A PROMINENT ex-Oxford University lecturer is facing fresh claims of raping a woman.

It has been widely reported that Tariq Ramadan, the old professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies, has been accused to raping a woman in France.

The scholar, who was also a senior research fellow at St Anthony's College, was charged in 2017 with the violent sexual assault of two women in hotel rooms in Lyon and Paris in 2009 and 2012 after conferences.

At the time he was also accused of sexual misconduct by four Swiss women.

Ramadan was taken into custody in February 2018 and held for nine months before being granted bail.

In the wake of the 2017 claims, the 57-year-old’s teaching, supervising and examining duties were reassigned and it was announced that he would not be present at the university or colleges.

A Tariq Ramadan timeline:

The professor has posted a statement from his Facebook account, the day before his birthday, promising to expose the facts.

He said: “I am, of course, aware of the investigation’s new elements and the new complaint, which the media spoke of abundantly on Sunday, August 25th.

“I will speak in the coming days to present the facts with determination, clarity and serenity. In sha Allah.”

It is understood that the alleged rape happened in 2014 and that the woman reported the incident to police in May, earlier this year.

It is claimed that the woman also accused Ramadan of issuing 'threats or acts of intimidation' aimed at dissuading her from reporting the alleged attack to the police, the judicial sources added – according to Le Monde who broke the news on Sunday.

Ramadan has received global praise for his academic work, including being ranked as one of the 100 most important innovators of the 21st century by Time Magazine.

A spokesperson for Oxford University said: “By mutual agreement, Tariq Ramadan, Professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies, has taken leave of absence from the University of Oxford. 

"The University has consistently acknowledged the gravity of the allegations against Professor Ramadan, while emphasising the importance of fairness and the principles of justice and due process.

"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, all of which he categorically denies, while meeting our principal concern - addressing heightened and understandable distress, and putting first the wellbeing of our students and staff."