White House’s Religious Freedom Commission: Two jihadists including ex-LeT operative appointed

Washington: A major controversy has erupted over the appointment of two former jehadis to the advisory board of the White House’s Religious Freedom Commission during Donald Trump’s presidency. Both are US citizens and one of them reportedly trained with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in Pakistan in 2000 and participated in attacks in Kashmir, according to The Daily Guardian.

Ismail Royer, one of the new appointees, spent 13 years in prison for terrorism-related crimes. Despite his past, the Trump administration has now placed him on the advisory board of the Religious Freedom Commission.

According to reports, Royer was charged with supporting terrorist groups like al-Qaeda and the LeT back in 2003. He also faced accusations of plotting war against the United States. In 2004, he pleaded guilty to helping in the use of firearms and explosives. The court sentenced him to 20 years in prison, but he served 13 years, according to The Washington Post. It has also been reported that he trained in LeT camps in Pakistan in 2000.

The other man is Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, co-founder of Zaytuna College. Political activist and close supporter of Trump Lara Loomer has accused him of having links to Islamic jihadists and banned terrorist groups.

Loomer termed Royer’s appointment as “unbelievable.” In response to the criticism, the White House defended Royer. It said he now serves as director of the Islam and Religious Freedom Action Team at the Religious Freedom Institute.

The official statement noted, “Since converting to Islam in 1992, he has studied religious sciences with traditional Islamic scholars and spent over a decade working at non-profit Islamic organisations. Royer has worked with nonprofits to promote peace between faiths.”

The White House also mentioned that Royer has contributed writings to multiple publications. He even co-wrote a chapter on Islam in Religious Violence Today: Faith and Conflict in the Modern World.

In a 2023 interview with the Middle East Forum, Royer reflected on his time with LeT. He said: “I liked the people in LeT. I was strongly against Bin Laden and saw Al-Qaeda as a group of extremists. I was told LeT wasn’t an extremist group and that they followed the Saudi imam.”

He also admitted to encouraging others to join the Lashkar. “I encouraged Muslims at the mosque to join Lashkar and train with them in Kashmir. The training wasn’t very serious. It felt more like tourism. It was like, ‘Here, shoot some guns, explore the mountains, and then go back home.’ It was almost like a promotion,” Royer had said.