DUBAI: Joe Biden names Indian-American to be first Muslim religious freedom ambassador

DUBAI: US president Joe Biden on
Friday nominated Indian-American Rashad Hussain as the Ambassador-at-Large for
International Religious Freedom. Hussain is the first Muslim to be nominated to
head US diplomacy for advancing religious liberties.
“Today’s announcement underscores the president’s commitment to build an
administration that looks like America and reflects people of all faiths,”
the White House said via a press release.

Hussain is a director for
partnerships and global engagement at the National Security Council. He
formerly served as senior counsel at the Department of Justice’s National
Security Division.

“Rashad also spearheaded
efforts on countering antisemitism and protecting religious minorities in
Muslim-majority countries,” the White House added.
Hussain also served as the US special envoy to the Organization of Islamic
Cooperation (OIC), the Strategic Counterterrorism Communications, and deputy associate
White House Counsel during the Obama administration.

“In his roles as envoy, Hussain worked with multilateral organizations
such as the OIC and UN, foreign governments, and civil society organizations to
expand partnerships in education, entrepreneurship, health, international
security, science and technology, and other areas,” the White House said.

Prior to joining the Obama
administration, he served as a judicial law clerk to Damon Keith on the US
Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and was also an associate counsel to
the Obama-Biden Transition Project.

Hussain holds a law degree from
Yale Law School and has a master’s degree in Arabic and Islamic Studies from
Harvard University.

As per the US state department, “The Office of International
Religious Freedom promotes universal respect for freedom of religion or belief
for all as a core objective of US foreign policy. We monitor religiously
motivated abuses, harassment, and discrimination worldwide, and recommend,
develop, and implement policies and programs to address these concerns.”