US President Barack Obama on Saturday named a White House lawyer as his special envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), part of his continuing effort to repair strained US relations with the world’s Muslims.
Obama announced Rashad Hussain’s appointment during a videotaped address to the 7th US-Islamic World Forum meeting in Doha, Qatar.
As his liaison to the OIC, the president said Hussain would continue working to repair US-Islamic relations and develop the types of partnerships Obama called for when he addressed the Muslim world during a speech last year in Cairo.
US relations with the Muslim world became strained after the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In the video address, Obama said he called in Cairo for the US and Muslims to start anew “based on mutual interest and mutual respect” because the relationship had “slipped into a cycle of misunderstanding and mistrust that can lead to conflict rather than cooperation.”
Obama recounted efforts by his administration to foster partnerships with Muslims on education, economic development, global health and science and technology. He touched on the plan to remove all US combat troops from Iraq by the end of August, and his administration’s efforts to return Israelis and Palestinians to the negotiating table to jump-start stalled peace talks.
Obama also announced a summit on entrepreneurship in April with Muslim entrepreneurs from around the world.
He said Hussain’s goal as special envoy to the OIC will be to deepen existing partnerships and develop others. The OIC represents nearly 60 Muslim states and promotes Muslim solidarity in social and political affairs.
Hussain is a deputy associate counsel to Obama who focuses on national security, new media, and science and technology issues. He also has worked with the national security staff to help repair US-Muslim relations.
BACKLASH: The National Party quit its decades-long partnership with the Liberal Party after their election loss to center-left Labor, which won a historic third term Australia’s National Party has split from its conservative coalition partner of more than 60 years, the Liberal Party, citing policy differences over renewable energy and after a resounding loss at a national election this month. “Its time to have a break,” Nationals leader David Littleproud told reporters yesterday. The split shows the pressure on Australia’s conservative parties after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor party won a historic second term in the May 3 election, powered by a voter backlash against US President Donald Trump’s policies. Under the long-standing partnership in state and federal politics, the Liberal and National coalition had shared power
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
NO EXCUSES: Marcos said his administration was acting on voters’ demands, but an academic said the move was emotionally motivated after a poor midterm showing Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr yesterday sought the resignation of all his Cabinet secretaries, in a move seen as an attempt to reset the political agenda and assert his authority over the second half of his single six-year term. The order came after the president’s allies failed to win a majority of Senate seats contested in the 12 polls on Monday last week, leaving Marcos facing a divided political and legislative landscape that could thwart his attempts to have an ally succeed him in 2028. “He’s talking to the people, trying to salvage whatever political capital he has left. I think it’s
A documentary whose main subject, 25-year-old photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza weeks before it premiered at Cannes stunned viewers into silence at the festival on Thursday. As the cinema lights came back on, filmmaker Sepideh Farsi held up an image of the young Palestinian woman killed with younger siblings on April 16, and encouraged the audience to stand up and clap to pay tribute. “To kill a child, to kill a photographer is unacceptable,” Farsi said. “There are still children to save. It must be done fast,” the exiled Iranian filmmaker added. With Israel
RSS