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ARAB, MUSLIM MEN FACE WAITS FOR VISAS
By Eli J. Lake, United Press International, 11/9/2001 http://www.washingtontimes.com/world/20011109-70631627.htm The United States will introduce a 20-day waiting period for men from predominately Muslim nations who apply for visas, State Department officials said yesterday... ...One State Department official described the new policy this way: "Anyone in a Muslim country, where the predominant religion is Islam, who is a male aged 18 to 45, will be given an additional questionnaire." Three State Department officials confirmed the list of countries where the new policy will take effect include: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen... SEE ALSO: ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON (AP) - The United States will slow down the visa process for young men from Arab and Muslim nations so it can search for evidence of terrorist activities. "We have to make sure we are not letting people in who cause us harm," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Friday... ...Asked if the new policy raised questions of racial profiling, the spokesman said, "As a nation we have a right and a duty to make sure our borders are safe." Secretary of State Colin Powell, in an interview with Fox News Channel, said he hoped it would be a temporary measure... |
