NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. federal appeals court on Friday reversed a lower court ruling that had upheld the U.S. government's right to bar Swiss Muslim scholar Tariq Ramadan from entering the United States.
The ruling boosts the hopes of Ramadan and U.S. civil rights groups who argue that the U.S. government had unlawfully revoked Ramadan's visa several times in 2004. The case was sent back to a lower court for further consideration.
Civil rights groups had appealed a federal judge's ruling in 2007 that upheld the government's right to ban Ramadan.
The U.S. government initially gave no reason for the ban but government lawyers later said he was barred because he gave 1,670 Swiss francs, then worth $1,336, to a Swiss-based charity, the Association de Secours Palestinien, or ASP, from 1998 to 2002.
Washington listed ASP as a banned group in 2003, saying it supported terrorism and had contributed funds to the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. Read more ...
The ruling boosts the hopes of Ramadan and U.S. civil rights groups who argue that the U.S. government had unlawfully revoked Ramadan's visa several times in 2004. The case was sent back to a lower court for further consideration.
Civil rights groups had appealed a federal judge's ruling in 2007 that upheld the government's right to ban Ramadan.
The U.S. government initially gave no reason for the ban but government lawyers later said he was barred because he gave 1,670 Swiss francs, then worth $1,336, to a Swiss-based charity, the Association de Secours Palestinien, or ASP, from 1998 to 2002.
Washington listed ASP as a banned group in 2003, saying it supported terrorism and had contributed funds to the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. Read more ...
Source: Reuters
H/T: Jihad Watch
Posts
