Muslim teacher's work visa revoked by US authorities

The US government has withdrawn a Muslim scholar's work visa. Tariq Ramadan had been scheduled to teach at the famous University of Notre Dame in Boston this autumn. The Swiss citizen has been repeatedly criticized for allegedly having links to Islamic militants, and some of his remarks were branded anti-Semitic. He was supposed to begin teaching on Tuesday, the first day of the fall semester. Ramadan said the US Administration's decision, which came at the request of the department for Homeland Security, was not justified and made because of political pressure. A spokesman for the department said the work visa had been revoked because of a section in federal law applying to foreigners who have used their prominent position to endorse terrorist activity. The Council on American-Islamic Relations called the decision a slap in the face of Muslims who are trying to build bridges between the Muslim world and the West.