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Who’re Ismail Royer and Shaykh Hamza Yusuf? Donald Trump’s controversial ‘jihadist’ appointments to Spiritual Liberty Fee – Occasions of India
US President Donald Trump on Friday appointed Ismail Royer and Shaykh Hamza Yusuf to the White Home’s newly shaped Advisory Board of Lay Leaders below the Spiritual Liberty Fee. 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 up to now.The White Home’s official assertion describes Royer as director of the Islam and Spiritual Freedom Motion Group on the Spiritual Freedom Institute, highlighting his advocacy work and promotion of interfaith peace. Shaykh Hamza Yusuf is introduced as a revered Islamic scholar and co-founder of Zaytuna Faculty, the primary accredited Muslim liberal arts school in america, with long-standing educational involvement, together with as an advisor at Berkeley’s Middle for Islamic Research.Nevertheless, their appointments have sparked criticism as a result of their alleged previous associations.Who’s Ismail Royer?
- Born Randall Todd Royer, Ismail Royer transformed to Islam in 1992.
- He studied below conventional Islamic students and later engaged with a number of Muslim advocacy teams.
- Nevertheless, Royer’s previous features a darkish chapter, in 2004, he pleaded responsible to
terrorism-related expenses and was sentenced to twenty years in jail for his function within the so-called “Virginia Jihad Community.” - In response 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 have been skilled to interact in militant actions.
- He additionally acknowledged serving to a co-defendant practice in rocket-propelled grenade use in reference to a plot to struggle 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’s Shaykh Hamza Yusuf?
- Hamza Yusuf is broadly recognised in Western Islamic circles as a proponent of classical Islamic scholarship and
interfaith dialogue . - A convert to Islam, he co-founded Zaytuna Faculty in California and has served in varied educational and governmental advisory roles, together with on the state division’s Fee on Unalienable Rights throughout the Trump administration.
- Regardless of his mainstream attraction, 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 indirectly addressed.
- Supporters, nonetheless, regard him as a voice of moderation who has persistently condemned extremism and promoted understanding throughout faiths.
