COMMUNITY MATTERS Senate Confirms Ambassador Rashad Hussain The Senate confirmed Rashad Hussain as Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom on Dec. 16, 2021 — the first Muslim American and South Asian to hold this position. The previous officeholders were Rabbi David Saperstein (2015-17) under Obama, and attorney and Republican politician Sam Brownback (2018-21) under Trump. Saperstein received 67 votes, Brownback received 51 and Hussain received 85 votes in favor and 5 opposed. Congress set up this State Department position to “advance the right to freedom of religion abroad, to denounce the violation of that right, and to recommend appropriate responses by the U.S. Government when this right is violated.” Hussain, 42, a hafiz, attorney, diplomat and professor, has served in various roles, among them senior counsel at the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, U.S. Special Envoy of President Barack Obama to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, U.S. Special Envoy for strategic counterterrorism communications, Department of Justice trial attorney and a criminal and national security prosecutor. He helped develop messaging centers in the UAE, Nigeria, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia, Dr. Amin Madani, BS, MD, PhD, a general surgeon with Toronto’s Sprott Department of Surgery at the University Health Network. While researching the techniques and thought processes used by the most elite, highest-skilled surgeons, a group of data and computer scientists, it was suggested that he use artificial intelligence (AI) to mimic their minds. Initially, “a big skeptic,” his resulting collaboration produced a prototype that uses computer vision — an AI field that trains computers to interpret and understand images — to identify in real time areas of an organ that are either safe or dangerous to dissect. Madani’s technology, still in its early stages, is currently only applicable to gallbladder surgeries. But as he told CBC on Dec. 29, 2021, it has the potential to improve surgery particularly in rural communities, remote areas and lower-income countries that lack surgical expertise. 10
and also helped set up the framework for the U.S. Global Engagement Center. The Wyoming-born Hussain has a BA (University of North Carolina), MPA (John F. Kennedy School of Government), MA (Arabic and Islamic Studies, Harvard University) and JD (Yale Law School). While at Yale, he was an editor of the Yale Law Journal. In January 2013, Hussain received the Distinguished Honor Award from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. He has also taught as an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown Law Center and the Georgetown School of Foreign Service. He also speaks Urdu, Arabic and Spanish. ih The prototype was developed by feeding hundreds of hours of gallbladder surgery videos into a software program and integrating annotations from expert surgeons who identified where they would dissect. After a frame-by-frame analysis of the data, the algorithm begins to recognize patterns and develops the ability to make independent decisions. The algorithm consistently identified “go” and “no-go” zones as well as the liver, gallbladder and hepatocystic triangle with an accuracy ranging from 93 to 95%, according to a 2020 study of 290 videos from 153 surgeons that was published in the academic journal Annals of Surgery. Madani was the lead author. Madani is determined to find out if this software will improve the surgeons’ performance in the operating room and reduce complications. Aliredha Walji assumed duties as the CEO of ShariaPortfolio on Jan. 1 as Naushad Virji, (founder and CEO) moved on to growing and expanding the ShariaPortfolio Canada and SP Funds.
ISLAMIC HORIZONS MARCH/APRIL 2022
Walji, who joined the firm in 2014, worked his way up from regional manager to managing the advisor team, which has seen a doubling in the AUM growth in the U.S. In 2018, he was appointed vice president and, the following year, assumed the additional position of chief compliance officer. “ShariaPortfolio USA is in a strong position in the market and with the focused, experienced and knowledgeable leadership that Aliredha brings, I am sure it will become an even stronger brand and provide a higher level of quality service to clients,” commented Virji. Aside from his ongoing contributions to the ShariaPortfolio blog, Walji has also served as U.S. correspondent at Islamic Finance News and been featured in Forbes as well as U.S. News and World Report. Walji said, “We are being faced with many obstacles, including the global pandemic. As we navigate various market cycles, I am committed to ensuring [that] we continue to offer excellent service without compromising on values. The Halal investing industry is evolving in exciting ways. We are ready to help investors capitalize on the opportunities that lie ahead.”
The Chagrin Valley Islamic Center of Solon (CVICS), Ohio, opened its doors for prayer on Nov. 19, 2021. Mayor Eddy Kraus said he has long respected the city’s Muslim community and that opposition to the mosque may have come from “ignorance.” The closest mosques to Solon are those in Richmond Heights, Parma and Cuyahoga Falls. But according to CVCIS finance director Masroor Malik, all of them are at least 35 minutes away. He added, “Our mosque is going to be the beacon for all faiths, not just the Muslim [faith].”
