Tariq Ramadan Still Barred from US
Charles Johnson
Fri Dec 21, 2007 at 10:57 am PST • Views: 577
Here’s some very good news; a US District Judge has upheld the government’s refusal to allow Muslim Brotherhood stalking horse Tariq Ramadan to enter the US: Judge upholds Muslim scholar’s U.S. entry ban.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. federal judge on Thursday upheld a government decision to refuse a prominent Swiss Muslim entry into the United States, saying the question of denying visas was best left to the authorities.
The United States had revoked the visa of Tariq Ramadan, an academic at Britain’s Oxford University and a vocal critic of the U.S. invasion of Iraq and its support of Israel.
The State Department initially gave no reason, but later said Ramadan had been barred under a provision of the USA Patriot Act that bars anyone who endorses terrorism. In October the American Civil Liberties Union denied this and argued Ramadan’s exclusion was therefore unlawful.
But U.S. District Judge Paul Crotty sided with U.S. government lawyers who argued the courts did not have the power to review visa denials. “The government has provided a facially legitimate and bona fide reason for Professor Ramadan’s exclusion,” Crotty said.
The ACLU, of course, is having a cow.
Frank says: