Obama Appoints Lebanese Woman to Commission on International Religious Freedom

U.S. President Barack Obama has appointed a woman of Lebanese origin to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).

Dr. Azizah al-Hibri, who is the founder and chair of KARAMAH: Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights, was appointed to the two-year term earlier in the week.

The Chair of USCIRF, Leonard Leo, said after the appointment that al-Hibri “comes with a distinguished record of service as a human rights advocate devoted to the protection of freedom of religion for people of all faiths.”

USCIRF is an independent and bipartisan U.S. federal government commission whose primary responsibility is to review the facts and circumstances of violations of religious freedom internationally and to make policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress.

KARAMAH is a non-profit organization dedicated to contributing to the understanding and promotion of human rights worldwide through education, legal outreach, and advocacy.