President Donald Trump has appointed Shaykh Hamza Yusuf to serve on the advisory board of his Religious Liberty Commission.
The White House confirmed the appointment in a statement issued this week.
They described Sheikh Hamza as “one of the leading proponents of classical learning in Islam and… a co-founder of Zaytuna College, the first accredited Muslim liberal arts college in the United States.”
The White House added: “He is an advisor to the Center for Islamic Studies at Berkeley’s Graduate Theological Union. For almost a decade, Hamza was consecutively ranked as ‘The Western world’s most influential Islamic scholar’ in The 500 Most Influential Muslims. During the first Trump administration, he served on the State Department’s Commission on Unalienable Rights.”
The appointment is likely to prove controversial among American Muslims given Trump’s unequivocal support for Israel and threats to kill and expel the Palestinian people.
Trump has also appointed Ismail Royer as an advisor. The White House described him as the “Director of the Islam and Religious Freedom Action Team for the Religious Freedom Institute.
“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 organizations. Royer has worked with nonprofits to promote peace between faiths. His writing has appeared in multiple publications and he co-authored an article on Islam on Religious Violence Today: Faith and Conflict in the Modern World.”
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The Religious Liberty Commission was established by an executive order signed by President Trump on May 1 during a multifaith event in the White House Rose Garden.
Its stated purpose is to advise the federal government on safeguarding and promoting religious freedom. It includes 26 members, including prominent Christians and Jews.
The commission aims to address issues like school choice, parental rights, and protections for worship, though some critics express concerns about its alignment with Christian nationalism.
5Pillars has approached Hamza Yusuf for comment.
Hamza Yusuf controversies
Once a vocal critic of Western policies pre-9/11, Hamza Yusuf’s post-2001 shift toward advocating “stability over justice” and engaging with Western and Gulf establishments has led some to severely criticise him.
His association with figures like Sheikh Abdullah Bin Bayyah – closely tied to UAE initiatives – reinforces this perception.
His role in the UAE-led Forum for Promoting Peace and past defences of UAE governance have fuelled suspicion which he has never addressed in detail.
Shaykh Hamza Yusuf has also faced backlash for statements perceived as dismissive of Muslim struggles. For instance, in 2016, he mocked the Syrian revolution’s slogan and suggested Palestinians bore responsibility for their suffering, prompting accusations of undermining Muslim dignity.
His 2016 claim that the U.S. is “one of the least racist countries” and his reluctance to support the Black Lives Matter movement further alienated some.
And his participation in U.S. government initiatives, such as the Trump administration’s Commission on Unalienable Rights in 2019, has drawn scrutiny.
Shaykh Hamza Yusuf defends himself against criticisms by emphasising his scholarly intentions, contextualising his actions, and framing his engagement with controversial entities as efforts to promote broader Islamic values and stability.
Yusuf often underscores his commitment to Islamic scholarship and education, particularly through Zaytuna College, which he co-founded to advance traditional Islamic learning in the West.
He argues that his primary role is to guide Muslims spiritually and intellectually, not to engage in political activism. For instance, in response to accusations of abandoning Muslim causes, he has emphasised the importance of long-term educational efforts over immediate political stances, as seen in his public lectures and writings.
Regarding his participation in initiatives like the UAE’s Forum for Promoting Peace or the Trump administration’s Religious Liberty Commission, Yusuf defends these as opportunities to represent Muslim perspectives in influential circles.
He argues that engaging with governments, including those with controversial policies, allows him to advocate for religious freedom and mitigate harm to Muslim communities.
Yusuf has addressed backlash over remarks perceived as dismissive, such as his 2016 comments on racism or the Syrian revolution, by clarifying his intent. He has suggested that his statements were misinterpreted or taken out of context, often citing the complexity of issues like systemic racism or geopolitics.
In interviews and lectures, he has emphasised the need for nuanced discussions rather than slogans, urging critics to consider his full body of work rather than isolated quotes.
