via MoorishGirl, I see there’s finally some action on the case of Tariq Ramadan, the Swiss scholar who was denied entry into to US without reason given.
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2 thoughts on “News on Tariq Ramadan”
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Seems Moorish Girl is a little ahead of herself with her caption “Ramadan wins court case.” He’s not here yet. The court ordered only that the government to come to a decision on his application which apparently has been waylaid somewhere in the consulate in Bern. In contrast, the Plaintiffs asked the court for an order enjoining the government to admit Ramadan. It beats a sharp stick in the eye, but it’s hardly a “win.” The government, keeping in mind the court’s rambling guidance, can still come up with something to deny Ramadan’s application. Given the ultimate ruling of the court, I’m sorry to see that the judge wandered into areas that were not necessary to the decision. Good judges should show some restraint in judging and try not to make broadbrush statements that are superfluous to the decision (what lawyers dismiss, unless it’s helpful to them, as dicta). For example, this opinion could be used just as easily by a Narendra Modi to demand an explanation for the cancellation of his visa. My read on the case is that the government would have won (really won, not the “on life support” ruling here) if it had simply relied on its prior bogus, yet effective, assertion that Ramadam was barred for advocating terrorism, or whatever the heck the magical statutory language is. That, I think, is the real benefit of the ruling — that the unfair cloud of suspicion as been removed, at least as far as the US judicial system is concerned, anyway.
I myself was disappointed when Ramadan was barred from entry to the US. As I’ve mentioned in a number of places, I’ve heard him speak in person and I’ve even prayed behind him. He’s too conservative for my liking (in particular, he’s been less than forthright concerning criticism of hudud punishments and support for womens’ rights), but I’m not the problem audience. He is an important bridge for those one-dimensional people who in their search for identity and meaning could be radicalized. For them, Ramadan is enormously important.
I hope he gets here. However, it should be done the right way — with a favorable decision by the consulate.
Hi Tony, Good to hear from you again. I agree, this is not a win for Ramadan in terms of finding out about his status, but it is still good news as it does remove the legal ambiguity he’s been in.