Muslim Scholar Tries Again for U.S. Visa

GENEVA - A leading Muslim scholar who was barred from the United States at the request of the Department of Homeland Security has reapplied for the right to work there, saying Wednesday he has always condemned terrorism.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Tariq Ramadan _ whose scholarship focuses on showing how Islamic values are compatible with those of secular European society _ denied he has ties to Islamic militants. He claimed he was singled out because he encourages Muslims to be outspoken about government policies they oppose.

Ramadan, a Swiss citizen, said he has received no explanation why his visa was revoked just days before he was due to start teaching at the University of Notre Dame, in South Bend, Ind. on Aug. 24.

At the time, the Department of Homeland Security said the decision was based on "public safety or national security interests" and pointed to federal law applying to aliens who have used a "position of prominence ... to endorse or espouse terrorist activity."

Last month, a Notre Dame spokesman said the State Department suggested Ramadan try again.

Ramadan said he lodged his request Monday with the U.S. Embassy in Switzerland.

"The university is very optimistic," he told the AP.

"I know my file is empty and I know I have nothing to hide. So if there is justice in the United States, it will be easy," he said.

Ramadan has taught at the College of Geneva and the University of Fribourg, also in Switzerland. Notre Dame appointed him earlier this year to the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies.

He initially was given a visa after a two-month background check by U.S. authorities. If he really had ties to Islamic militants, the first visa would not have been granted, he maintains.

French investigator Jean-Charles Brisard _ who works for U.S. lawyers representing families of victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on the United States _ said the decision to refuse entry may have come after Ramadan spoke at a conference in London in July.

Ramadan appeared alongside Egyptian cleric Youssef al-Qaradawi, who is based in Qatar and banned from visiting the United States. Al-Qaradawi is an influential figure who has condemned terrorism and urged Muslims to respect other faiths _ but has also taken stances seen as supporting violence.

"At this conference I was also sitting near a Sikh, a Christian, near the Mayor of London," said Ramadan. "If this is the case _ if when you sit near someone it means you can be banned from a country _ I really think it means basic freedom and rights are not respected."

Al-Qaradawi has said suicide bombings against Israelis are justified and that it was Muslims' duty to fight Americans _ even civilians _ in Iraq, though he later backed off the latter claim. In a new opinion, al-Qaradawi opposed kidnappings such as those taking place in Iraq, but argued that taking prisoners is permitted during war _ though prisoners should be treated well and not killed.

Ramadan has gained a popular following among European Muslims, and he said his views have made him hated by many Muslim radicals.

Critics say the media-friendly thinker simply sugarcoats the hardline message and flip-flops on terrorism.

Ramadan rejected this.

"What I say to all these people is, 'Just read! Listen to what I say!' My condemnation of terrorism is clear. There is no way you can find anything that isn't clear in my statements. And as to fundamentalists, I'm also very clear that I don't see myself in them. I criticize them."

He said the West needs to think harder about the roots of violence and antagonism with Islam.

"I'm against violence, but we have to try to understand the realities from where this is coming from," he said. "So this is the only point _ sometimes I say, 'OK, let's try to understand the context,' not to justify violence but to help us to go beyond it."

Ramadan is a grandson of the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's now banned fundamentalist party _ something supporters believe could have influenced the U.S. decision.

He's also provoked criticism from Jewish groups for remarks they called anti-Semitic at a Paris conference in November.

Ramadan accused several French intellectuals who are Jewish of blindly supporting Israel and backing the U.S.-led war in Iraq. Ramadan denies he is anti-Semitic, saying criticizing Israel's politics doesn't automatically imply a criticism of Jews.