Kudos to the Chicago Tribune and Tribune religion reporter Geneive Abdo for informing us about the plight of Tariq Ramadan (“Muslims support scholar on visa; Revocation is blamed on Bush policy,” News, Aug. 26).
Anyone familiar with Ramadan knows the high quality of his scholarship and the moderate content of his views.
He has almost single-handedly brought the discussion of Islam’s reform to the mosque and to Europe’s elite.
Thanks to an intense recruiting competition among America’s top universities, he is now bringing this vitally important discussion to our own top thinkers.
Unfortunately those who choose to silence scholars resort to backhanded techniques to achieve their aims.
The accusations against him of anti-Semitism are almost as outlandish as the charges of terrorism. A criticism of Israel or Saudi Arabia is not a criticism of Judaism or Islam.
As an academic, I am greatly troubled that the Department of Homeland Security has now become a party to this un-American silencing of thinkers and their ideas.
