Tiger course: No US visa for Muslim biologist

[Avnish Jolly]

Tiger course: No US visa for Muslim biologist
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/tiger-course-no-us-visa-for-muslim-biologist/638550/0

Faiyaz Khudsar, US Visa, Smithsonian institution
Posted: Sat Jun 26 2010

New Delhi: Delhi-based wildlife biologist Faiyaz Khudsar, the
scientist in charge at the Yamuna Biodiversity Park, was handpicked
along with 10 other people to attend a fully-funded tiger conservation
course at the US-based Smithsonian institution. But while the others
left for the US, Khudsar was not given a US visa. Union Environment
Minister Jairam Ramesh has written to the US Ambassador requesting him
to take up the issue.

Delhi-based wildlife biologist Faiyaz Khudsar was handpicked to attend
a tiger conservation course at the US-based Smithsonian institution.
However, while the others left for the US, Khudsar was not given a US
visa.

Despite getting a letter of recommendation from the Smithsonian,
widely regarded as one of the best centres of learning in the world,
the visa was not granted.

Khudsar, a PhD holder, who is involved in several ecology conservation
projects in Delhi with the Delhi Development Authority, told The
Indian Express: "I went through three interviews at the US embassy. I
was verbally told that I would be given the visa. They said only the
processing remained. Despite this, I was not given the visa and I
finally asked for my passport to be returned. All I would like to know
is why I was singled out from the entire group. I have written to the
embassy asking them why I wasn't given the visa."

Despite getting a letter of recommendation from the Smithsonian and
being verbally told by the US embassy that he would be given the visa,
the visa was not granted.

"This is a sovereign decision taken by the US Embassy. But I have
written a letter to the US Ambassador asking him to look into the
issue," said Union Minister Jairam Ramesh.

The tiger conservation program is in its first year, introduced by the
Global Tiger Initiative, which is partly funded by the World Bank. The
chosen scholars were to be fully sponsored for the course module which
started in India, with the final module being taught at the
Smithsonian. The scholars are mid-career professionals from the
government and the conservation sector.

However, the US Embassy spokesperson said they did not profile or
discriminate based on gender and religion and that their visa
application form does not even have a column for specifying the
applicants religion.

"We do not comment on any individual cases. We take every application
on a case by case basis. We don't profile or discriminate based on
gender and religion. In fact, in our visa application form, we don't
even have a column for specifying the applicants religion," said a US
Embassy spokesperson.

Yet the Embassy also said that it would be difficult for it to reveal
to the applicant why the visa was rejected.

"In 97 per cent of the cases, we get back on the application on the
same day. We also can't be telling the applicant why his visa was
rejected as it would take us months to explain to every applicant why
he or she was rejected," said the spokesperson.

Source: The Indian Express