Lack of visas forces Muslim scholars to abandon teaching in U.S.

12/15/2004 6:48:00 AM GMT

Source: VOANews

One of the most prominent Muslim scholars living in Geneva, said that he decided to give up plans to teach at a U.S. university after his work visa was revoked.

Sheikh Tariq Ramadan said Tuesday that he informed Notre Dame University in the Midwestern state of Indiana of his resignation.

Describing his struggle to get a work visa in the United States, Sheikh Ramadan said it was an "obstacle to academic freedom."

Sheikh Ramadan originally was issued a work visa last May, but U.S. authorities revoked his visa in August without giving him reasons for doing so.

In October, the Sheikh applied again for the visa, but no decision was reached up till now.

Yesterday, the State Department said that his resignation will end the visa review process.

Sheikh Ramadan is a leading intellectual among the Muslim community in Europe, he has promoted Western traditions as compatible with Islamic values.

However, he is also considered a controversial figure, because his grandfather was the prominent Sheikh Hassan al-Banna, who founded the Muslim Brotherhood in 1928.