A Colorado-based group promoting religious freedom asked President Joe Biden's Muslim nominee, Rashad Hussain, how will he and the administration protect other faiths and their rights.
WND said JihadWatch, through its director Robert Spencer, highlighted the 7-page open letter sent by Save The Persecuted Christians Coalition to Hussain questionimg his capacity to be truthful to his role as an "Ambassador-At-Large for International Religious Freedom" even to other religions, especially those being persecuted by Muslims.
The coalition is comprised of 124 American Christians and Jews that aims "to engage public officials and spread news of persecution" at the grassroots.
"He is, by all accounts, a devout Muslim. As Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, will he speak out and act for the religious freedom of non-Muslims in Shariah states who are discriminated against according to Shariah provisions? The establishment media will never ask him. So Save the Persecuted Christians has done so," Spencer said.
The open letter pointed out some unaddressed areas on Hussain's nomination to the post of Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom. The coalition raised the said areas out of its desire that clarity be made on the matter prior to Hussain receiving the United States Senate's vote on his nomination.
Save The Persecuted Christians' letter pointed out that one of the areas that were not addressed was Hussain's beliefs on "certain tenets of Islamic Law." One of the said tenets pertain to Islam having a "supremacist position" over other religions. This tenet compels Muslims adherance to the treatment of "infidels" or those who are non-Muslims as "inferior" to them such that they have limited rights and are subject to "severe punishment."
Another tenet involves considering converts as "apostates" subject to death penalty. While another considers Muslims with a different interpretation of Islam as "apostates" who are similarly subjected to the same punishment as converts.
"As a committed Muslim, in the execution of your office as AAL, will you be able to consider members of all faiths or of no faith equally worthy of U.S. protection from persecution by state and non-state actors?" Save The Persecuted Christians said.
"In light of differences in the understanding of personal rights and freedoms under Sharia rules versus those protected under international laws concerning human rights and religious freedom, what standard would you advocate for when issues arise affecting the freedom of non-Muslims to practice their faith--especially in Muslim-majority nations--if confirmed as Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom?" they added.
The letter also sought clarity in 17 other areas on Hussein's history, ideologies, and statements, such as using the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as his guide in implementing his role. The coalition said that this differs significantly" from the Cairo Declaration of Human Rights that was used by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to which Hussein was appointed to by former President Barack Obama as a Special Envoy.
The difference lies in the "legal and practical implications of its caveat that all human rights are to be observed only to the extent they are consistent with Sharia," which is the Arabic name for the Islamic Law.
The coalition particularly cited that as OIC Special Envoy, Hussein was one of those who promoted a false narrative that a jihadist attack in Benghazi was "spontaneous" instead of it being "murderous and pre-planned." The said attack actually led to the death of a U.S. Ambassador to Lydia among others. The coalition asked Hussein if he still holds the same position today.
The group also cited several instances that Hussein acted against justice by defending Muslims even though it was not the truth such as silencing those who spoke against persecution done by Islamic groups as "Islamophobic" during his stint as OIC Special Envoy.
