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View Full Version : ACLU sues U.S. gov’t over Muslim scholar’s entry



sonz
01-26-2006, 12:14 PM
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government on Wednesday for banning an influential Muslim scholar from entering the country, saying that Washington was using “anti-terrorism” laws as "instruments of censorship."

The lawsuit demands the court to find a provision of the Patriot Act unconstitutional and seeks clearance for Tariq Ramadan, a Swiss intellectual and Muslim scholar, to accept invitations to speak in the United States.

Ramadan, a visiting fellow at St. Anthony's College at the University of Oxford wasn’t able to accept a teaching position at the U.S.‘s University of Notre Dame when his visa was revoked in August 2004 because of a provision of the Patriot Act, said Jameel Jaffer, an ACLU lawyer.

Jaffer said revoking Ramadan’s visa was part of the U.S. government’s efforts to bar foreign scholars whose political views might be contrary to those of the U.S. government. He says the Patriot Act provision bans entry to the U.S. for influential figures who use their position to endorse “terrorism“.

"We don't think there's any evidence at all that he has endorsed terrorism," Jaffer said. "In fact, there is overwhelming evidence that he has condemned terrorism."

The ACLU lawsuit seeks a court order banning the U.S. government from depending on the provision to exclude Ramadan or any other foreign national.

"The government should not be using the immigration laws as instruments of censorship," he said. "Our concern is that the government is using this provision to manipulate and censor political and academic debate within the United States."

The U.S. government had no immediate comment.

Source: AP
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