File photo of Yusuf Islam

WASHINGTON, October 1 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) –The US authorities are reviewing a decision to include the names of moderate Muslim figures Yusuf Islam and Tariq Ramadan on its watch list, according to US Secretary of State Colin Powell.

“I think we have that obligation to review these matters to see if we are right,” Agence France Presse quoted Powell as saying Wednesday, September 29.

Powell said the review will include the State Department, the Home Security Department and all intelligence agencies.

“We are reviewing them to make sure that the basis upon which they were denied admission is a sound basis,” he added.

Yusuf Islam, previously British pop star Cat Stevens, was denied entry to the United States last week while famous scholar Ramadan was barred last August from entering the country to take a post at the renowned Notre Dame University.

The two leading Muslim figures hit the headlines after the US authorities denied them access and the move drew wide range angry reactions from Muslims everywhere.

The detention and deportation of Islam had drawn strong outrages of the Muslim communities in the United States and Britain with the British government raising the issue with the US authorities.

Islam had said he began a legal action against the US government for its refusal to allow him into the country.

“We have now initiated a legal process to try to find out exactly what is going on, and to take all necessary steps to undo the very serious, and wholly unfounded, injustice which I have suffered,” AFP quoted Islam as saying.

Islam became Muslim in 1977. Following a 17-year hiatus from the music business, he returned in 1995 and has since released three albums of Islamic-related songs.

Not Related

Ramadan’s US visa revocation under review

The US most senior diplomat said, however, the review was not related to the publicity of the two Muslim figures.

“Whenever these cases come in, and they do come in on a very regular basis, I look into them to see if we have done the right thing,” AFP quoted Powell as saying.

The 41-year-old Muslim scholar Ramadan was scheduled to take a teaching post at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend ,Indiana, but was barred at the last minute when the US State Department revoked his visa

Professor Ramadan, a citizen of Switzerland, was expected to teach Islamic philosophy and ethics in the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies. He was appointed to hold the Luce Chair in Religion, Conflict and Peace building, a full-time, tenured position.

Ramadan is known for his calls on Muslims in the West is to avoid standing on a defensive line and to present Islam as a universal message. He had told IOL in an earlier interview that secularism was not a problem for Muslims living in Europe .

Ramadan has become a popular figure in Europe and highly influential among Muslims throughout the Western world. He often writes and lectures about how Muslims can remain true to their religion and culture in the modern world.