The American Mideast Coalition for Democracy is pleased to announce two endorsements in the upcoming Arizona primaries.
- Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser for AZ Congressional District 4.
Dr. Jasser is a member of AMCD’s advisory board and is the Founder and President of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD) and is the author of A Battle for the Soul of Islam: An American Muslim Patriot’s Fight to Save His Faith (Simon & Schuster, June 2012). On March 20, 2012, Dr. Jasser was appointed by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) where he served as Commissioner and Vice-Chair until May 2016.
Jasser is a first-generation American Muslim, whose parents fled the oppressive Baath regime of Syria in the mid-1960’s for American freedom. He is a devout Muslim with strong ties to the American Muslim community having helped lead mosques in Wisconsin, Arkansas, Virginia, and Arizona.
Jasser earned his medical degree on a U.S. Navy scholarship at the Medical College of Wisconsin in 1992 and served 11 years as a medical officer in the U. S. Navy. His tours of duty included Medical Department Head aboard the U.S.S. El Paso which deployed to Somalia during Operation Restore Hope; Chief Resident at Bethesda Naval Hospital; and Staff Internist for the Office of the Attending Physician to the U. S. Congress. He is a recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal. Jasser is a respected physician currently in private practice in Phoenix, AZ specializing in internal medicine and nuclear cardiology. He is a past-President of the Arizona Medical Association.
Jasser regularly briefs members of the House and Senate on the threat of Political Islam and testified before the United States House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security on March 10, 2011 on “The Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and that Community’s Response”, and again on June 20, 2012 on “The American Muslim Response to Hearings on Radicalization within their Community”. Jasser testified before the United States House of Representatives, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations on “Anti-Semitism: A Growing Threat to All Faiths” on February 27, 2013, on December 10, 2013 on “Human Rights Abuses in Egypt”, on June 16, 2016 on “The Global Religious Freedom Crisis and Its Challenge to U.S. Foreign Policy” and on June 28 2016 to the Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight, Agency Action,Federal Rights and Federal Courts on “Willful Blindness: Consequences of Agency Efforts To Deemphasize Radical Islam in Combating Terrorism” chaired by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). On September 22, 2016, he testified before The House Committee on Homeland Security’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Management Efficiency “Identifying the Enemy: Radical Islamist Terror.” On July 11, 2018, Dr. Jasser testified before The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Subcommittee on National Security on “The Muslim Brotherhood’s Global Threat.”
- Abraham Hamadeh for AZ Congressional District 8
Mr. Hamadeh is the son of Syrian immigrants and became an intelligence officer in the U.S. Army Reserve and served a 14 month long deployment to Saudi Arabia. On behalf of the United States Army, Hamadeh negotiated military sales and managed the training for Saudi Arabia’s domestic security forces both in the Kingdom and in the United States. He implemented the first of its kind new enhanced security vetting in response to the 2019 Pensacola terrorist attack. His direct counterparts were generals, colonels, and lieutenant colonels in the Saudi forces as well as high ranking civilians in their respective ministries.
Hamadeh’s awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Gold German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge, and Overseas Service Ribbon among others.
Hamadeh is a board member of the Dean’s Council of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Arizona State University. Hamadeh previously served on the board of advisors of the Center for Political Thought and Leadership at ASU which established a curriculum that honors and studies America’s founding thinkers and documents.
Hamadeh is a former prosecutor of the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. He has appeared in court to prosecute criminals, uphold victims’ rights, and seek justice for the community. Hamadeh earned his undergraduate degree in Political Science from Arizona State University and earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Arizona College of Law. During his law studies, Hamadeh was awarded the Udall Fellowship by the Arizona Prosecuting Attorneys’ Advisory Council which placed him at the city, county, state, and federal prosecutor offices.