Arabs holding Bosnian passports are being denied entry into the United States for no logical reason, sources told Arab News.
According to the US Immigration and Nationality Act, there are several classes of foreigners ineligible to receive US visas for reasons including: health-related grounds, criminal and related grounds and security and related grounds including espionage and terrorist activities.
It appears Bosnian Arabs fall under the third category as very few of them have been suspected of having links with Al-Qaeda, the sources said.
For purely security reasons, US immigration departments and agencies have the right to introduce regulations to protect its territories or lands from any possible terrorist attacks.
Bosnian passport holders, in general, are reportedly allowed to enter the United States but when it comes to Bosnians of Arab origin, it is a different matter.
Bosnian Arabs are discriminated on security grounds regardless of their academic, technical or intellectual backgrounds.
A vast number of Arabs of different nationalities migrated to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the last decade for various reasons.
The Bosnian War of the 1990s attracted many Arabs and Muslims who showed sympathy for the Bosnian Muslims in the face of atrocities and massacres perpetrated by the Serbs in the country. The world at large also showed sympathy.
Some Arabs started living in Bosnia permanently following the war after having met all the required conditions set by the Bosnian immigration authorities. On the other hand, groups of Arabs including academics, journalists and intellectuals permanently settled in Bosnia and Herzegovina for other personal reasons.
The US authorities’ handling of Bosnian passport holders is akin to “putting all eggs in one basket,” said one prominent academic, indicating US officials are treating Bosnian Arabs indiscriminately and not differentiating between potential terrorists and innocents.
He added: “The (US) authorities, through their embassies and worldwide offices, could thoroughly verify the details of visa applicants and easily find out who may have the characteristics associated with terrorism.
“It is unfair to put all Bosnian Arabs in one basket.”
He said the visa rejections have affected Bosnian Arabs' image and career prospects.
First, they are being painted as terrorists and secondly the snubs are having a direct impact on their career and jobs, especially if their jobs require them to participate in international conferences and fairs or work with US companies and institutions that have expressed an interest in cooperating with their employers.
This step has also gravely affected the credibility of their work, which requires freedom of movement whenever they find business opportunities, the expert said.
The US embassies could study visa applications individually and clarify the reasons for any rejections instead of adopting a collective ban for certain categories of people, he added.
Bosnian Arabs denied US entry visa
