Trump Picks LeT-Linked Former Jihadist, NIA-Charged Scholar In White House Panel
The Donald Trump administration has appointed a former jihadist with links to Lashkar-e-Taiba and an Islamic scholar charged by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to a panel on the Religious Liberty Commission.
Ismail Royer, who has links to terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba and Shaikh Hamza Yusuf, an influential Islamic scholars who was charged by the NIA for "provocative" speeches that allegedly influenced terrorists, were chosen in the advisory boards of the Religious Liberty Commission, the White House said on Friday.
The White House named 26 individuals who were appointed to serve on the advisory boards of the Religious Liberty Commission.
"On May 1st, the President signed an Executive Order establishing the Religious Liberty Commission. He designated Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick as chair and Dr. Ben Carson as vice chair, as well as 11 other commission members. Today, he has designated individuals to serve on the three advisory boards comprised of religious leaders, legal experts, and lay advisors, respectively," the US government statement said.
Ismail Royer serves as Director of the Islam and Religious Freedom Action Team for the Religious Freedom Institute, White House said.
"Since converting to Islam in 1992, he has studied religious sciences with traditional Islamic scholars and spent over a decade working at non-profit Islamic organizations. Royer has worked with nonprofits to promote peace between faiths. His writing has appeared in multiple publications and he co-authored an article on Islam on Religious Violence Today: Faith and Conflict in the Modern World," the statement further said.
Meanwhile, Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, one of the leading proponents of classical learning in Islam, is a co-founder of Zaytuna College, the first accredited Muslim liberal arts college in the United States.
However, the appointment of the two has led to a controversy with experts alleging that both individuals have past links to extremism and jihadist sympathies.
Who Is Ismail Royer?
Royer, born Randall Todd Royer, converted to Islam in 1992 and pursued studies under traditional Islamic scholars.
In 2004, Royer pleaded guilty to terrorism-related charges in the US as the authorities said he helped others travel to Pakistan to train with Lashkar-e-Taiba.
He was sentenced to 20 years in prison and released in 2017 after serving 13 years in jail. Royer has now publicly renounced extremism and now advocates for religious liberty and interfaith dialogue.
All About Shaykh Hamza Yusuf
Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, a prominent figure in Western Islamic scholarship, is regarded as a voice for moderate Islam and interfaith engagement. After converting to Islam, he co-founded Zaytuna College and has served in various academic and advisory roles, including on the Trump administration’s Commission on Unalienable Rights.
Hamza has been consecutively ranked as "The Western world’s most influential Islamic scholar" in The 500 Most Influential Muslims for around a decade. He also served on the State Department’s Commission on Unalienable Rights during the first term of Trump.
However, far-right political activist Laura Loomer has claimed Yusuf's links to jihadist ideology and associating with groups allegedly linked to the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas.
In 2016, the NIA filed a charge sheet against Hamza Yusuf, alleging that his "provocative" speeches have directly or indirectly influenced suspects accused of having links with a terror outfit.
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