Tariq Ramadan was described at the Hay Festival 2008 as “One of the hundred great minds in Europe.” He is a Swiss Muslim academic and theologian. He advocates the studying and re-interpretation of Islamic texts and emphasizes the heterogeneous nature of Islamic Society. He believes that Muslims in Europe have to establish a new “European Islam” and emphasizes the necessity for their engagement in European society. He has many academic qualifications and is currently on a visiting fellowship at St Anthony’s College Oxford.

His grandfather was a founder of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and his father was exiled from Egypt to Switzerland by Nasser. His recent book, The Messenger: The Meanings of the Life of Muhammad, is published by Penguin.