the footnote, you will find links to each of the published items as they appeared at the newspaper's website.

For weeks, I badgered Ahmet Ogras, president the Conseil Français du Culte Musulman (the French Muslim Council, or CFCM) for an interview. Despite the demands of Ramadan, he finally agreed but, unfortunately, a little too late for inclusion in the series, though I had hoped to squeeze in a short article to accompany the last instalment.

An appearance at Salut! is modest consolation but it feels right to find space at least here for Mr Ogras's thoughts, especially with the Emmanuel Macron initiative on the organisation of the religion in France thought to be imminent ....