Tariq Ramadan, the controversial Swiss Muslim professor previously denied entry into the United States after he was offered a teaching position at Notre Dame two years ago, has officially been denied another US entry visa according to published media reports today as well as a release on Ramadan’s own Web site. Ramadan’s version seems to exculpate him from any links to supporting terrorism. He says the State Department denial letter claims the visa was not issued because he gave a small amount of money to a charity in France that helped Palestinians and this is evidence the US Government believes he does not support terrorism (and that he does not engage in “double-speak”). The media reports indicate a statement from the State Department noting otherwise; that the visa denial was in fact, “based solely on his actions, which constituted providing material support to a terrorist organization.”
It is possible the US Government gave the most “publicly releasable” reason in its denial letter. Especially for visa adjudication purposes under US immigration law, contributing money to a charity determined to be a funding funnel for Hamas could constitute support for terrorism no matter how Ramadan and his supporters might try to spin it. And for visa denial purposes, proof need not be anything close to criminal standards nor even court-use standards...it’s all administrative action with virtually no due process rights accorded the foreign-based alien...something that still drives those apologists crazy. And this may be only one item of evidence the Government has against him. If so, it is merely what they chose to publicly release in the official denial document because in these visa adjudication proceedings all it takes is one such basis. Something else that drives the apologists nuts.
Perhaps before the United States grants every person on planet earth that is involved in every and any legal proceeding that in any way involves the United States the full panoply of Constitutional and civil rights enjoyed by US citizens and residents living within the borders of America, “We the People” of the United States should grant our Government officials some degree of latitude in dealing with issues like keeping some foreign nationals out of this country. Ironically, at times the hue and cry over uncontrolled immigration seems to have been turned on its head in the Ramadan case.
