RASHAD HUSSAIN CONFIRMED AS FIRST MUSLIM US RELIGIOUS FREEDOM ENVOY

Sat 18 December 2021:

In a historic move, the United States Senate approved Muslim American Rashad Hussain to serve as Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom.

When President Joe Biden announced his nomination of Hussain in July, the White House noted his work on countering antisemitism and defending religious minorities in countries with Muslim majorities. Hussain, who has served as a judicial clerk in the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and as the editor of the Yale Law Journal, speaks Spanish, Arabic and Urdu. He also is a hafiz, or someone who has memorized the entire Quran in Arabic.

“(A)s a Muslim American, I have seen the impact of bigotry and guilt by association tactics used against minority communities, including the message it sends and dangers it poses to young people,” Hussain said in his prepared remarks during the October confirmation hearing.

He served as US Special Envoy to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Special Envoy for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications and Deputy Associate White House Counsel during the Barack Obama administration.

Also, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom hailed Hussain’s confirmation.

“With his years of knowledge and experience, Ambassador Hussain is well placed to advance the U.S. government’s promotion of international religious freedom,” said USCIRF Chair Nadine Maenza in a statement.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the US’ largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, welcomed the confirmation on Friday.

“This is a historic day for the American Muslim community and our nation,” Deputy Executive Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said in a statement.

“We are confident that he will defend the religious freedom of all communities threatened by bigotry around the world, including Uyghur Muslims facing an unprecedented genocide by the Chinese Communist Party,” said Mitchell.

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