US appoints its first Muslim ambassador for religious freedom
The US Senate approved on December 18 the appointment of Rashad Hussain as the ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom.
The house approved Hussein's
appointment by 85 votes against 5 votes.
Hussein was the Director of
Partnerships and Global Engagement in the National Security Council.
He previously held the position of
Senior Adviser in the National Security Department of the Department of Justice
in the administration of former US President Barack Obama.
He also served as the US Special
Envoy to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, according to some American
news sites.
During the past years, Hussain was
able to perform many tasks.
Through his role as envoy to the
Organization of Islamic Cooperation, he contributed to developing US policies and
strengthening partnerships with Muslim-majority countries, civil society
organizations, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the second largest
multilateral organization in the world after the United Nations.
Hussain holds a PhD in law from Bell
University's School of Law, as well as an MA in Arabic and Islamic Studies from
Harvard University.
In addition to the above, he has worked
as an assistant professor of law at Georgetown Law Center and Georgetown
College of Foreign Service.
He speaks Urdu, Arabic and Spanish. In
2009, Hussain was named one of the 500 Most Influential Muslims in the World,
because he was the first Indian-American to be appointed as Vice-Adviser to president
Obama at the time.
"He is an accomplished attorney
and trusted member of the White House staff," Obama said of Hussain.
"He played a key role in developing the partnerships I called for in
Cairo, and as a memorizer of the Quran, he is a respected member of the
American Muslim community."
He thanked Hussain for moving forward
with what he described as 'this important work'.
Before joining Obama's administration,
Hussain worked in the Judiciary Committee of the US House of Representatives.
In January 2013, he was awarded the
Distinguished Medal of Honor in recognition of outstanding and exceptional
service to US government agencies.
