Friday, October 20, 2006

United States stops entry of British Muslim leader

Kamal HelbawyNEW YORK (Reuters) - The United States barred a British Muslim leader from flying to New York from London on Thursday morning, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said.

The department's Customs and Border Protection section would not elaborate on why Kamal Helbawy, 67, a founding member of the Muslim Association of Britain, was told by airline staff to get off his flight shortly before it was due to leave London.

"The individual was inadmissible to enter the U.S.," said spokeswoman Kelly Klundt. "I can't speak specifically to this case as to why he was inadmissible."

Helbawy was due to speak on a panel on the Muslim Brotherhood, organized by the Center on Law and Security, an independent think tank based at New York University. [...]

Some background information on Kamal Helbawy:
Born in Egypt in 1939 and joined the Muslim Brotherhood at the age of twelve, largely receiving his education in Islam from them. After working in Nigeria, he traveled to Saudi Arabia where he was among the founders of the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY) and became their first executive director. After six years at the Institute of Policy Studies in Pakistan, Dr. Helbawy moved to London and helped create the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) and the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB). He was the MAB's first president and currently serves as an advisor to the organization. Dr. Helbawy is also a researcher in Islamic and strategic affairs.

Crossposted at Eye On The World.

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