US appoints its first Muslim ambassador for religious freedom

Aya Ezz

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.