On Tuesday, the Religious Freedom Institute (RFI) hosted the new Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom (IRF), Rashad Hussain, for a roundtable discussion at RFI’s office on Capitol Hill. The event, co-hosted with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, brought various civil society leaders together with Ambassador Hussain to discuss the Biden Administration’s priorities for advancing religious freedom through U.S. foreign policy.

The meeting began with RFI President Tom Farr introducing Ambassador Hussain and reiterating RFI’s support for him in this vital role. During his comments, Ambassador Hussain remarked that the very existence of a U.S. IRF Ambassador sends a powerful signal to the rest of the world, and the fact that the last two IRF Ambassadors were Jewish and Christian, followed by him as a Muslim, similarly says a lot about what we are trying to promote across the world.

Ambassador Hussain emphasized that continued American leadership on international religious freedom must remain a bipartisan priority. He also indicated his intention to continue to work closely with civil society organizations that are active in this area and his desire to build on the good work of his predecessor, Ambassador Sam Brownback, in the global fight against religious persecution. 

RFI remains committed to working with Ambassador Hussain to encourage the Biden Administration to pursue effective IRF policies that are responsive to the global crisis of religious freedom plaguing the world today.