Middle East

Documents & Texts from America.gov

24 June 2009
New U.S. Special Representative Announced for Muslim Outreach

Washington — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has appointed Farah Pandith to serve as special representative to Muslim communities, in charge of a new office that is responsible for outreach with Muslims around the world.

According to a notice published by the State Department June 23, Special Representative Pandith and her staff will carry out Clinton’s efforts to “engage with Muslims around the world on a people-to-people and organizational level.”

Pandith previously was an adviser on Muslim engagement at the State Department, serving as a senior adviser to the assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs. She has also served on the National Security Council as the coordinator for U.S. policy on outreach to Muslims, and worked at the U.S. Agency for International Development on assistance projects for Iraq, Afghanistan and the Palestinian Territories.

Pandith, who is Muslim, immigrated to the United States with her parents from Srinigar, India. She told the Italian press agency Adnkronos in 2007 that she sees her personal experience as an illustration of how Muslim immigrants to the United States can successfully integrate themselves into American society.

She said that along with the importance of education, “I also learned … to balance pride in my cultural heritage with a deep attachment to the values of America."

In his June 4 speech in Cairo to Muslims around the world, President Obama said he was seeking “a new beginning” between the United States and Muslims “based on mutual interest and mutual respect, and … based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive and need not be in competition.”

The United States and Islam share common principles of justice, progress, tolerance and “the dignity of all human beings,” Obama said. He also urged Americans and Muslims to commit themselves to a “sustained effort to find common ground, to focus on the future we seek for our children, and to respect the dignity of all human beings.” (See “Obama Calls for a New Beginning with Muslims Around the World.”)

NEW AMBASSADOR TO DAMASCUS A REFLECTION OF SYRIA’S ROLE IN THE MIDEAST

State Department spokesman Ian Kelly announced June 24 that the Obama administration has decided to appoint an ambassador to Syria as part of a “natural evolution” of its reengagement with President Bashar al-Assad’s government. The position has been unfilled since 2005 when the previous U.S. ambassador was recalled after the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri. The U.S. charge d’affaires in Damascus has been the senior U.S. official in Damascus since then.

“We're prepared to move forward with Syria to advance our interests through direct and continuing dialogue,” Kelly said, adding that the United States continues to have concerns about Syria’s role in the Middle East. “[W]e think one way to address those concerns is to have an ambassador in Damascus.”

Kelly said Syrian officials were informed of the decision June 23, and said it follows several visits by high-level U.S. officials to Damascus.

“This decision reflects the administration's recognition of the important role Syria plays in the region. And, of course, we hope that they will continue to play such a constructive role to promote peace and stability in the region,” Kelly said.

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