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Advocacy Blog
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Found To Have Not Supported Terrorism, Scholar Still Denied Visa
U.S. clears Tariq Ramadan of being a supporter of terrorism, but maintains that he will not be granted a visa. Ramadan is a highly regarded, leading Muslim scholar and currently a fellow at the University of Oxford. In January 2004, he was offered a position at the University of Notre Dame and was granted a specialized nonimmigrant visa, but was then informed by the U.S. Embassy in Bern, Switzerland that his visa had been revoked. This exemplifies a harsh consequence for giving to a charity with alleged connections to Hamas, before Hamas was designated as a foreign terrorist organization.
The Washington Post reported on this latest update of Ramadan’s status.
Ramadan said his contributions to the French-based Committee for Charity and Aid to Palestinians (CBSP) were apparently seen as support for the Palestinian movement Hamas, which Washington has listed as a terrorist organization. However, he said he had sent the funds in 2000, long before Hamas was declared terrorist. He noted the CBSP was legal in France, and that the French city of Lille had cooperated with it for several years in charity projects for Palestinians.
Posted by Amanda Adams
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