Scholars Become Targets of the Patriot Act

Over the last couple of years, several historians and scholars have been either prevented from taking up teaching posts or not allowed to make presentations to scholarly organizations because they have been determined by government officials to be security risks. For example, back in October 2004, the government made a wholesale rejection of visa applications from Cuban scholars and intellectuals invited to attend a national meeting of the Latin American Studies Association (see "AHA Expresses Concern Over Cancellation of Visa Applications from Cuban Scholars," in Perspectives, November 2004). Most recently, Tariq Ramadan, a Swiss citizen who is a scholar of Islamic theology, and Waskar Ari, a Bolivian historian who recently earned his PhD at an American university, were also denied visas by the government. Several scholarly organizations have now joined together to file formal protests and legal suits targeting aspects of the Patriot Act and other government laws put in place since 9/11 that thwart scholarly exchange.