Meet Obama's special envoy to Muslim world

US President Barack Obama has appointed a deputy White House counsel Rashad Hussain to be his representative to the Muslim world.

Hussain will become the special envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference, an intergovernmental group with 57 member countries from the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia, Caucasus, Balkans, Southeast Asia and South Asia.

'Appointing a special envoy to the OIC is an important part of the president's commitment to engaging Muslims around the world based on mutual respect and mutual interest,' The New York Times quoted a White House statement, as saying.

Hussein will replace Sada Cumber,

who had been appointed to the post by former President George W Bush.

According to the White House, Hussain will work to strengthen cooperation between the United States and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference.

In addition, he will seek to counter any disparaging images of the United States in the Muslim world, and in particular will look to correct distortions of Americans disseminated by Al-Qaeda.

As deputy associate counsel to Obama, Hussain has focused on national security, new media and science issues. He worked with other White House staff members on Obama's speech to the Muslim world from Cairo last June.

Previously, he worked as a trial lawyer at the Justice Department and served as a legislative assistant on the House Judiciary Committee.