Posted on 10/21/2006 7:39:41 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
SAN FRANCISCO
An Islamic scholar from South Africa was denied entry into the United States, prompting questions from Bay Area Muslims who had invited him to participate in activities marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
Fazlur Rahman Azmi was detained by officials from U.S. Customs and Border Protection when he arrived at San Francisco International Airport from London on Friday afternoon, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a civil liberties group. Azmi, who made previous visits to the country as recently as April without problems, was questioned for hours before being denied entry and sent on a plane out of the country Saturday, the group said.
Michael Fleming, a Customs and Border Protection spokesman, confirmed Saturday that Azmi was forced to leave the country after a brief detainment, but he refused to give any details of the case other than to say, "His application for entry into the U.S. was determined to be inadmissible."
About 1,000 people are denied entry into the United States daily for reasons that include inadequate travel documents or because their names appear on a U.S. government watch list.
"There's nothing suspicious about him," said Nawaz Khan of the Fremont-based Islamic Society of East Bay whose members waited at the airport Friday while officials questioned Azmi. "He is not involved in any political groups. All he does is teach at the mosque and pray."
Khan said no one from the group was allowed to speak with Azmi or provide food for the 60-year-old man, who was diabetic and had just finished fasting. Officials only gave Azmi chips and water, he said.
Khan said late Saturday afternoon that he still had not heard from Azmi, and had been fielding anxious calls from the scholar's family in South Africa. Officials would not say where his outbound flight was headed.
Last month, another Islamic scholar from South Africa, Ismail Mullah, was denied entry into the country when he arrived at Dulles International Airport for a trip to visit Muslims in northern Virginia.
"The way visiting Islamic leaders are treated by American authorities can send either a positive or negative message to Muslims worldwide," CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper said in a statement. "So far, the message in this case has been negative."
Press Release
CAIR: Second S. African Muslim Scholar Denied Entry to U.S.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/061021/nysa020.html?.v=10
WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) reported today that a second South African Muslim scholar has been denied entry to the United States.
Moulana Fazlur Rahman Azmi was refused entry when he landed in San Francisco on Friday. Azmi was invited to give lectures and to take part in the religious activities marking the end of Ramadan at the Islamic Society of East Bay in Fremont, Calif.
Members of the mosque say they waited more than nine hours to pick up Azmi, a diabetic who had been fasting even during his trip from London to San Francisco. They have not been allowed to talk to or provide food for the 60-year-old scholar and were not told why he had been denied entry. (Azmi had previously entered the United States without any problem in April of this year.)
In September, another South African Muslim scholar was similarly denied entry at a Virginia airport. At that time, CAIR expressed concerns that there is a pattern of targeting Muslim scholars traveling to the United States.
SEE: Imam From South Africa Denied Entry at Dulles (Washington Post).
Please copy and paste URL into your browser
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
dyn/content/article/2006/09/22/AR2006092201485.html
At that time, CAIR sent letters to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of State about the issue of visiting scholars, but has not received a reply from either agency.
"The way visiting Islamic leaders are treated by American authorities can send either a positive or negative message to Muslims worldwide," said CAIR Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. "So far, the message in this case has been negative."
Immigration officials at San Francisco International Airport told CAIR that Azmi spent Friday night in detention and will shortly be put on a plane leaving the country.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
.....................................................................lol
WaPo ..
RAMADAN PRAYER LEADER
Imam From South Africa Denied Entry at Dulles
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/22/AR2006092201485.html
Did we allow Nazi scholars during WWII?
Can't someone develop a penalty for these undesirables for even attempting entry, like having to take a dozen Muslim non-citizens of the USA back with them?
GOOD!
Should just shoot the bas***. Would solve many problems … he would get his 72 virgins and the rest of the world could rest a little easier.
This same thing happened about a month ago, with CAIR rallying behind another non-American's "right" to enter the United States.
TANKS,,Norm,,,,,,,No "Bomb-throwers" in the country ?,,
Aw'Gee,,,;0)
Did we allow Nazi scholars during WWII?
Those who shit in the Easter Basket are removed from the guest list....
Semper Fi
Or, what would happen to the Christian preacher who shows up in Riyadh or Mecca?
There is nothing a Muslim scholar can tell us. We learned everything we need to know on 9/11.
Good. Not one imam more.
"Theres nothing suspicious about him."
LOL
HAHAHA
Is he mudslime, or not?
Now we know who we should be watching.
Well I'll be damned! You mean someone at the State Department actually developed a pair of b**s? Must have been a mistake! Surely they mistook the poor innocent fellow for a middle-aged Swedish violinist intent on infiltrating the NY Philharmonic - a really dangerous possiblity!
Succinct! Any questions????
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