—FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—
 
JAMAICA, New York (January 21, 2010) – In a statement issued today, Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) commended the U.S. Department of State’s decision to lift a ban that prevented Professor Tariq Ramadan from entering the United States for the past six years.

Ever since this ban was imposed on Dr. Tariq Ramadan in 2004, preventing this prominent Muslim intellectual and scholar from taking a distinguished teaching position at Notre Dame University or visiting the United States, ICNA and other civil liberties organizations have been asking and campaigning for its withdrawal.
“We commend this move by our government to right the past wrong,” said ICNA President Dr. Zahid Bukhari. “This is a very positive step and it will certainly help us pursue a new relationship with the Muslim world and Muslim communities around the globe based on mutual interest and mutual respect, highlighting points emphasized by our President in his historic speech in Cairo.”