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Since Roger Williams founded America’s first Baptist church in Rhode Island in 1638, Americans have understood religious freedom to not only be the right thing to do, but also in everyone’s self-interest. Williams believed that forced worship “stinks in the nostrils of God.”
When the state forces people to believe something they don’t want to, the state violates the most precious gift of God — liberty of conscience — and it creates resentment against the state. Williams’ solution was simple: Let people believe whatever they want, and gain greater loyalty to the state. In other words, religious freedom is good for society, and for security.
In 1998, Congress voted unanimously to create the position of the U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom. Religious freedom is not so much a bipartisan issue as it is a nonpartisan issue: it is in the marrow of our bones to defend someone’s right to disagree with us. It is what most makes us American.
We should know: we are a 6th generation Texan whose ancestor fought at the Alamo (Bob Roberts), and the fourth of eight Marines in two generations of Seiples, whose father served as the first U.S. ambassador for international religious freedom (Chris Seiple). Together, we have worked with our government across administrations and politics, working with every religious freedom ambassador and around the world for a religious freedom that protects the conscience and ensures the security of all citizens.
Soon the U.S. Senate will consider President Joe Biden’s nomination for ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, Rashad Hussain, a Texan who grew up in Plano. We have known and worked with him for many years. He is a trusted and experienced diplomat and national security expert, having worked to protect our national security at the White House, Department of State, and Department of Justice in the past three presidential administrations, for Democrats and a Republican.
For example, Rashad led America’s successful effort to eliminate the “Defamation of Religions” U.N. resolution, a sort of global blasphemy law. He has led many multifaith delegations and diplomatic missions to places such as the Central African Republic, Egypt, Pakistan, Nigeria and Afghanistan to help protect vulnerable religious communities; and he actively supported visits by religious leaders to Holocaust sites to combat antisemitism. He has also worked as a national security law enforcement officer on counter-terrorism matters.
That Hussain happens to be a Muslim is a bonus. His service in this role, and his honorable record of public service, exemplify the deep and widespread contributions that Muslim Americans make to our country on a daily basis, in all walks of life.
As the first Muslim to serve in this role, Hussain would send a strong signal rejecting despicable anti-Muslim discrimination, stereotyping and hatred that we have seen in America and abroad. And, we should note, he is the perfect person to visibly and vocally defend the rights of religious minorities, especially Christians, in some Muslim-majority contexts that have struggled to promote religious freedom — as we have witnessed him do throughout his career.
Because of these combined attributes, Hussain has the trust and support of interfaith groups and civil society across religious and political spectrums, including the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, and Jewish and Christian leaders. We urge the rapid and unanimous confirmation of him.
If confirmed to this role, Hussain will be the focal point for the American fight against global restrictions on religious freedom, which is at an all-time high. The Pew Research Center’s global study of restrictions on religion found in 2019 that governments in 180 countries harassed religious groups in some way, and that 57 countries have “high” or “very high” levels of government restrictions on religion. Christians face restrictions in 153 countries globally, the most of any religious group. Some religious communities are being subjected to horrific acts of genocide and crimes against humanity, including in places like China and Myanmar.
The United States was not founded for a particular creed or race or tribe; it was founded on the truth that all men are created equal and are endowed by their creator with unalienable rights. Roger Williams believed that liberty of conscience was the cornerstone of civilization. As we continue to strive to meet his vision, one thing is certain: The diversity and dynamism of our multifaith and multireligious society are a source of strength and an example for the world. Hussain will help keep it so.
Bob Roberts is the founder of GlocalNet, co-founder of Multi-Faith Neighbors Network, senior global pastor at Northwood Church in Keller, and host of the Bold Love podcast.
Chris Seiple is president emeritus of the Institute for Global Engagement, a senior fellow at the University of Washington’s Jackson School of International Studies, and global policy adviser to the executive leadership of the World Evangelical Alliance.
They wrote this column for The Dallas Morning News.
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