New OIC Rep Rashad Hussain Baptized By Fire

By Sara Elghobashy

February 23, 2010

During the 2010 U.S.-Islamic World Forum, which took place in Doha, Qatar from February 13th to the 15th, President Obama announced the appointment of Rashad Hussain as special envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). And so at the end of the conference, all was well with the world. The Muslim community was happy, as the appointment reaffirmed the President’s commitment to continuing dialogue and reaching out to the Muslim world. Everyone else was put at ease since Hussain’s record of speaking out against violent extremism demonstrated that moderate Muslims do exist. And the fact that he’s a hafiz sent a message of “Look at that, religion doesn’t make people crazy after all!”

It’s just too bad that some people don’t want the rest of the world to be happy (yes, I’m talking to you, FOX “News” and friends). Smear campaigns began shortly after Hussain’s appointment to attempt to paint him as a “terrorist sympathizer.” So exactly what part of Hussain’s effort to repeatedly speak out against violent extremism made him a “terrorist sympathizer?”

As Marc Lynch states, “Hussain’s critics know perfectly well that he’s not a terrorist and doesn’t support terrorism, and probably understand that their campaign against him will have a negative impact on the Muslim community in America and beyond.” It’s not about the events he attended, it’s about the fact that he’s a Muslim. See, we can have liars, cheaters, racists, and morally corrupt people represent the U.S., but we can’t have a Muslim. What kind of a message would that send? That we’re an important thread of the fabric that makes up America? Nope, some people can’t have that. For his part, Hussain has an accomplished background, having served as a Trial Attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice, and serving as a legislative assistant on the House Judiciary Committee, where he reviewed legislation such as the USA Patriot Act. He holds a degree in Arabic & Islamic Studies from Harvard University, and his J.D. from Yale Law School,

It’s important to take a stand against this kind of smear campaign. It doesn’t just affect Hussain, but it affects the entire Muslim community. The campaign is meant to perpetuate hate by instilling fear and there is already enough of that out there.

Photo Credit: AMER HILABI/AFP/Getty Images