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US Apologizes to UK Imam for Visa Mishap
By Ahmed Fathy, IOL Staff CAIRO, July 16, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – The United States administration has lifted a visa ban on an internationally renowned British Muslim scholar and apologized to him for the inconvenience, allowing him to visit the country anytime. "I woke up Friday (July 15) to a phone call from the office of British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and his aides apologized on his behalf for the US move and told me that the minister would raise the issue with top US officials," Zaki Badawi, head of the Islamic College in London, told IslamOnline.net by phone Saturday, July 16. Badawi said few hours after the conversation, the US embassy in London called him to apologize in their turn and stressed that it was an unintentional mistake. "They also allowed me to visit the country anytime I decide," he added. Badawi, also the chairman of the Council of Mosques and Imams, was refused entry at New York's JFK airport late Wednesday, July 13, when he arrived to give a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution on law and religion in society. The Muslim leader said he returned to London after he was detained for six hours by the US immigration staff, who were "very embarrassed." Prominent British Muslim preacher Yusuf Islam, previously pop star Cat Stevens, was denied entry to the US in September of last year. Famous Swiss-Egyptian scholar Tariq Ramadan, one of the most respected philosophers of conflict and religion, was barred in August from entering the US to take a post at the renowned Notre Dame University, although he has now been told he can reapply for a visa. Concerns Badawi said the US authorities seem to be haunted by the July 7 blasts in London and tightened entry restrictions. "A passport of an imam coming to lecture about Islam was a cause for concern in the wake of the London blasts," he said. "The US is always accusing imams of being the root of all troubles and it appears to be that they considered me as one of the trouble-makers," he told IOL. He said the American visa officer simply thought that denying me a visa would spare his country unnecessary troubles. "It is an officer's mistake not a legal one since they extended an apology and reactivated the visa," said the renowned scholar. Badawi said there is no excuse for the treatment he received at the hands of US authorities. "I have no links to a specific group and I am an independent man." Badawi also ridiculed the "naïve" questioning by immigration officers. "They asked me such naïve questions like 'what is your birthplace?' and 'why are you visiting the US?' then they surprisingly told me that I was nervous in answering their questions, my answers don't match the truth and that I was on a FBI watch list; afterwards I decided to go back to London." Last week, Badawi joined hands with Christian and Jewish leaders in condemning the London terrorist attacks, which left at least 54 people killed, including four bombers. Positive The British Muslim scholar said although he was outraged by the six-hour questioning, the experience was positive for himself and the Muslim world in general. "The US is pressing ahead with ratifying an agreement denying EU visas for people on its hit list, but this embarrassing situation would force the European countries to think twice before accepting the proposal," Badawi told IOL. "The US apology for the mishap is also positive for my image," he added. On whether he would visit the US in the future, the prominent scholar replied in the affirmative. "I have a religious duty and I enjoy broader and close ties with millions of Muslims in the US and seek in the meantime to enter into constructive dialogue with Christian organizations to spread justice and peace," said Badawi, who last visited the US in 2003. He added that he would pay his next visit to the US in October to lecture at the Chautauqua Institution. Badawi, born in Egypt in 1922, first came to Britain more than half a century ago. He is a moderate Muslim voice and a promoter of dialogue among the different faiths. He writes and lectures on a wide variety of issues including the role of Islam in Britain and human rights. The Muslim scholar, who was given an honorary knighthood, was in 2003 among the guests of Queen Elizabeth II at a state banquet for US President George W. Bush. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect the official views of Hidayahnet unless sanctioned or approved otherwise. If your mailbox clogged with mails from Hidayahnet, you may wish to get a daily digest of emails by logging-on to http://www.yahoogroups.com to change your mail delivery settings or email the moderators at [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the title "change to daily digest". YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS
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