Federal Court Demands Decision in Ramadan Case

June 23, 2006

Source: Reuters

http://today.reuters.com/news/ArticleNews.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyID=2006-06-23T221622Z_01_N23356364_RTRUKOC_0_US-RIGHTS-SCHOLAR.xml

On June 23, 2006 Reuters reported, "A federal judge criticized the U.S. government on Friday for holding up a visa application from one of Europe's best-known Muslim intellectuals and ruled it must make a decision in the long-running case within three months.

U.S. District Judge Paul Crotty granted a request by the American Civil Liberties Union to force a decision on the visa request from renowned Swiss theologian Tariq Ramadan, who has been barred from U.S. entry since 2004 and has waited more than nine months for a response to his latest application.

'The government has failed to adjudicate Ramadan's pending B-visa application within a reasonable period of time,' Crotty said.

The judge noted that Ramadan had spoken out against terrorism and radical Islamists and that the British government had even enlisted him as an expert on how to combat terrorism.

Crotty called the government's explanations on why it had delayed a decision on Ramadan's latest application 'less than convincing' and mocked its claims that Ramadan had not been excluded entry over concerns he espoused terrorism."