The United States has appointed its first Muslim American federal judge. Zahid Quraishi, a historic confirmation that is eliciting mixed emotions from the Muslim community. The Rutgers law school graduate was nominated by Joe Biden and confirmed by the Senate on Thursday in an 81-16 vote. But Quraishi’s work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) during the Bush administration and his role in the Iraq war has garnered criticism too.

In a statement released in April, the Council on American Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights advocacy group, voiced concerns about Quraishi’s professional past. The son of Pakistani immigrants, Quraishi was born in New York City and raised in New Jersey. After graduating law school, Quraishi was twice deployed to Iraq, in 2004 and 2006, where he was a military prosecutor and earned the rank of captain.

During his stint in the US army, Quraishi also served as a legal adviser for detention operations – a controversial position he has yet to publicly clarify. Quraishi went on to work for Ice during the Bush administration, provoking the ire of leftwing activists and Muslim organizations.

Source: The Guardian