Rashad Hussain
Encyclopedia
Rashad Hussain is an American attorney, and U.S. Special Envoy to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), an intergovernmental group with 57 member states. Hussain, a Muslim of Indian heritage, has served in the White House Counsel's Office, and in his role as Envoy, has advised the Administration on policy issues related to the Muslim world. He has traveled to numerous countries and international conferences, and has met with foreign leaders and Muslims around the world.
, Texas
, the son of Indian-born U.S. citizens
. His father, Mohammad Hussain, is a retired mining engineer from Bihar
. His mother Ruqaiya and his older sister, Lubna are medical doctors, and his younger brother, Saad, is a medical student.
Hussain 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 and a number of national competitions.
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 a J.D. from Yale Law School
. At Yale, he served as an editor
of the Yale Law Journal
.
After college, but before entering law school, he worked as a legislative aide for 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.
In August 2008, while working as a law clerk
for Damon J. Keith of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
Hussain co-authored a paper, "Reformulating the Battle of Ideas: Understanding the Role of Islam in Counterterrorism Policy" for the Brookings Institution
, that advocates the use of Islam in countering terrorist ideology.
As envoy, Hussain has sought to expand partnerships between the U.S. and the Muslim world and has been outspoken on the need to combat terrorism, stating in a speech to Muslim Foreign Ministers, "It is our duty to eradicate this ideology completely and blaming the foreign policy of any country is not the answer. No policy grievance justifies the slaughter of innocent people."
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 Greg Craig and 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. Mr. Hussain also "began advising the president on issues related to Islam after joining the White House counsel’s office in January 2009." Ben Rhodes, Obama's chief foreign policy speechwriter, sought Hussain's counsel last year as he drafted the president's Cairo address."
The previous U.S. Special Envoy to the OIC, Bush appointee Sada Cumber
,
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.”"
. Laila Al-Arian, a daughter of Sami Al-Arian
, was also on the panel. During the discussion, Hussain made critical statements about the US terror prosecution of Sami Al-Arian and other Muslim terrorism suspects, such as Chaplain James Yee
and Brandon Mayfield
. According to recordings obtained by Politico in 2010, Hussain referred to the cases as examples of "politically-motivated prosecutions." He was careful to say that he was not offering an opinion on whether Al-Arian was guilty of the charges that he was a top leader of the U.S. branch of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a "specially designated terrorist
" organization. In 2006, Al-Arian pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to help the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, was sentenced to 57 months in prison, and ordered deported following his prison term.
Opinions differ on whether the recording shows that Hussain using the term "prosecutions," or "persecutions," and whether he said that the prosecutions were "used to squash political dissent," quotations from a 2004 story that Hussain denied making. After the controversy over the statements, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs expressed continued White House confidence in Hussain.
Background
Hussain was born in Wyoming and was raised in PlanoPlano, Texas
Plano is a city in the state of Texas, located mostly within Collin County. The city's population was 259,841 at the 2010 census, making it the ninth-largest city in Texas and the 71st most populous city in the United States. Plano is located within the metropolitan area commonly referred to as...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, the son of Indian-born U.S. citizens
Indian American
Indian Americans are Americans whose ancestral roots lie in India. The U.S. Census Bureau popularized the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with Indigenous peoples of the Americas who are commonly referred to as American Indians.-The term: Indian:...
. His father, Mohammad Hussain, is a retired mining engineer from Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
. His mother Ruqaiya and his older sister, Lubna are medical doctors, and his younger brother, Saad, is a medical student.
Hussain is a graduate of Greenhill School in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
. 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 and a number of national competitions.
Hussain completed a bachelor’s degree in two years, in both philosophy and political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. His philosophy thesis was titled "Assessing the Theistic Implications of Big Bang
Big Bang
The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological model that explains the early development of the Universe. According to the Big Bang theory, the Universe was once in an extremely hot and dense state which expanded rapidly. This rapid expansion caused the young Universe to cool and resulted in...
Cosmological Theory." He holds a Masters degree in Arabic & Islamic Studies
Islamic studies
In a Muslim context, Islamic studies can be an umbrella term for all virtually all of academia, both originally researched and as defined by the Islamization of knowledge...
from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, and a J.D. from Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
. At Yale, he served as an editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
of the Yale Law Journal
Yale Law Journal
The Yale Law Journal is a student-run law review affiliated with the Yale Law School. Published continuously since 1891, it is the most widely known of the eight law reviews published by students at Yale Law School...
.
After college, but before entering law school, he worked as a legislative aide for 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.
In August 2008, while working as a law clerk
Law clerk
A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person who provides assistance to a judge in researching issues before the court and in writing opinions. Law clerks are not court clerks or courtroom deputies, who are administrative staff for the court. Most law clerks are recent law school graduates who...
for Damon J. Keith of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* Eastern District of Kentucky* Western District of Kentucky...
Hussain co-authored a paper, "Reformulating the Battle of Ideas: Understanding the Role of Islam in Counterterrorism Policy" for the Brookings Institution
Brookings Institution
The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, D.C., in the United States. One of Washington's oldest think tanks, Brookings conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics, metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, and...
, that advocates the use of Islam in countering terrorist ideology.
As envoy, Hussain has sought to expand partnerships between the U.S. and the Muslim world and has been outspoken on the need to combat terrorism, stating in a speech to Muslim Foreign Ministers, "It is our duty to eradicate this ideology completely and blaming the foreign policy of any country is not the answer. No policy grievance justifies the slaughter of innocent people."
Deputy Associate Counsel
In January 2009, Hussain was named deputy associate counsel to PresidentPresident
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
. Previously, he has served as a trial attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice.
The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
reported that, "After the 2008 election, Hussain was recruited to the White House Counsel's office by Greg Craig and 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. Mr. Hussain also "began advising the president on issues related to Islam after joining the White House counsel’s office in January 2009." 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 Islamic Cooperation
On February 13, 2010, President Obama appointed Hussain as the United States Special Envoy to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. 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 Religion News Service said that rather than noting that Hussain has memorized the Qu'ran, "Muslims abroad are more likely to take note of his White House credentials, and access to the Oval Office, as he seeks partnerships in education, health, science and technology."
The previous U.S. Special Envoy to the OIC, Bush appointee Sada Cumber
Sada Cumber
Sada Cumber assumed his duties as Special Envoy to the Organisation of the Islamic Conference on March 3, 2008, with his term ending January 20, 2009. As Special Envoy, Mr. Cumber serves as the U.S. representative to the OIC, and will seek to promote mutual understanding and dialogue between the...
,
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
Soft power
Soft power is the ability to obtain what one wants through co-option and attraction. It can be contrasted with 'hard power', that is the use of coercion and payment...
is paying concrete dividends.”"
Controversial comments on Sami Al-Arian
In 2004, while a student at Yale, Hussain attended a Muslim Students Association conference in Chicago and participated in a panel discussion on civil rightsCivil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
. Laila Al-Arian, a daughter of Sami Al-Arian
Sami Al-Arian
Dr. Sami Amin Al-Arian , is a former resident of Temple Terrace, Florida, now living in Northern Virginia, who is a Muslim activist, and former University of South Florida professor of computer engineering...
, was also on the panel. During the discussion, Hussain made critical statements about the US terror prosecution of Sami Al-Arian and other Muslim terrorism suspects, such as Chaplain James Yee
James Yee
James J. Yee is an American former United States Army chaplain with the rank of captain...
and Brandon Mayfield
Brandon Mayfield
Brandon Mayfield is an American attorney in Washington County, Oregon. He is best known for being erroneously linked to the 2004 Madrid train bombings. On May 6, 2004, the FBI arrested Mayfield as a material witness in connection with the Madrid attacks, and held him for over two weeks...
. According to recordings obtained by Politico in 2010, Hussain referred to the cases as examples of "politically-motivated prosecutions." He was careful to say that he was not offering an opinion on whether Al-Arian was guilty of the charges that he was a top leader of the U.S. branch of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a "specially designated terrorist
Specially Designated Terrorist
A Specially Designated Terrorist is any person who is determined by the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury to be a specially designated terrorist under notices or regulations issued by the Office of Foreign Assets Control ....
" organization. In 2006, Al-Arian pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to help the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, was sentenced to 57 months in prison, and ordered deported following his prison term.
Opinions differ on whether the recording shows that Hussain using the term "prosecutions," or "persecutions," and whether he said that the prosecutions were "used to squash political dissent," quotations from a 2004 story that Hussain denied making. After the controversy over the statements, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs expressed continued White House confidence in Hussain.
Works
- "Reformulating the Battle of Ideas: The Role of Islam in Counterterrorism Policy" Brookings Institution (2008)
- "Security with Transparency: Judicial Review in "Special Interest" Immigration Proceedings; Yale Law Journal113 Yale L.J. 1333 (2004)
- "Costs of Post-9/11 National Security Strategy, The"; 22 Yale L. & Pol'y Rev. 197 (2004), Stoller, Heidee; Townsend, Tahlia; Hussain, Rashad; Yablon, Marcia
External links
- Profile at the U.S. Department of State
- Introducing Rashad Hussain
- Cal Thomas: Who is Rashad Hussain?
- A defense of Rashad Hussain
- The case against Rashad Hussian, a closer look
- The Truth About Rashad Hussain
- Portrait of Rashad Hussain: Obama's Special Envoy for the Islamic World
- Aide: Obama fighting Muslims' 'otherization'