Ambassador Seiple Meets ISCA Chairman and Staff
Fall 1999
Ambassador Robert A. Seiple, who in May was sworn in as Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom, recently met with ISCA Chairman Shaykh Hisham Kabbani and ISCA staff members. Ambassador Seiple serves as the principal adviser to the President and the Secretary of State on the promotion of international religious freedom.
The discussion, discussing both issues of domestic and international concern. In the meeting, the ambassador sought Shaykh Kabbani’s advice and input regarding the situation in Turkey, from an Islamic perspective. This paved the way for the Islamic scholar to provide historical background of Turkey and how it has led to the current political and religious unrest. A broader discussion examined both issues of domestic and international concern.
Earlier this year, the second in a series of Islamic roundtable discussions organized by Ambassador Seiple was conducted in Washington. The topic was Muslim religious and political rights in Turkey. Dr. Azizah al-Hibri, professor of law, showed the participants a short video on the government’s crackdown, whereupon she called on the State Department’s influence to help promote basic religious and political rights in Turkey.
Muslim organizations taking part in the roundtable discussion included ISCA and other national and local organizations. The next roundtable discussion will focus on discrimination.
