Now Reading: Who are Ismail Royer and Shaykh Hamza Yusuf? Donald Trump’s controversial ‘jihadist’ appointments to Religious Liberty Commission
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Who are Ismail Royer and Shaykh Hamza Yusuf? Donald Trump’s controversial ‘jihadist’ appointments to Religious Liberty Commission
Who are Ismail Royer and Shaykh Hamza Yusuf? Donald Trump’s controversial ‘jihadist’ appointments to Religious Liberty Commission
US President Donald Trump on Friday appointed Ismail Royer and Shaykh Hamza Yusuf to the White House’s newly fashioned Advisory Board of Lay Leaders beneath the Religious Liberty Commission. The announcement comes amid rising scrutiny from critics like conservative commentator Lara Loomer, who alleges each appointees have had ties to extremist ideologies and ‘jihadist’ actions prior to now.The White House’s official assertion describes Royer as director of the Islam and Religious Freedom Action Team on the Religious Freedom Institute, highlighting his advocacy work and promotion of interfaith peace. Shaykh Hamza Yusuf is offered as a revered Islamic scholar and co-founder of Zaytuna College, the primary accredited Muslim liberal arts faculty within the United States, with long-standing educational involvement, together with as an advisor at Berkeley’s Center for Islamic Studies.However, their appointments have sparked criticism due to their alleged previous associations.Who is Ismail Royer?
- Born Randall Todd Royer, Ismail Royer transformed to Islam in 1992.
- He studied beneath conventional Islamic students and later engaged with a number of Muslim advocacy teams.
- However, Royer’s previous features a darkish chapter, in 2004, he pleaded responsible to
terrorism-related expenses and was sentenced to 20 years in jail for his position within the so-called “Virginia Jihad Network.” - According to a US division of justice assertion, Royer admitted to aiding others in attending a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) coaching camp in Pakistan, the place recruits had been skilled to have interaction in militant actions.
- He additionally acknowledged serving to a co-defendant prepare in rocket-propelled grenade use in reference to a plot to combat the Indian military in Jammu and Kashmir.
- He served 13 years earlier than being launched in 2017 and has since publicly distanced himself from violent extremism, specializing in non secular freedom work.
Who is Shaykh Hamza Yusuf?
- Hamza Yusuf is extensively recognised in Western Islamic circles as a proponent of classical Islamic scholarship and
interfaith dialogue . - A convert to Islam, he co-founded Zaytuna College in California and has served in varied educational and governmental advisory roles, together with on the state division’s Commission on Unalienable Rights in the course of the Trump administration.
- Despite his mainstream enchantment, critics like Lara Loomer have accused Yusuf of downplaying jihadist ideologies and sustaining oblique hyperlinks with organisations just like the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas, claims he has circuitously addressed.
- Supporters, nonetheless, regard him as a voice of moderation who has persistently condemned extremism and promoted understanding throughout faiths.
