-----Original Message----- From: CAIR [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2004 4:43 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: CAIR-NET: CAIR Calls for Reversal of Prof's Visa Revocation In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful ACTION REQUESTED: (As always, be POLITE and RESPECTFUL.) Contact the Department of Homeland Security, the State Department and President Bush to urge that the decision to revoke Dr. Tariq Ramadan's visa be reversed. You should also send a copy of the letter to your elected representatives. GO TO: http://capwiz.com/cair/dbq/officials/ Click on the links for President Bush (click on "President"), Secretary of State Colin Powell and Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge (click on "Agencies"). Enter your ZIP Code to contact elected representatives. COPY TO: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Ramadan was to teach at the University of Notre Dame Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies. SEE: http://www.nd.edu/~krocinst/ Send a copy of your letter to: R. Scott Appleby Director Joan B. Kroc Institute 106 Hesburgh Center Notre Dame, IN 46556 Phone: (574) 631-5665 Fax: (574) 631-6973 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ----- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CAIR CALLS FOR REVERSAL OF PROF'S VISA REVOCATION Group says DHS action sends wrong message to Islamic world (WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/24/04) - A prominent national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group today called on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to reverse its decision to revoke the visa of an Islamic scholar who was due to begin teaching at the University of Notre Dame. The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said the DHS decision to revoke a visa previously granted to Tariq Ramadan, a well-known Islamic scholar who is often described as a "moderate" and a "reformer," sends the wrong message to the Islamic world about America's willingness to listen to what Muslims have to say. Ramadan, a citizen of Switzerland, was granted a visa in February following a lengthy security check. It was revoked July 28, after his family's belongings had already been sent to the United States. No reason was given for the revocation. A statement issued by Notre Dame said: "Professor Ramadan is a distinguished scholar and a voice for moderation in the Muslim world�We know of no reason his entry should be prevented." The Chicago Tribune reported today that the decision to revoke Ramadan's visa "could have been influenced by some Jewish groups that have waged a campaign against scholars and public intellectuals whose views on Islam and the Middle East conflict with their own." SEE: "MUSLIM SCHOLAR HAS VISA REVOKED" http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0408240223aug24,1,3887036.story "The best way to improve deteriorating relations with the Muslim world is by listening to mainstream Islamic political and religious voices, not by censoring respected scholars whose views are apparently feared by those who seek a monopoly on intellectual debate," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad. Awad said the DHS decision runs counter to recent remarks by President Bush's national security advisor Condoleezza Rice who said just last week that America must expand "efforts to support and encourage the voices of moderation and tolerance and pluralism within the Muslim world." CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 28 regional offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. - END - CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the American Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called CAIR-NET, receive news releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on issues of importance to our society. To SUBSCRIBE to CAIR-NET, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/ ----- CAIR Council on American-Islamic Relations 453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E. Washington, D.C. 20003 Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726 Fax: 202-488-0833 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] URL: http://www.cair-net.org ----- --------------------------------------------------------------------- You are subscribed as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe, e-mail: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> or go to: http://cair.biglist.com/unsub.php/cair-net/[EMAIL PROTECTED] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> $9.95 domain names from Yahoo!. Register anything. http://us.click.yahoo.com/J8kdrA/y20IAA/yQLSAA/MknplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/VTJP/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
