A top Muslim scholar traveling to attend an Islamic conference in Huston was denied entry into the United States this week.

Mr Yahya Ibrahim, a Canadian who lives in Australia, was scheduled to speak this weekend at the Texas Dawah Convention V in Houston. But Customs and Border Protection officers denied him entry Monday night when he arrived in Detroit.

No information was available from Mr Ibrahim, who returned to Canada after he was denied entry.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations said border officials detained Mr Ibrahim for about five hours, without providing any explanation.

Kaleem Siddiqui, a spokesman for CAIR’s Houston office, said the rights group was seeking explanation from congressmen and other authorities.

CAIR officials said Mr Ibrahim spoke at the same conference last year without a problem. "From what most people know, he's a very reputable speaker, very peaceful," Siddiqui said.

M Ibrahim, who is the assistant deputy principal of The Australian Islamic College in Perth, was scheduled to give many presentations in Houston, including lectures titled "Muslim Women at Work" and "Open Your Heart! — Eyes Wide Open," according to the conference Web site. He is a frequent guest lecturer at the University of Western Australia, Curtin University and Notre Dame University in Fremantle.