Habib allowed to travel in US

JOHANNESBURG - An effective travel ban on South African academic Adam Habib entering the United States has been lifted, an American civil rights organisation said on Thursday.

“Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has signed orders that effectively end the exclusion of two prominent scholars who were barred from the United States,” the American Civil Liberties Union said in a statement on Thursday.

“The orders...state that, in the future, Professors Habib and ŠTariqÆ Ramadan will not be denied visas on the same grounds that they were denied them in 2006 and 2007.”

In October 2006, Habib, now Deputy Vice Chancellor of Research, Innovation and Advancement at the University of Johannesburg, was denied entry into the United States.

Habib had been invited to participate in a number of academic gatherings in the United States as part of a Human Sciences Research Council delegation.

The delegation was to meet a number of institutions including the National Institute of Health, the Centres of Disease Control and the World Bank.

Habib had a visa but on arrival into America, he was detained by customs officials, had his visa revoked and deported back to South Africa with no explanation.

“After my visa had been revoked, they asked me if I would be willing to take part in a voluntary interview. I agreed and was then subjected to a series of banal questions like ‘do you belong to a terrorist organisation'. I said no, wondering if any real terrorists answer ‘yes’ to that question,” he said at the time.

In 2007, the Freedom of Expression Institute said it believed that Habib’s deportation was a result of “ideological exclusion”.

“We believe the banning of Habib is part of a pattern where the US government denies entry to prominent individuals who have criticised US foreign policy.”

On Thursday, Habib said he was “thrilled” by Clinton’s decision to sign the orders allowing him . "My family and I are thrilled by Secretary Clinton’s decision.

“This is not only a personal victory but also a victory for democracy around the world.”

- Sapa