The editor of Hizbullah's weekly newspaper has demanded an explanation from the Government over its decision to reject his application for a visa to Ireland, describing the move as "unfair and unjust".
Earlier this week Irish anti-war groups called on Minister for Justice Brian Lenihan to explain why his department declined to issue a visa to Ibrahim Mousawi, who was due to address several conferences last weekend.
Mr Mousawi, who previously held the posts of foreign editor and head of political programming at Hizbullah's controversial Al Manar television channel in Beirut, was forced to address a conference in Galway by audio link after the Department of Justice turned down his application for a visa. It is understood that the decision was taken on "national security grounds" on the basis of advice from the Garda.
Mr Mousawi said he resented the fact that his visa application was dismissed on such grounds. "Rejecting the visa is one thing but labelling me as a security concern is outrageous," he told The Irish Times. "They should not depict me as some kind of danger to national security without specifying why. It is unfair and unjust."
He said he had yet to be officially notified of the Government's decision. Normally, this would be conveyed to the Irish embassy in Cairo and from there to the consulate in Beirut, but this may have been delayed due to the major Muslim holiday of Eid Al Fitr at the weekend.
Mr Mousawi pointed out that he had addressed gatherings last year in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Belfast and Derry, and he had met officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs to discuss the situation in Lebanon.
Currently editor of Hizbullah's weekly Al Intiqadnewspaper, Mr Mousawi left Al Manar, which is banned in the US and several European countries, in March last year, and he says he has no relation with the station now.
He has visited a number of European countries and was lately granted the most recent of several visas to Britain. He has studied at the University of Birmingham and is due to defend his doctoral thesis on political Islam there next month.