CAIR-Houston: Australian Muslim Scholar Denied Entry
(HOUSTON, TX, 12/21/05) – The Houston office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Houston) today called on the Bush administration to explain why a well-known Islamic scholar was denied entry into the U.S.
Yahya Ibrahim, a Canadian-born resident of Australia, was reportedly barred from entering the United States earlier this week while traveling to speak at a conference that begins tomorrow in Houston. (SEE: Texas Dawah Convention V, http://www.themasjid.org/txdawah/ ) He was denied entry when he landed in Michigan and was later put on a plane to Canada.
Ibrahim says he was not given a reason for the denial of entry into the United States. He spoke at the same event last year without incident.
CONTACT: CAIR-Houston Board Member Kaleem Siddiqui, 713 838-CAIR; CAIR-Houston Civil Rights Director Halimah Shaheed, 713-838-2247