“Ramadan, whose grandfather Hassan al-Banna was the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, is considered the most important Muslim religious intellectual in Europe. He has written and spoken extensively on the need for Muslims to avoid building a ‘ghetto Islam’ and to work with people of all faiths to build a culture of peace and justice….
“Yet days before he was to move to Indiana to take up his position at Notre Dame the Bush Administration revoked his visa on the unsubstantiated charge that he was a ‘secret supporter of al-Qa’eda’. The real reason would seem to be his outspoken criticism of the Israeli and US occupations, despite the fact that Ramadan has explicitly recognized Israel’s right to exist, warning his followers against ‘simplistic and superficial anti-Americanism’, and vociferously opposes terrorism.”