Joe Biden names Indian-American to be first Muslim Religious Freedom Ambassador

On Friday, US President Joe Biden 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.

The White House, via a press release, said that "Today’s announcement underscores the president's commitment to build an administration that looks like America & reflects people of all faiths".

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

The White House added, "Rashad also spearheaded efforts on countering antisemitism & protecting religious minorities in Muslim-majority countries".

Hussain also served as the US special envoy to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Strategic Counterterrorism Communications, & 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, & civil society organizations to expand partnerships in education, entrepreneurship, health, international security, science & technology, & 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, & 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 & 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, & discrimination worldwide, & recommend, develop, & implement policies & programs to address these concerns."

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