America
Indian-American named US strategic counter terrorism communications envoy
Rashad Hussain, of Indian heritage, has been appointed as US envoy and
coordinator for Strategic Counter-Terrorism Communications to expand
international engagement and partnerships to counter violent extremism.
Announcing
his appointment Wednesday, the State Department said Hussain will lead a
staff drawn from a number of US departments and agencies for this
purpose and develop strategic counter terrorism communications around
the world.
Hussain, 36, the son of Indian-born US citizens, was
earlier US special envoy to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
(OIC), the second largest intergovernmental body after the UN, with 57
member states.
As part of his new role, Hussain will also serve
as coordinator of the Centre for Strategic Counterterrorism
Communications, established in 2010 to coordinate, orient, and inform
government-wide strategic communications focused on violent extremists
and terrorist organizations.
Hussain was born in Wyoming and was
raised in Plano, Texas. His father, Mohammad Hussain, was a mining
engineer and his mother Ruqaiya is a doctor, according to Wikipedia.
A
lawyer by training, he was previously deputy associate counsel to
President Barack Obama, focusing on national security, new media, and
science and technology issues, the State Department said.
He has
also served as director for Global Engagement at the National Security
Council and as a Special Assistant United States Attorney in Washington,
DC, where he prosecuted criminal cases.
In 2009, Hussain worked
with the National Security Council in developing and pursuing the New
Beginning that President Obama outlined in his address in Cairo.
Before joining the White House, he was a member of the legal staff for Obama's Presidential Transition Team.
Hussain previously served as a trial attorney at the US Department of Justice.
Earlier
in his career, he was a legislative assistant on the House Judiciary
Committee, where he focused on national security-related issues.
Hussain received his JD from Yale Law School, where he served as an editor of the Yale Law Journal.
He
also earned his Master's degrees in Public Administration (Kennedy
School of Government) and Arabic and Islamic Studies from Harvard
University.
In January 2013, Hussain received the Distinguished
Honour Award which is given for "exceptionally outstanding service to
the agencies of the US Government resulting in achievements of marked
national or international significance".
(Arun Kumar can be contacted at [email protected])