Posted on 09/13/2006 12:47:42 PM PDT by SmithL
A San Francisco State Arabic professor who has been stranded in Canada for three months while waiting for the U.S. State Department to give him security clearance and issue him a visa can now return home.
Assistant professor Mohammad Ramadan Hassan Salama, who traveled to the U.S. Consulate in Toronto on June 20 and was stuck there after the consulate canceled his scholar visa, was called by the consulate in Toronto, Canada, today and told that he could pick up a new visa on Thursday, his attorney Clark M. Trevor said.
"We have an immense burden removed," said Paul Sherwin, dean of the College of Humanities at San Francisco State. "He is somebody who is very dear to me and he has worked so hard, and for somebody to have to undergo such an ordeal is awful. We are most concerned about him, but clearly we are also concerned about the students and how this has impacted them."
His classes at San Francisco State University have been covered by a temporary replacement.
"My client is ecstatic after 90 days in Canada," Trevor said. "He can get on a plane and come back here and resume teaching his classes. He is the kind of person this country needs in these tumultuous times. He is doing great service in advancing knowledge about Islam."
Salama's troubles began in June, when he arrived in Canada for what he thought was a two-day stay to change his temporary scholar visa, which was due to expire. He planned to exchange it at the U.S. Consulate in Toronto for the more coveted O-1 visa, granted only to those with extraordinary ability in sciences, arts, education, business or athletics. By law, he had to go outside the country to get the visa.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?
Most of us learned all we need to know about islam on September 11TH.
A Muslim radical who teaches at a San Francisco college? And we let him back into the country? Are the border people crazy?
Yes.
Do all these guys have names that sound like someone playing the "name game"?
So he reneged on his deal with the Egyptian government. Let's do the Egyptian government a favor and send him back.
San Francisco State hired Salama last fall as its first Arabic scholar to help build its Arabic and Middle Eastern programs, which have become popular since 9/11.
It's the Johnny Taliban degree program.
He had to wait 3 months for a new visa? Oh the humanity!
Get in line fella - you aren't that special.
To nuke the campus would be a great service to our culture.
Although, as an alumnus, I may be a bit biased.
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