Tariq Ramadan's desire to obtain a visa to enter the United States received new life Friday when the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a district court ruling upholding a decision not to grant such a visa.
Ramadan, the grandson of Muslim Brotherhood founder Hassan Al-Banna, is considered a reformist by some, and a radical cloaked in academic moderation by others. The visa spat began after Notre Dame University offered Ramadan a teaching position.
U.S. officials denied his visa application, saying he gave contributions to the Association de Secours Palestinien, a group tied to the Hamas terrorist organization. Ramadan claims he didn't know of such a connection and the court ruled he must be given a chance to prove his argument. The burden is on Ramadan "to demonstrate, by clear and convincing evidence, that he did not know, and should not have reasonably known, of" the charity's support for Hamas.
Read the 2nd Circuit ruling here.