The Associated Press is reporting that Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has signed orders enabling radical Muslim professor of philosophy Tariq Ramadan, of Oxford University in England, and professor Adam Habib, from the University of Johannesburg in South Africa, to re-enter the United States, after having been banned from doing so for over 5 years. The State Department has concluded that the two no longer pose any danger to the country. According to spokesman Darby Holladay: [Clinton] has chosen to exercise her exemption authority for the benefit of Tariq Ramadan and Adam Habib. We’ll let that action speak for itself. Both the president and the secretary of state have made it clear that the U.S. government is pursuing a new relationship with Muslim communities based on mutual interest and mutual respect. Another spokesman added: As we look at it, we do not think that either one of them represents a threat to the United States. Habib, a frequent critic of the war in Iraq, was initially denied a visa when the U.S. Government accused him of engaging in “terrorist activity,” an accusation denied by Habib. Ramadan initially had his visa revoked, as he was about to begin a teaching job at the University of Notre Dame. His subsequent visa applications were denied on the grounds that he had donated $1,336 to a charity that gave money to the Islamic terrorist group Hamas (interestingly, he is also banned for sundry reasons from some Arab countries, such as Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Egypt). Ramadan has denied any connections to terrorism, and claims to oppose Islamic extremism in all its forms. But does he? Here are a few bullet points from Ramadan’s DiscovertheNetworks profile, which highlight why he was banned from the U.S. in the first place: These are troubling on their face, but no matter. Hillary doesn’t think either Ramadan or Habib are threats, and that should be good enough for the rest of us. If it’s not, then perhaps knowing that the communist founded American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), also thinks the pair’s return would be an asset to this country (even going to court on their behalf) will be enough to convince you. The ACLU feels that Hillary’s order is “long overdue and tremendously important.” More importantly, the ACLU sees Hillary’s action as a victory for free speech! From their website: Ramadan’s case is part of a pattern of the United States government denying visas to foreign nationals whose political views the government disfavors. Once used to bar suspected Communists from entering the country, the practice of “ideological exclusion” was resurrected by the USA Patriot Act. Ideological exclusion violates Americans’ First Amendment right to hear constitutionally protected speech by denying foreign scholars, artists, politicians and others entry to the U.S. If we’re really lucky, maybe Hillary can work out the travel arrangements in order to allow the pair to be back in time for 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shiekh Mohammed’s upcoming show trial in New York City. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to get the opinions of two such prominent Islamic scholars on how that trial is progressing? Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has signed orders enabling the re-entry of professors Tariq Ramadan of Oxford University in England and Adam Habib of the University of Johannesburg in South Africa when they obtain required admittance documents, department spokesman Darby Holladay said. Mrs. Clinton "has chosen to exercise her exemption authority for the benefit of Tariq Ramadan and Adam Habib," Mr. Holladay said. "We'll let that action speak for itself." In a prepared statement, Mr. Holladay noted the change in U.S. posture since both professors, who are frequently invited to the United States to lecture, were denied admittance after making statements counter to U.S. foreign policy. "Both the president and the secretary of state have made it clear that the U.S. government is pursuing a new relationship with Muslim communities based on mutual interest and mutual respect," Mr. Holladay said. The decision was made after consultations with the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department, he added. The American Civil Liberties Union sued in recent years to challenge the exclusion of the professors. It said the State Department's action means the scholars will now get visas within weeks of requesting them. The orders are "long overdue and tremendously important," said Jameel Jaffer, director of the ACLU National Security Project. Mr. Habib, a well-known South African scholar who has criticized the war in Iraq, was denied a visa by the U.S. government in a letter saying he "engaged in a terrorist activity," an accusation Mr. Habib has vigorously denied. The ACLU of Massachusetts sued in 2007, challenging Mr. Habib's exclusion on behalf of the American Sociological Association, the American Association of University Professors, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee and the Boston Coalition for Palestinian Rights. Mr. Ramadan, 47, had his U.S. visa revoked in 2004 as he was about to move to Indiana to take a tenured teaching job at the University of Notre Dame. He has spoken at Harvard and Stanford universities and elsewhere. Later, his visa applications were denied on the grounds that he had donated $1,336 to a charity that gave money to Hamas, an Islamic militant group that has been designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. Mr. Ramadan has said he has no connections to terrorism, opposes Islamic extremism and promotes peaceful solutions. Mr. Ramadan said in a statement issued by PEN American Center, a human rights group, that he was "very pleased with the decision to end my exclusion from the United States after almost six years." He said he was looking forward to visiting the United States soon, and PEN said it planned to organize a forum in New York where he could speak. In an ACLU statement, Mr. Habib said he was thrilled, calling it a victory both personal and "for democracy around the world." Mr. Habib, 44, lived in the U.S. from 1993 to 1995 while earning a doctoral degree in political science from the City University of New York. He said he had been excluded since October 2006, when he was questioned by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials about his political views and was asked whether he belonged to or supported any terrorist organizations. In a 2007 interview with the Associated Press, Mr. Habib called the U.S. approach to the Iraq war a disaster. He also said: I'm confident that I can't be linked to things like terrorism. That is not what my politics is about."
Thursday 21 January 2010
Hillary to Banned Muslim Scholars: Welcome Back!
Clinton clears 2 Muslims for entry
U.S. had suspected professors
NEW YORK (AP) | The State Department has cleared the way for the return to the United States of two prominent Muslim scholars once accused of having ties to terrorism, a spokesman said Wednesday.
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