Islamophobia continued: The Strange Case of Tariq Ramadan. posted by Richard Seymour

Tariq Ramadan has spoken out against anti-semitic attacks in France and denounced fellow Muslims who have engaged in Judeophobia. He has spoken at a meeting organised by the anti-capitalist European Social Forum. He has opposed religious schools in France. As a believer, he has, using itjihad, argued against the stoning of women for adultery and the chopping off of thieves hands. Now, I know what you're thinking: he has to be a member of Al Qaeda. With a profile like that, its just a dead give-away. Actually, there are probably better reasons than that to think he's a potential plane-crasher. For instance, he opposed the US war on Iraq, saying it "served Israeli interests". Ominous. He is the grandson of Hassan al-Banna, the Egyptian founder of the Muslim Brothers. Deathly. He has one of those names. Killer.

It should therefore be no surprise that he has had his visa to work in the United States revoked :

State Department spokeswoman Kelly Shannon cited the Immigration and Nationality Act, part of which deals with aliens who have used a "position of prominence within any country to endorse or espouse terrorist activity." Another section bars aliens whose entry may have "potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States."

Both sections were amended under the USA Patriot Act, passed after the September 11 attacks.

Shannon did not immediately say whether either section applied to Ramadan's case.

"We don't know a reason why either of those should apply to Tariq Ramadan," said Matt Storin, a Notre Dame spokesman. "He's a distinguished scholar. He's a voice for moderation in the Muslim world."

Now, Daniel Pipes certainly has the dirt on Ramadan. Ramadan is suspected of various Islamist assocations by the CIA. His dad studied with bin Laden. He once praised Hassan al Turabi's activities in Sudan (although he has since recanted, which Daniel Pipes does not mention). He may have studied with someone who was involved in the attacks on the American embassies. He even suggests that there isn't any certain proof that bin Laden carried out the attacks on 9/11. Pipes also suggests that Ramadan "publicly refers to the Islamist atrocities of 9/11, Bali, and Madrid as "interventions," minimizing them to the point of near-endorsement", although in that statement Ramadan is discussing the reasons why one can support the Palestinian resistance and oppose bin Laden. There's more, and you should certainly pursue the link. Most of it is speculation, connotation, second-hand accusations.

Moreover, as Crooked Timber notes, "if there’s real reason to suspect this scholar will engage in felonies while teaching at Notre Dame, why would the State Department invite Ramadan to reapply for another kind of visa ?"