Suhail A. Khan

Last updated

Suhail A. Khan is the Senior Fellow for Muslim-Christian Understanding at the Institute for Global Engagement and Senior Director for External Affairs at Microsoft). [1] Khan was previously a senior political appointee with the Bush administration, and a conservative political activist in Washington, D.C. [2]

Contents

Background and education

Khan was born in Boulder, Colorado, to parents who emigrated to Wyoming and Colorado from southern India. [3] The oldest of five children, Suhail grew up in California, earned his high school diploma from St. Lawrence Academy in Santa Clara in 1987 (a private Catholic college preparatory school), a B.A. in political science from the University of California at Berkeley in 1991 and his J.D. from the University of Iowa in 1995. [3]

Career

Khan served as Policy Director and Press Secretary for U.S. Congressman Tom Campbell (R-CA), working closely on legislation relating to health antitrust reform, religious freedom, the preservation of the Second Amendment, tort reform, gun control, the reform of race-based affirmative action, and the 1998 impeachment proceedings in the House of Representatives. [4] [5] After the 2000 elections, he aided the White House Office of Public Liaison in the President’s outreach to the conservative, think-tank, military and veteran and Asian-American communities. [2]

He served as Assistant to the Secretary for Policy under U.S. Secretary Mary Peters at the U.S. Department of Transportation, where he was awarded the Secretary’s Team Award in 2005 and the Gold Medal for Outstanding Achievement in 2007. [6]

In 2010 and again in 2013, Khan led delegations of American and international faith leaders to Auschwitz, the Nazi death camp that operated in German-occupied Poland and the Dachau concentration camp in Germany, to educate faith and community leaders regarding the tragedy of the Holocaust during World War Two. [7] Joined by Rabbi Jack Bemporad of the Center for Interreligious Understanding of New Jersey [8] and Professor Marshall Breger of the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law, [9] the delegations visited the death camps, met with survivors, issued statements strongly condemning anti-Semitism, Holocaust denial, and pledged to fight religious bigotry. [10] [11]

Political activities

In a volunteer capacity, Khan was an active participant in the RNC’s 72-hour program and deployed to key races in states including Colorado, Washington, Iowa, Louisiana, Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.

Khan serves on the Board of Directors for the American Conservative Union, [12] the Indian American Conservative Council, [13] and on the interfaith Buxton Initiative Advisory Council. [2] He speaks regularly at conferences and venues such as the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), the Council for National Policy (CNP), the Harbour League, [14] and the National Press Club and has contributed to publications such as the Washington Post/Newsweek Forum On Faith, the Washington Post, Foreign Policy, and Human Events.

Khan was interviewed, [15] by Pastor Bob Roberts of Dallas, Texas, where he discussed Muslim-Christian interaction and his experience serving in the White House, and has appeared on the BBC, CNN, Al-Jazeera, C-SPAN, and MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show as a conservative commenter. [16]

Khan has been critical of anti-Muslim sentiments among conservatives and Republicans. [17] [18] [19]

Trump administration

In 2015, Khan criticized Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump for his anti-Muslim remarks. [20] Khan criticized Islamophobic remarks by Republican candidates Ben Carson and Donald Trump, arguing that they are damaging the efforts of the party to recruit Muslims. [21] After Trump accepted the Republican presidential nomination, Khan stated "I’m not a Trump supporter; I initially supported Rand Paul," and "As a lawyer and conservative, I see that Trump’s comments have had a negative impact on the party." [22] In a 2017 interview, Khan said of the Trump presidency "I'm excited for the nomination and confirmations of Justice Neal Gorsuch and FCC Chairman Ajit Pai". He also anticipated that the Trump administration would work on tax reform for small-business owners and the middle class. [23] Khan was listed as an advisory board member of the "Indian Voices for Trump" coalition for Trump's 2020 re-election campaign. [24]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Gaffney</span> American anti-Muslim conspiracy theorist (born 1953)

Frank J. Gaffney Jr. is an American anti-Muslim conspiracy theorist and the founder and president of the Center for Security Policy. In the 1970s and 1980s, he worked for the federal government in multiple posts, including seven months as Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs during the Reagan administration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Kristol</span> American political writer (born 1952)

William Kristol is an American neoconservative writer. A frequent commentator on several networks including CNN, he was the founder and editor-at-large of the political magazine The Weekly Standard. Kristol is now editor-at-large of the center-right publication The Bulwark and has been the host of Conversations with Bill Kristol, an interview web program, since 2014.

The Heritage Foundation, sometimes referred to simply as Heritage, is an activist American conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1973, it took a leading role in the conservative movement in the 1980s during the presidency of Ronald Reagan, whose policies were taken from Heritage Foundation studies, including its Mandate for Leadership.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eliot A. Cohen</span> American political scientist and adviser and writer

Eliot Asher Cohen is an American political scientist. He was a counselor in the United States Department of State under Condoleezza Rice from 2007 to 2009. In 2019, Cohen was named the 9th Dean of the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University, succeeding Vali Nasr. Before his time as dean, he directed the Strategic Studies Program at SAIS. Cohen "is one of the few teachers in the American academy to treat military history as a serious field", according to international law scholar Ruth Wedgwood. Cohen is a contributing writer at The Atlantic. He is also, with Eric Edelman, a co-host of the Shield of the Republic podcast, published by The Bulwark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Center for Security Policy</span> US security policy think tank

The Center for Security Policy (CSP) is a US far-right, anti-Muslim, Washington, D.C.-based think tank. The founder and former president of the organization was Frank J. Gaffney Jr.. The current president is Tommy Waller, a former US Marine. CSP sometimes operates under its DBA name Secure Freedom. The organization also operates a public counter-jihad campaign and the website counterjihad.com.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachel Maddow</span> American television news host and political commentator

Rachel Anne Maddow is an American television news program host and liberal political commentator. Maddow hosts The Rachel Maddow Show, a weekly television show on MSNBC, and serves as the cable network's special event co-anchor. Her syndicated talk radio program of the same name aired on Air America Radio from 2005 to 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liz Cheney</span> American lawyer and politician (born 1966)

Elizabeth Lynne Cheney is an American attorney and politician. She represented Wyoming's at-large congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2017 to 2023, and served as chair of the House Republican Conference—the third-highest position in the House Republican leadership—from 2019 to 2021. Cheney is known for her vocal opposition to former President Donald Trump. As of March 2023, she is a professor of practice at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.

The Republican Party in the United States includes several factions, or wings. During the 19th century, Republican factions included the Half-Breeds, who supported civil service reform; the Radical Republicans, who advocated the immediate and total abolition of slavery, and later advocated civil rights for freed slaves during the Reconstruction era; and the Stalwarts, who supported machine politics.

<i>Washington Examiner</i> American conservative news outlet

The Washington Examiner is a U.S. conservative news outlet based in Washington, D.C., that consists principally of a website and a weekly printed magazine. It is owned by Philip Anschutz through MediaDC, a subsidiary of Clarity Media Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brooke Rollins</span> American lawyer (born 1972)

Brooke Leslie Rollins is an American attorney who is the president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute. She previously served as the acting director of the United States Domestic Policy Council under President Donald Trump. Prior to assuming that role, Rollins oversaw the White House Office of American Innovation. Rollins was president and CEO of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, an Austin-based free-market think tank, from 2003 through 2018. During her tenure at TPPF, the think tank grew from having a staff of 3 to a staff of 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Rubin (columnist)</span> American political commentator

Jennifer Rubin is an American political commentator who writes opinion columns for The Washington Post. Previously she worked at Commentary, PJ Media, Human Events, and The Weekly Standard. Her work has been published in media outlets including Politico, New York Post, New York Daily News, National Review, and The Jerusalem Post.

Newt Gingrich has declared his position on many political issues through his public comments and legislative record, including as Speaker of the House. The political initiative with which he is most widely identified was the Contract With America, which outlined an economic and social agenda designed to improve the efficiency of government while reducing its burden on the American taxpayer. Passage of the Contract helped establish Gingrich's reputation as a public intellectual. His engagement of public issues has continued through to the present, in particular as the founder of American Solutions for Winning the Future.

One America News Network (OANN), also known as One America News (OAN), is a far-right, pro-Trump cable news and political opinion commentary channel founded by Robert Herring Sr. and owned by Herring Networks, Inc., that launched on July 4, 2013. The network is headquartered in San Diego, California, and operates news bureaus in Washington, D.C., and New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign</span> 2016 presidential campaign

The 2016 presidential campaign of Donald Trump was formally launched on June 16, 2015, at Trump Tower in New York City. Trump was the Republican nominee for President of the United States in the 2016 election, having won the most state primaries, caucuses, and delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention. He chose Mike Pence, the sitting governor of Indiana, as his vice presidential running mate. On November 8, 2016, Trump and Pence were elected president and vice president of the United States. Trump's populist positions in opposition to illegal immigration and various trade agreements, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, earned him support especially among voters who were male, white, blue-collar, working class, and those without college degrees. Many voters in the Rust Belt, who gave Trump the electoral votes needed to win the presidency, switched from supporting Bernie Sanders to Trump after Hillary Clinton won the Democratic nomination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Political positions of Donald Trump</span> Views and policies of the former US President

The political positions of Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States, have frequently changed. Trump has been primarily called a protectionist on trade. He has also been called and calls himself a populist, semi-isolationist, nationalist and other political categories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khizr and Ghazala Khan</span> Parents of a US Army captain killed in Iraq

Khizr Muazzam Khan and Ghazala Khan are the Pakistani American parents of United States Army Captain Humayun Khan, who was killed in 2004 during the Iraq War. The couple received international attention following a speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention that criticized Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Johnnie Moore is an American evangelical leader and businessman who founded the Kairos Company, a public relations firm. Moore is a commissioner for the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom and president of Congress of Christian Leaders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlie Kirk</span> American political activist and radio talk show host

Charles J. Kirk is an American right-wing political activist, radio talk show host, and internet personality who often espouses views rooted in conservatism. He founded Turning Point USA with Bill Montgomery in 2012, and has served as its executive director since. He is the CEO of Turning Point Action, Students for Trump, and Turning Point Academy, Turning Point Faith, president of Turning Point Endowment, and a member of the Council for National Policy. Kirk has written four books.

David Christopher Cole, also known as David Stein, is an American film director. In the 1990s, he gained publicity as a Holocaust denier. Much of the controversy Cole attracted resulted from the fact that he is Jewish. After changing his name to David Stein following death threats, he became known for his activism on behalf of the Republican Party. He is the author of the book Republican Party Animal, published by Feral House in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Fuentes</span> American white nationalist (born 1998)

Nicholas Joseph Fuentes is an American far-right political commentator and live streamer who is known for his white supremacist, misogynistic, homophobic, antisemitic, and Islamophobic views. A former YouTuber, his channel was permanently terminated in February 2020 for violating YouTube's hate speech policy. Fuentes has promoted conspiracy theories against Jewish people, has denied the Holocaust, and advocates for the genocide of Jews. Fuentes identifies as a member of the incel movement, as a supporter of authoritarian government, and as a Catholic integralist and Christian nationalist.

References

  1. "Microsoft hires former Bush White House official". 21 June 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 "Suhail Khan - the Institute for Global Engagement - IGE". Archived from the original on 17 July 2009. Retrieved 9 March 2009.
  3. 1 2 Suhail Khan unitedliberty.org [ dead link ]
  4. "Feinstein Plans Bill to License Gun Owners / Senator says issue is central to her agenda for next term". 14 April 2000.
  5. "IslamonLine.net". Archived from the original on 28 April 2007. Retrieved 19 November 2009.
  6. Suhail Khan globalengage.org
  7. The Washington Post
  8. "Center for Interreligious Understanding" . Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  9. "Marshall Breger Professor - Columbus School of Law". Archived from the original on 4 May 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  10. "Statement of Muslim American Imams and Community Leaders on Holocaust Denial". 18 August 2010.
  11. "Muslim Clerics Who Visited Auschwitz and Dachau Slam Holocaust Denial". 6 June 2013.
  12. "EXCLUSIVE: Conservative Board Unanimously Condemned Gaffney's 'Reprehensible' And 'Unfounded' Attacks | ThinkProgress". ThinkProgress . Archived from the original on 14 February 2012.
  13. "'Limbaugh denigrated Indian citizens'".
  14. "Harbour League -" (PDF).
  15. "Glocalnet // Blog // The Muslim in the White House". Archived from the original on 17 July 2009. Retrieved 29 November 2008.
  16. "'The Rachel Maddow Show' for Friday, November 6, 2009". NBC News .
  17. Khan, Suhail A. "Peter King's Witch Hunt". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  18. "Republican candidates mustn't try to divide Americans based on their faith | Suhail A Khan". The Guardian. 24 September 2015. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  19. Khan, Suhail A. "America's First Muslim President". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  20. Khan, Suhail A. "Islam Is All-American". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  21. Weaver, Courtney (27 November 2015). "Heated rhetoric unnerves Muslim Republicans". www.ft.com. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  22. Hatuqa, Dalia. "What did Muslims at Republican summit think of Trump?". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  23. Lippman, Daniel (10 July 2017). "BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Suhail Khan, director of external affairs at Microsoft". POLITICO . Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  24. "Trump campaign creates coalitions to woo Indian-American, South Asian voters". Live Mint . 15 August 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2021.

Further reading