Misplaced Pages

Rashad Hussain: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editNext edit →Content deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 14:27, 22 March 2010 editIslamuslim (talk | contribs)324 edits ←Blanked the page← Previous edit Revision as of 14:27, 22 March 2010 edit undoExcirial (talk | contribs)211,201 editsm Reverted edits by Islamuslim to last revision by 166.137.8.29 (HG)Next edit →
Line 1: Line 1:
{{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==
* ]
*

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
*
*
*
*
*

]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]

Revision as of 14:27, 22 March 2010

Rashad Hussain
File:Rashadhussain.jpg
2nd United States Ambassador to the Organisation of the Islamic Conference
In office
January 20, 2009 – Preset
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded bySada Cumber
Personal details
Born (1979-01-01) January 1, 1979 (age 46)
Wyoming
ProfessionLawyer

Rashad Hussain (born September 19, 1978) in Wyoming), an Indian-American Muslim, is the Representative of the United States of America to the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, an intergovernmental group with 57 member states, with the rank and status of Envoy Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.

Background

Hussain is the son of Indian-born US citizens, and was raised in Plano, Texas, where his parents still live. His father, Mohammad Hussain, is a retired mining engineer from Bihar, 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.

He is a graduate of Greenhill School in Dallas, Texas. 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.

Hussain completed a bachelor’s degree in two years, in both philosophy and political science, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. His philosophy thesis was titled "Assessing the Theistic Implications of Big Bang Cosmological Theory." He holds a Masters degree in Arabic & Islamic Studies from Harvard University, and his J.D. from Yale Law School. At Yale, he served as an editor of the Yale Law Journal.

Between Harvard and Yale, he worked as a legislative aide on the House Judiciary Committee , where he reviewed the USA Patriot Act and other bills. He was a 2003 Fellow of the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans.

While law clerk for Damon J. Keith on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in August 2008, Hussain co-authored "Reformulating the Battle of Ideas: Understanding the Role of Islam in Counterterrorism Policy" for the Brookings Institution, a paper that advocates the use of Islam in countering terrorist ideology.

Deputy Associate Counsel

In January 2009, Hussain was named deputy associate counsel to President Barack Obama. Previously, he has served as a trial attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice.

The Washington Post 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. Ben Rhodes, Obama's chief foreign policy speechwriter, sought Hussain's counsel last year as he drafted the president's Cairo address."

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. After the appointment, President Obama said:

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 Hafiz of the Quran, he is a respected member of the American Muslim community, and I thank him for carrying forward this important work.

The first official U.S. envoy to the OIC, Sada Cumber, was appointed by President George W. Bush in February 2008. 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 soft power is paying concrete dividends.”"

Al-Arian controversy

Main article: Rashad Hussain's comments on Sami Al-Arian

In 2004, Hussain was on a panel discussion on civil rights at a Muslim Students Association conference in Chicago. With him on the panel was Laila Al-Arian, a daughter of Sami Al-Arian, who on March 2, 2006, entered a guilty plea to a charge of conspiracy to help the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a "specially designated terrorist" organization, and was sentenced to 57 months in prison, and ordered deported following his prison term. In November 2006 he was held in civil contempt for refusing to testify before a federal grand jury, and he served 13 months in prison on that. In March 2008, the U.S. Department of Justice subpoenaed Al-Arian to testify before a grand jury. He refused to testify, and prosecutors charged him with criminal contempt in June 2008. He is under house arrest, as he awaits a trial on criminal contempt charges.

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."

Originally Fox News reported that The White House attributed the "controversial remarks defending al-Arian" to Laila al-Arian. Later, ABC News reported that the "controversy was all the more confusing because the remarks were reported in the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs in 2004, but the editor, 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 Obama administration, stood by the remarks."

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.” 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."

See also

References

  1. ^ "Obama picks special envoy to world Muslim group". CNN. February 13, 2010. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
  2. "U.S. Envoy is to Be Link to Muslims". New York Times. February 13, 2010. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
  3. "Another Indian-American appointed to Obama's legal team". Rediff. January 31, 2009. Retrieved February 14, 2010.
  4. ^ "Rashad Hussain, a Muslim and new U.S. envoy, is bridge between two worlds". Washington Post. February 28, 2010. Retrieved February 14, 2010.
  5. ^ "Profile: Rashad Hussain Appointed Deputy Associate". Muslim Media Network. February 5, 2009. Retrieved February 14, 2010.
  6. "President Obama Announces Key Additions to the Office of the White House Counsel". The White House. January 28, 2010. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
  7. "Spring 2003 Fellows: Rashad Hussain". Retrieved February 14, 2010. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |1= and |2= (help)
  8. "Reformulating the Battle of Ideas: Understanding the Role of Islam in Counterterrorism Policy". Brookings Institution. February 13, 2010. Retrieved February 15, 2010.
  9. "Obama names U.S. envoy to Muslim world body". Reuters. February 13, 2010. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
  10. "Obama's spiritual Cabinet shapes policy, tends his soul". Religion News Service. March 10, 2010, 2010. Retrieved March 10, 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. "Obama Taps Envoy to Islamic Group to Improve Ties (Update2)". Business Week. February 13, 2010. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
  12. "President Obama Addresses the U.S.-Islamic World Forum". The White House Blog. Retrieved February 14, 2010.
  13. "Obama names new US envoy to global Islamic body". BBC News. February 13, 2010. Retrieved March 2, 2010.
  14. Goodenough, Patrick (February 26, 2010). "First U.S. Envoy to the OIC Says the Position Does Have Value". Cybercast News Service. Retrieved March 2, 2010.
  15. "Plea Agreement; U.S. v. Al-Arian" (PDF). February 28, 2006. Retrieved March 8, 2010.
  16. MegLaughlin, In his plea deal, what did Sami Al-Arian admit to?, St. Petersburg Times, April 23, 2006.
  17. Al-Arian Gets Federal Subpoena, Elaine Silvestrini, March 4, 2008.
  18. Elaine Silvestrini, Al-Arian Arraigned On Contempt Charges, Tampa Tribune, June 30, 2008.
  19. Joseph Goldstein, Al-Arian Is Freed, but More Charges Await, New York Sun, September 3, 2008.
  20. Judge sets trial for Sami Al-Arian on criminal contempt charge, Tampa Tribune, January 17, 2009.
  21. Gerstein, Josh (February 19, 2010). "Islam envoy retreats on terror talk". The Politico. Retrieved February 22, 2010.
  22. Bream, Shannon (February 16, 2010). "Obama's Islamic Envoy Quoted Defending Man Charged With Aiding Terrorists". Fox News. Retrieved February 22, 2010.
  23. ^ Tapper, Jake (March 6, 2010). "President's Envoy to Islamic Conference Admits Having Made Controversial '04 Remarks". ABC News. Retrieved February 19, 2010.
  24. Gerstein, Josh (February 22, 2010). "W.H. affirms confidence in Islam envoy". The Politico. Retrieved February 22, 2010.

External links

Categories: