[NYTr] Scholar Kept from US over Iraq Views; ACLU Sues

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

AP = Sep 25, 2007
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/SCHOLAR_EXCLUDED?SITE=VABRM&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Lawsuit: Scholar Kept From US Over Views

By DENISE LAVOIE
Associated Press Writer

BOSTON (AP) -- A well-known South African scholar and political
commentator is being kept out of the United States because he has been
a vocal critic of the war in Iraq and the detention of prisoners at
Guantanamo Bay, the American Civil Liberties Union charged in a lawsuit
filed Tuesday.

In the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Boston, the ACLU said
the U.S. government's decision to revoke the visa of Adam Habib last
year has forced him to turn down invitations to speak to various
political organizations, violating the First Amendment rights of U.S.
citizens who were prevented from hearing his views.

Habib, a Muslim, is currently deputy vice-chancellor of Research,
Innovation and Advancement at the University of Johannesburg.

He said in an interview last year that he was held for several hours
after he arrived in New York City in October to attend a series of
meetings with organizations such as the World Bank. Habib said he was
questioned by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials about his
political views and was asked whether he belonged to or supported any
terrorist organizations.

He said he was puzzled by the decision to revoke his visa because he
never had any previous problems when visiting the United States. The
U.S. Department of State has acknowledged revoking Habib's visa but
declined to say why.

In the lawsuit, the ACLU said Habib reapplied for a visa in May so he
could participate in various events in the United States, including the
American Sociological Association's annual meeting in New York City in
August. Habib said shortly before that trip, the state Department told
him his visa application would not be processed in time for the meeting.

His application still has not been processed, he said.

The lawsuit seeks an order compelling the government to process Habib's
visa application immediately and an injunction barring the State
Department and Department of Homeland Security from excluding Habib on
the basis of speech.

"Immigration officials should not be in the business of blocking our
borders to people with political views they dislike," said Sarah
Wunsch, staff attorney with the ACLU of Massachusetts.

The lawsuit was filed in Boston because several organizations have
invited him to speak here, including the Boston Coalition for
Palestinian Rights.

A spokesman for the State Department did not immediately return a call
seeking comment.

© 2007 The Associated Press.