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For Immediate Release
Contact: media@aclu.org

Previously Banned Scholars Speaking In New York Tonight And Tomorrow

Professors Adam Habib And Tariq Ramadan Were Kept Out Of U.S. Because Of Their Political Views

WASHINGTON

Two
prominent scholars will participate in speaking engagements in New York
this week after years of being wrongfully denied entry to the United
States on the basis of their political views. Professor Adam Habib of
the University of Johannesburg will speak at the CUNY Graduate Center
tonight, Wednesday, April 7 at 2:00 p.m. and Professor Tariq Ramadan of
St. Antony's College, Oxford University, will speak at Cooper Union
tomorrow, Thursday, April 8 at 7:00 p.m.

The American Civil Liberties Union
had challenged the denial of visas to Professors Habib and Ramadan 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 are currently in the U.S.

Details of Professor Habib's speaking engagement

WHAT:
POLITICS AND SOCIAL MOVEMENTS IN SOUTH AFRICA TODAY, a public talk

WHO:
Professor Adam Habib, Deputy Vice Chancellor of Research, Innovation and Advancement at the University of Johannesburg

Co-sponsored by the CUNY Political Science Program and the Center for Place, Culture and Politics

WHERE:
CUNY Graduate Center Political Science Lounge
Room 5200
365 Fifth Ave. at 34th St.
New York, NY

WHEN:
TONIGHT, Wednesday, April 7
2:15 p.m. EDT

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
(212) 817-8670 or (212) 817-8674

Details of Professor Ramadan's speaking engagement

WHAT:
SECULARISM, ISLAM, & DEMOCRACY: MUSLIMS IN EUROPE AND THE WEST, a panel discussion

WHO:
Professor Tariq Ramadan,
Professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies at Oxford University and
author of What I Believe, in his first U.S. appearance since he was
barred from the U.S. in 2004
Dalia Mogahed, Senior Analyst and Executive Director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies
George Packer, Staff writer at The New Yorker and author of Interesting Times: Writings from a Turbulent Decade
Joan Wallach Scott, Professor of Social Science at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton University and author of The Politics of the Veil
Moderated by Jacob Weisberg, Journalist and Editor-in-Chief of The Slate Group

Co-sponsored by the ACLU, American Association of University Professors, PEN American Center and Slate

WHERE:
The Great Hall, Cooper Union
7 East 7th St. at Third Ave.
New York, NY

WHEN:
TOMORROW, Thursday, April 8
7:00 p.m. EDT

TICKETS:
$15/$10 for PEN/ACLU members and students with a valid ID
Tickets available through www.smarttix.com, (212) 868-4444, or at the door
The event will also be streaming online at: www.pen.org/ramadan-stream

The American Civil Liberties Union was founded in 1920 and is our nation's guardian of liberty. The ACLU works in the courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to all people in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States.

(212) 549-2666