The US State Department said Wednesday it has lifted an effective Bush-era ban on Muslim scholars Adam Habib and Tariq Ramadan, saying neither is deemed a security threat to the United States.
State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton signed documents allowing the South Africa-based Habib and Britain-based Ramadan to apply for US visas like other prospective visitors.
“The secretary of state signed an exemption for Tariq Ramadan and Adam Habib,” under the Immigration and Nationality Act, Crowley told reporters.
“The next time professor Ramadan or Professor Habib applies for a visa, he will not be found inadmissible on the basis of the facts that led to denial when they last applied,” Crowley said.
“We do not think that either one of them represents a threat to the United States,” he said.
However, he said the pair “will still be subject to the other standards” that apply to anyone seeking a visa for the United States.
“Consistent with President (Barack) Obama’s outreach to Muslims around the world, we want to encourage global debate,” he said.
“We want to have the opportunity potentially to have Islamic scholars copme to the United States and have dialogue with other faith communities and people here in our country,” he said.
