Trump nominates Brownback as his religious freedom envoy

Washington: US President Donald Trump on Thursday announced his plans to nominate Kansas Governor Samuel Dale Brownback as his ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom.

If confirmed by the US Senate, Brownback will serve as the head of the Office of International Religious Freedom within the State Department, which is charged with promoting religious freedom as a key objective of US.

The office monitors "religious persecution and discrimination worldwide, recommend and implement policies in respective regions or countries, and develop programs to promote religious freedom." 

"Religious Freedom is the first freedom. The choice of what you do with your own soul. I am honoured to serve such an important cause," Brownback said in a tweet.

Brownback, who has been Governor of Kansas since 2011, in his previous capacity as the United States Senator (1996 to 2011) was a key player in the Congressional passage of the India-US civil nuclear deal.

While a member of the Senate, Brownback worked actively on the issue of religious freedom in multiple countries and was a key sponsor of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.