Zuhdi Jasser
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Zuhdi Jasser M.D. | |
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Born | November 17, 1967 (age 47) Ohio |
Residence | Scottsdale, Arizona |
Nationality | American |
Other names | M. Zuhdi Jasser, Mohamed Zuhdi Jasser |
Ethnicity | Syrian Arab |
Citizenship | United States |
Education | Bachelor of Science (1988); Medical Doctor (1992) |
Alma mater | University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, B.Sc. (1988) Medical College of Wisconsin, M.D. (1992) |
Occupation | Medical Doctor – Internist and Nuclear Cardiologist |
Known for | Self-Appointed "American Muslim activist for separation of mosque and state" and against the ideology of "political Islam" |
Home town | Neenah, Wisconsin--- |
Board member of
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President and Founder, American Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD);
Board Member, Arizona Interfaith Movement – Muslim RepresentativeVice Chair, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom; Member, Maricopa County Board of Health; Advisory Board MemberClarion Fund; Board Member, Area Agency on Aging; Chairman, Board of Directors, ElderFriends, Transitional Housing Program for Elder Victims of Domestic Violence; |
Religion | Islam |
Denomination | Sunni[1] |
Spouse(s) | Gada Jasser |
Children | Three |
Awards | Center for Security Policy, Defender of the Home Front; FBI Phoenix, Director’s Community Leadership Award; Meritorious Service Medal for professional achievement as Staff Internist to the Office of the Attending Physician, US Capitol, U.S. Congress, Washington D.C., March 1999 |
Website | |
American Islamic Forum for Democracy |
Zuhdi Jasser, also known as M. Zuhdi Jasser,[2] and Mohamed Zuhdi Jasser, is a medical doctor specializing internal medicineand nuclear cardiology in Phoenix, Arizona.[3] Jasser is a former Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy[4] where he served as staff internist in the Office of the Attending Physician of the United States Congress.[5] In 2003, with a group of American Muslims Jasser founded the American Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD) based in Phoenix, Arizona,[3] and in 2004 he was one of the founders of the Center for Islamic Pluralism.[6]
He is also a contributor to national and international media, where he has advocated separation of mosque and state and spoken against the ideology of "political Islam" or Islamism. He has been a frequent guest on Fox News Channel, CNN, CBS, andMSNBC.[7] He has also contributed articles to nationally read newspapers like the Arizona Republic,[8] The Dallas Morning News,[9] The New York Post,[10] The Wall St. Journal[11] and The Washington Times.[12]
He testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security hearings on The Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and the Community's Response” on March 10, 2011.[13] and before the United States House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution on June 24, 2011 on HR 963 the "See Something, Say Something Act".[14] On June 20, 2012 Jasser appeared again before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security to discuss the Muslim Community's response to the committee's hearings on radicalization in the American Muslim community.[15] On February 27, 2013, Jasser testified on the issue of “Anti-Semitism: A Growing Threat to All Faiths” before the U.S. House of Representatives,Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations.
In March 2012, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) Appointed Jasser to serve a 2-year term on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.[16] On June 25, 2013, in his role of USCIRF Commissioner, Jasser appeared before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Joint Subcommittee Hearing on "Religious Minorities in Syria: Caught in the Middle". On July 23, 2013 Jasser was elected Vice Chair of USCIRF.