NEW YORK -- A judge said Thursday he was troubled because U.S. authorities have not decided whether a leading Muslim scholar can enter the United States to make appearances before organizations that have invited him.
U.S. District Judge Paul A. Crotty said he would consider ordering the appropriate government authorities to decide on the status of Tariq Ramadan so he can resolve a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union.
The ACLU accused the government of manipulating the Patriot Act to try to silence the outspoken Swiss intellectual and Muslim scholar, who has been invited to speak in the United States later this month and twice later this year.
The judge said it seemed the Department of State was taking a long time to act on a request by Ramadan last August to enter the country, especially since Ramadan's case had been active for more than two years. The judge said he was "terribly troubled" by the delay.
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