Muslim Scholar’s visa revoked

The story of Tariq Ramadan illustrates the power granted within the Patriot Act to keep controversial thinkers out of the US.

Ramadan is a Swiss Muslim scholar who has frequently traveled, spoken and worked in the US throughout his lifetime. That is, until his visa was revoked by the US government in 2004.

In 2004, Ramadan was preparing to begin a teaching position that had been offered to him at the University of Notre Dame (Marks, 2005). After his visa was revoked, Notre Dame applied for a visa on behalf of Ramadan. Together, the university and Ramadan then waited five months to hear back regarding his application but they got no response (Preston, 2006).

The government has never given an explanation to the university or Ramadan regarding his visa application. However, without a visa, Ramadan was forced to decline the position offered by Notre Dame in December, 2004 (Preston, 2006).

Despite this, after receiving approximately 40 invitations to speak in the US, Ramadan applied for a visa again. As part of his application process, Ramadan was interviewed by agents of the homeland security and state departments. According to Ramadan, he was mostly questioned about his views on the war in Iraq (Preston, 2006). A State Department spokesperson has confirmed that Ramadan’s 2005 visa application has arrived but said the department does not comment on pending visa or legal matters.

Additionally, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security has cited the Patriot Act clause for the reason that Ramadan’s initial visa was cancelled (Preston, 2006). Specially, the clause bars foreigners who “endorse or espouse terrorist activity or persuade other” to support terrorism (section 411 of PA).

Because of this, Ramadan and three national organizations have filed a lawsuit in the District Court in Manhattan regarding the matter. They are arguing that the Partiot Act clause has been applied broadly to censor and manipulate political debate in the US. All of the organizations involved claim that Ramadan has never expressed support for terrorism and thus he is being kept out of country because of his political views only. Among these organizations, is the American Academy of Religion (Preston, 2006).

The Department of Homeland security will not comment on the suit but they have stated that the criteria for revoking the visa included “public safety and national security risks” (Marks, 2005).

No doubt, Ramadan is a controversial figure. He is an outspoken critic of the Bush administration’s policies in the Middle East. In addition, he is the grandson of Hasan al-Banna, the man who founded the Muslim Brotherhood in 1928, which is an Egyptian group that has recently turned violet. However, Ramadan publicly rejects Muslim terrorism, calling it “anti-Muslim” and many, including the University of Notre Dame, view Ramadan as a theologian who could help build ties between Middle Eastern Muslims and the west (Preston, 2006).

Regardless of personal opinions on Ramadan, this case illustrates the power of the government, under the Patriot Act, to keep scholars out of the country.