The U.S. Senate voted 85-5 in a Dec. 16 confirmation vote for Rashad Hussain, who had been nominated in late July by President Joe Biden. Hussain became the first Muslim to hold the position since it was created in 1998 as part of the International Religious Freedom Act.

Hussain, who served this year as director for partnerships and global engagement at the White House National Security Council, served during the Obama administration as special envoy to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and special envoy for strategic counterterrorism communications. The OIC is an intergovernmental organization of 57 largely Muslim countries.

The ambassador-at-large serves as the primary adviser to the secretary of state regarding global religious liberty and also advises the president. He supervises the State Department’s office of international religious freedom. Hussain’s confirmation makes him the sixth person to fill the post since it was established 23 years ago. Sam Brownback, the previous ambassador-at-large, served during the last three years of the Trump administration.

The chair of the bipartisan U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) commended Hussain’s confirmation. “With his years of knowledge and experience, Ambassador Hussain is well placed to advance the U.S. government’s promotion of international religious freedom,” Nadine Maenza said.

Source: baptistpress.com

It was a side event focusing on several important declarations and joint statements on human dignity and religious freedom, discussing the goals, content, and impact of these statements on international religious freedom and human rights discourse.

Confirmed speakers were Sam Brownback, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, Ján Figeľ, EU Special Envoy for Promotion of Freedom of Religion outside the EU, Canadian Minister of Parliament David Anderson, and Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, President of Zaytuna College. The event featured a keynote address as well as panel discussion focusing on several key declarations:

• Punta del Este Declaration on Human Dignity for Everyone Everywhere
• The American Charter of Freedom of Religion and Conscience
• The Potomoc Declaration
• The Beirut Declaration on “Faith for Rights”
• The Marrakesh Declaration
• The Olso Charter for Freedom of Religion or Belief
• A Common Word Between Us and You

More information at: Religious Freedom Institute