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{{Infobox US Ambassador
| name=Rashad Hussain
| image= Rashadhussain.jpg
| imagesize = 180px
| order=2nd
| ambassador_from=United States
| country= the Organisation of the Islamic Conference
| term_start =January 20, 2009
| term_end =Preset
| president= ]
| predecessor = ]
| successor = ''incumbent''
| birth_date ={{birth date and age |mf=yes|1979|1|01}}
| birth_place = ]
| spouse=
| profession=Lawyer
| religion= ]
| footnotes=
}}
'''Rashad Hussain''' (born September 19, 1978) in Wyoming), an Indian-American Muslim, is the Representative of the ] to the ], an intergovernmental group with 57 member states, with the rank and status of ].<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|accessdate= February 5, 2010 |url= http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/02/13/obama-picks-special-envoy-to-world-muslim-group/?fbid=rlf3tzpVovi|title= Obama picks special envoy to world Muslim group|date=February 13, 2010|publisher=CNN}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|accessdate= February 5, 2010 |url= http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/us/politics/14muslim.html|title= U.S. Envoy is to Be Link to Muslims|date=February 13, 2010|publisher=New York Times}}</ref>
==Background==
Hussain is the son of ], and was raised in ], ], where his parents still live. His father, Mohammad Hussain, is a retired mining engineer from ], while his mother Ruqaiya is a medical doctor. His older sister, Lubna, is also a physician, and his younger brother, Saad, is a medical student.
<ref>{{cite web|accessdate= February 14, 2010 |url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2009/jan/30another-indian-american-appointed-to-obamas-legal-team.htm|title=Another Indian-American appointed to Obama's legal team|date=January 31, 2009|publisher=]}}</ref>
He is a graduate of ] in ]. While at Greenhill, Hussain was a member of the school's nationally recognized policy-debate team, partnering with Josh Goldberg to win the Texas state debate championship.<ref name="washingtonpost1">{{cite web|accessdate= February 14, 2010 |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/28/AR2010022801912.html?hpid=topnews|title= Rashad Hussain, a Muslim and new U.S. envoy, is bridge between two worlds |date= February 28, 2010|publisher=Washington Post}}</ref>
Hussain completed a bachelor’s degree in two years, in both philosophy and ], from the ], where he was elected to ]. His philosophy thesis was titled "Assessing the Theistic Implications of ] Cosmological Theory."<ref name="muslimmedianetwork3599">{{cite web|accessdate= February 14, 2010 |url= http://muslimmedianetwork.com/mmn/?p=3599/|title=Profile: Rashad Hussain Appointed Deputy Associate |date=February 5, 2009|publisher=]}}</ref> He holds a ] in ] & ] from ], and his J.D. from ]. At Yale, he served as an ] of the ].<ref>{{cite web|accessdate= February 5, 2010 |url= http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/ObamaAnnouncesKeyAdditionstotheOfficeoftheWhiteHouseCounsel/|title= President Obama Announces Key Additions to the Office of the White House Counsel
|date=January 28, 2010|publisher=]}}</ref>
Between Harvard and Yale, he worked as a legislative aide on the ] , where he reviewed the USA ] and other bills.<ref name="muslimmedianetwork3599"/> He was a 2003 Fellow of the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans.<ref>{{cite web|accessdate= February 14, 2010 |url= http://www.pdsoros.org/current_fellows/index.cfm/yr/2003#hussain|title= Spring 2003 Fellows: Rashad Hussain| | }}</ref>
While ] for ] on the ] in August 2008, Hussain co-authored "Reformulating the Battle of Ideas: Understanding the Role of Islam in Counterterrorism Policy" for the ], a paper that advocates the use of Islam in countering terrorist ideology.<ref>{{cite web|accessdate= February 15, 2010 |url= http://www.brookings.edu/papers/2008/08_counterterrorism_hussain.aspx3|title= Reformulating the Battle of Ideas: Understanding the Role of Islam in Counterterrorism Policy|date=February 13, 2010|publisher=]}}{{dead link|date=March 2010}}</ref>
==Deputy Associate Counsel==
In January 2009, Hussain was named deputy associate counsel to ] ]. Previously, he has served as a ] at the ].<ref>{{cite web|accessdate= February 5, 2010 |url= http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61C1SE20100213|title= Obama names U.S. envoy to Muslim world body|date=February 13, 2010|publisher=Reuters}}</ref>
'']'' reported that, "After the 2008 election, Hussain was recruited to the White House Counsel's office by Cassandra Butts, a fellow Tar Heel and Obama's former Harvard Law classmate. He has worked there on national security and new media issues, and helped inform the administration's Muslim outreach efforts.<ref>{{cite web|accessdate= March 10, 2010 |url=http://www.religionnews.com/index.php?/rnstext/obamas_spiritual_cabinet_shapes_policy_tends_his_soul/|title= Obama’s spiritual Cabinet shapes policy, tends his soul |date= March 10, 2010, 2010|publisher=]}}</ref> Ben Rhodes, Obama's chief foreign policy speechwriter, sought Hussain's counsel last year as he drafted the president's Cairo address."<ref name="washingtonpost1"/>
==Special Envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference==
On February 13, 2010, President Obama appointed Hussain as the United States special envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference.<ref>{{cite web|accessdate= February 5, 2010 |url= http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-02-13/obama-taps-envoy-to-islamic-group-to-improve-ties-update1-.html|title= Obama Taps Envoy to Islamic Group to Improve Ties (Update2)|date=February 13, 2010|publisher=]}}</ref> After the appointment, President Obama said: <blockquote>As an accomplished lawyer and a close and trusted member of my White House staff, Rashad has played a key role in developing the partnerships I called for in Cairo. And as a '']'' of the ], he is a respected member of the American Muslim community, and I thank him for carrying forward this important work.<ref>{{cite web|accessdate= February 14, 2010 |url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/02/13/president-obama-addresses-us-islamic-world-forum/|title=President Obama Addresses the U.S.-Islamic World Forum|publisher=The White House Blog}}</ref><ref name="autogenerated1"/></blockquote>
The first official U.S. envoy to the OIC, ], was appointed by President ] in February 2008.<ref>{{cite news|accessdate=March 2, 2010 |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8514692.stm|title= Obama names new US envoy to global Islamic body|date=February 13, 2010|last=|first=|publisher=BBC News}}</ref>
Cumber has said that Hussain: "will face the twin challenges of showing the Muslims that Obama’s Cairo speech was more than flowery rhetoric while also demonstrating to the American public that the current administration’s emphasis on ] is paying concrete dividends.”"<ref>{{cite web|accessdate=March 2, 2010 |url= http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/61960|title= First U.S. Envoy to the OIC Says the Position Does Have Value|date=February 26, 2010|last=Goodenough|first=Patrick|publisher=]}}</ref>
==Al-Arian controversy==
{{Main|Rashad Hussain's comments on Sami Al-Arian}}
In 2004, Hussain was on a panel discussion on ] at a ] conference in Chicago. With him on the panel was Laila Al-Arian, a daughter of ], who on March 2, 2006, entered a guilty plea to a charge of conspiracy to help the ], a "]" organization,<ref name="plea">{{cite web|url=http://nefafoundation.org/miscellaneous/FeaturedDocs/U.S._v_Al-Arian_pleaagr.pdf|title=Plea Agreement; U.S. v. Al-Arian|date=February 28, 2006|accessdate=March 8, 2010}}</ref> and was sentenced to 57 months in prison, and ordered deported following his prison term.<ref name="Laughlin-plea">MegLaughlin, , '']'', April 23, 2006.</ref> In November 2006 he was held in civil contempt for refusing to testify before a federal ], and he served 13 months in prison on that. In March 2008, the U.S. ] ]ed Al-Arian to testify before a ]. He refused to testify, and prosecutors charged him with criminal contempt in June 2008.<ref>, Elaine Silvestrini, March 4, 2008.</ref><ref>Elaine Silvestrini, , '']'', June 30, 2008.</ref> He is under ], as he awaits a trial on criminal contempt charges.<ref name="Goldstein">Joseph Goldstein, , '']'', September 3, 2008.</ref><ref name="TT-Jan09">, '']'', January 17, 2009.</ref>
During the panel discussion, and following Laila Al-Arain's comments, Hussain made critical statements about the U.S. terror prosecution of Sami Al-Arian, as well as other Muslim terrorism suspects, characterizing them as "politically motivated persecutions."<ref>{{cite web|accessdate=February 22, 2010 |url= http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0210/33210.html|title= Islam envoy retreats on terror talk |date=February 19, 2010|last=Gerstein|first=Josh|publisher=]}}</ref>
Originally '']'' reported that ] attributed the "controversial remarks defending al-Arian" to Laila al-Arian.<ref>{{cite web|accessdate=February 22, 2010 |url= http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/02/16/obamas-islamic-envoy-disputes-report-quoting-defending-terror-convict/|title= Obama's Islamic Envoy Quoted Defending Man Charged With Aiding Terrorists
|date=February 16, 2010|last=Bream|first=Shannon|publisher=]}}</ref> Later, '']'' reported that the "controversy was all the more confusing because the remarks were reported in the '']'' in 2004, but the ], Delinda Hanley, later removed the comments from the publication's web site, though she didn't recall why. The then-intern who reported Hussain's comments, Shereen Kandil, who currently also works for the ], stood by the remarks."<ref name="tapper1">{{cite web|accessdate=February 19, 2010 |url=http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2010/02/presidents-envoy-to-islamic-conference-admits-having-made-controversial-04-remarks.html |title= President's Envoy to Islamic Conference Admits Having Made Controversial '04 Remarks|date=March 6, 2010|last=Tapper|first=Jake|publisher=]}}</ref>
Hussain said: “When I saw the article that attributed comments to me without context, leaving a misimpression, I contacted the publication to raise concerns about it. Eventually, of their own accord, they modified the article.”<ref name="tapper1"/> After Hussain's statement, the White House said in February 2010 that it "is expressing its confidence in Hussain, despite his concession last week that he made ill-considered statements in 2004 about Bush-era terrorism prosecutions."<ref>{{cite web|accessdate=February 22, 2010 |url= http://www.politico.com/blogs/joshgerstein/0210/WH_affirms_confidence_in_Islam_envoy_Hussain.html|title= W.H. affirms confidence in Islam envoy|date=February 22, 2010|last=Gerstein|first=Josh|publisher=]}}</ref>
==See also==
* ]
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==References==
{{reflist|2}}
==External links==
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