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Dalia Mogahed, an Egyptian-born American who heads the Gallup American Center for Muslim Studies, has become the first Muslim woman appointed to serve in President Barack Obama's administration, and the first Muslim woman in hijab to be named to a position in the White House.
According to an article on Al Arabiya, Mogahed, along with 24 other religious and secular representatives, will sit on an interfaith advisory board which will advise the president on the role religion might play in resolving social problems and civil rights issues.
While the far right will clearly disapprove of this, for the first time in ten years a majority of Americans think the country is headed in the right direction. This statistic is according to an Associated Press-GfK poll, which shows "most Americans consider their new president to be a strong, ethical and empathetic leader who is working to change Washington."
Surely Mogahed's new role as adviser in the White House will be viewed by some as symbolic of that change. The question remains, however, whether interfaith dialog with the President will lead to a tangible change in how the average American views Muslims. Rather than be skeptical or speculate, I'll simply look at Mogahed's appointment as a small step in the right direction.
