With Ban Lifted, Prominent Scholar to Speak at Harvard
Professor Adam Habib no longer denied visa because of his political views.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 30, 2010
CONTACT:
Christopher Ott, Communications Director, 617-482-3170 x322, cott@aclum.org
Sarah Wunsch, Staff Attorney, 617-482-3170 ext. 323, swunsch@aclum.org
BOSTON -- Prominent scholar Adam Habib will speak at Harvard Law School this Wednesday after years of being wrongfully denied entry to the United States on the basis of his political views.
WHO:
Prof. Adam Habib, with ACLU attorney Melissa Goodman
WHAT:
Talk entitled "Censorship at the Border? Ideological Exclusion in America"
WHEN:
Wednesday, March 31, 2010, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.
WHERE:
Harvard Law School, Harkness Commons South
NOTE:
Harvard University does not allow video or audio recording of campus events by broadcast media. Coverage for print and online publications is welcome. For broadcast media interviews with Habib or Goodman, contact Christopher Ott at 617-482-3170, ext. 322, cott@aclum.org
The American Civil Liberties Union had challenged the denial of a visa to Professor Adam Habib of the University of Johannesburg -- as well as Tariq Ramadan of St. Antony's College, Oxford University -- in separate lawsuits filed on behalf of American organizations that had invited them to speak to U.S. audiences.
In a major victory for civil liberties, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in January signed orders effectively ending the exclusion of Professors Habib and Ramadan. Both men have since obtained 10-year visas and will be in the U.S. over the next few weeks to participate in various events and discussions with academics, members of Congress, and the public. They will both be available to members of the media during their stay.
"Freedom of speech also means the freedom of others to hear what speakers have to say," said Sarah Wunsch, staff attorney with the ACLU of Massachusetts, who worked on Habib's case on behalf of organizations in the Boston area that had invited him to speak. "We are pleased that Professor Habib will now be able to accept invitations to speak in Massachusetts, and that audiences here will have the opportunity to hear him."
"We are thrilled that Americans will no longer be deprived of the opportunity to engage Professors Habib and Ramadan in face-to-face dialogue and debate," said Melissa Goodman, staff attorney with the ACLU National Security Project. "The Obama administration's decision to stop barring Professor Habib and Ramadan from the U.S. demonstrates its commendable commitment to the free exchange of ideas. We hope this signals that the administration will review the cases of others barred because of their political views, and end the unlawful and un-American practice of ideological exclusion for good."
Professor Adam Habib is a respected political analyst and Deputy Vice Chancellor of Research, Innovation and Advancement at the University of Johannesburg, as well as a Muslim who has been a vocal critic of the war in Iraq and some U.S. terrorism-related policies. The ACLU and the ACLU of Massachusetts filed a lawsuit in 2007 challenging his exclusion on behalf of the American Sociological Association, the American Association of University Professors, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, and the Boston Coalition for Palestinian Rights.
"It is wonderful for my wife Fatima and me to be back in the United States and to be able once again to engage with our many professional colleagues and friends here," said Habib. "Secretary Clinton's decision to end my exclusion is an important one for the advancement of free speech, human rights, and accountable government in the U.S. and globally. It is important that she follow through on this initial step and bring to an end the practice of ideological exclusion."
During the Bush administration, the U.S. government denied visas to dozens of foreign artists, scholars and writers -- all critics of U.S. policy overseas -- without explanation or on vague national security grounds.
Habib, who returned to the U.S. last week, will participate in several university visits including a discussion of ideological exclusion on March 31 at Harvard Law School co-sponsored by the ACLU of Massachusetts.
Background
Details about the case and Secretary Clinton's decision to grant Prof. Habib his visa are online at:
http://aclum.org/news/20100120.php
More information about ideological exclusion is available online at:
www.aclu.org/exclusion
Media
What Ann Coulter and Hillary Clinton have in common
Carol Rose (ACLU of Massachusetts Executive Director) On Liberty
A once-unwelcome scholar speaks in US
Boston Globe
Freedom can't
Or tweet
