The United States State Department has cleared the path for the return to the U.S. of two influential Muslim scholars, previously accused of maintaining ties to terrorism, a spokesman revealed on Wednesday.
The Washington Times reports that, “Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has signed orders enobling the re-entry of professors Tariq Ramadan of Oxford University in England and Adam Habib of the University of Johannesburg in South Africa when they obtain required admittance documents, department spokesman Darby Holladay said.”
Mr. Holladay has said that Mrs. Clinton “has chosen to exercise her exemption authority for the benefit of Tariq Ramadan and Adam Habib. We’ll let that action speak for itself.”
Mr. Holladay noted the change in U.S. posture in a prepared statement. In the past, both professors, who are frequently invited to the U.S. to lecture, were refused admittance after making comments counter to U.S. foreign policy.
Mr. Holladay said, “both the president and the secretary of state have made it clear that the U.S. government is pursuing a new relationship with Muslim communities based on mutual interest and mutual respect.” He added that the decision was made after consultations with the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department.
According to the Washington Times, “the American Civil Liberties Union sued in recent years to challenge the exclusion of the professors. It said the State Department action means the scholars will now get visas within weeks of requesting them.”
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