Who are Ismail Royer and Shaykh Hamza Yusuf? Lashkar trainee, NIA-charged scholar join Donald Trump's White House advisory board

Two shocking names were mentioned in the list of appointees in Donald Trump's White House Advisory Board of Lay Leaders recently. One is a former jihadist trained by Lashkar-e-Taiba and responsible for terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir while the other is an Islamic scholar charged by the NIA over provocative speeches.

The move to appoint Ismail Royer and Shaykh Hamza Yusuf has not only sparked outrage in India but also within the US, including conservative Republicans.

Far-right activists like Laura Loomer, who support President Trump, has called out the appointments as "insane and unacceptable". "A literal Muslim Brotherhood Hamas jihadist named Ismail Royer who was found by the DOJ to have trained in a terrorist camp and helped Islamic terrorists to attack America is now on the White House Advisory Board," Loomer posted on X.

"How did he pass any vetting?" she added, referring to Royer, and called it another example of what she describes as a 'White House vetting crisis'," she asked.

The investigative journalist claimed the White House vetting team is endangering Trump. "What the hell is going on inside the White House 'vetting room' Truly indefensible. We need answers now. Someone at the White House is trying to sabotage President Trump and is actively trying to endanger his life by surrounding him with jihadist blood thirsty Islamists," Loomer added.

Who is Ismail Royer?

Before converting to Islam in 1992, Ismail Royer was known as Randall Todd Royer. He initially worked at non-profit Islamic groups. After 9/11, Royer became a part of the Virginia Jihadi Network.

In the 2000s, he travelled to Pakistan and was trained by the Lashkar-e-Taiba. He was slapped with conspiracy to wage war against the US and providing material support to terror groups in 2003. He pleaded guilty to weapons and explosive charges in 2004 and later sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Royer admitted to helping terrorists like Masoud Khan, Muhammed Aatique, Khwaja Mahmoud Hasan, Yong Ki Kwon and Ibrahim Ahmed Al-Hamdi enter the LeT training camp. Among these, Al-Hamdi conspired to carry out military operations against India.

Royer currently is the Director of the Islam and Religious Freedom Action Team at the Religious Freedom Institute.

Who is Shaykh Hamza Yusuf?

Islamic scholar Shaykh Hamza Yusuf is the co-founder of Zaytuna College, the first accredited Muslim liberal arts college in the US. He was previously an advisor to the Center for Islamic Studies at Berkeley.

The NIA charged Hamza with provocative speeches that influenced terror suspects in 2016.  

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