At a function at the Rizvi College of Architecture in Bandra suburb where Hussain met Muslim leaders and delivered a lecture, he found that the Indian Muslims were more aggressive against the US then anywhere in the world.
Akhtar Hasan Rizvi, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) general secretary and the founder president of the Rizvi Group of Educational Institutions, in his speech lashed out at the US, stating that the US was the creator of several "problems" in the world including Israeli-Palestine conflict and the Taleban in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Rizvi told Hussain, "I am sorry and apologize if my views hurt you and the US, but at the same time let me tell you very honestly and frankly that the Muslims anger against the US will not subside with just this pacify-the-Muslim mission." Rizvi slammed the US polices, not just in the Middle East, but toward Muslims everywhere. Highlighting the grievances many Muslims have against the US, Rizvi held America responsible for many woes in the Muslim world.
Taking offense at the attack by Rizvi against the US, Hussain, who had earlier talked about Obama administration's resolve to build partnership with the Muslim world, then launched a counter-attack against Rizvi and said, "I reject the anti-Semitic feelings and I also reject totally the conspiracy theories. At a school of architecture, I would expect people to look forward and be positive and not get trapped in what happened in the past."
Hussain, is of Indian origin, his mother hails from the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, while his father comes from Bihar and they migrated to the US in 1970s. The US president appointed Hussain as the US administration's special envoy to the OIC in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Hussain is on a visit to India from Aug. 1-9 and will meet with local university faculty and students, Muslim leaders, and government officials to discuss the US administration's initiatives on education, global health, entrepreneurship, and countering violent extremism. His current tour to India is to build upon the engagement plan Obama outlined in his June 2009 speech in Cairo, Egypt, which was hailed historic and called for a new beginning in US's engagement with the Muslim world.
