The latest explosive charge involving Tariq Ramadan comes from “Marie,” the third woman to accuse the “world’s foremost Muslim scholar” and “towering intellect” of rape.

Marie was beaten up and her mobile phone was stolen during the assault, according to Henda Ayari, who was the first woman to accuse Mr Ramadan of rape. Ayari is close to Marie and reported her story to the French magazine Marianne this week. The attack is said to have happened three weeks after Marie made a formal complaint claiming to have suffered multiple rapes in France, Brussels and London between 2013 and 2014 at the hands of the scholar…. Marie filed a complaint about the alleged assault at her home on the evening of March 25. According to a copy of the complaint seen by French media, Marie claims to have been grabbed at her throat, sprayed with water and verbally abused. “Next time it will be gasoline,” the men are reported as saying, before running away.

Though we knew that Henda Ayari had received more than 3,000 death threats, and for several months has had to have round-the-clock protection, we did not until now know, from her report in Marianne, that others of his accusers, such as “Marie,” had received threats and been subject to attacks. Such menacing behavior by Ramadan’s loyal followers is meant not only to scare his accusers, but are also designed to keep other women from coming forward at all. We may never know how many women were actually attacked by Ramadan, given the fear of what some among both his two million Facebook friends, and the nearly 140,000 people who have signed a letter demanding his immediate release, might do to his accusers. Is it worth it? Many will conclude that it is not, and keep their own encounters with Ramadan to themselves.

Mr Ramadan’s other alleged victims have also claimed they were threatened or attacked by people loyal to the scholar after their accusations against him went public.

While Henda Ayari has herself been protected, her car has twice been damaged, in a clear warning to her.

“I’m followed… it’s obvious that they know my address,” Ms Ayari, 41, told Marianne. “Last month, they deflated the tires of my car, and two days ago, my windshield was broken,” she added.

Presumably “Marie” will now have to be given the same round-the-clock protection as Henda Ayari. Her attackers showed they mean business. And they will be back, they have made perfectly clear, if “Marie” does not…does not what? Obviously, if she does not modify or drop her accusations against Ramadan altogether.

Ramadan has tried everything. He has declared, in the sincerest voice he could muster, his “complete innocence.” He has called into question the veracity of all of his accusers, and done his level best, through his lawyers, to blacken the names of Ayari, “Christelle,” and “Marie.” He has testified falsely as to his whereabouts on October 10, 2009.

But until now we had no reports of physical attacks on his accusers themselves, with clear death threats being made — for what else can the warning, after dowsing “Marie” with water, that “next time it will be gasoline” be, but a death threat?

Even for Ramadan and his enforcers, it’s a big step. “No more water, the fire next time.”

And they mean it.