GLOBE TALK

Sada Cumber has been appointed US special envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). As such he’s the first person chosen for this position and he’ll be seeking to promote understanding and dialogue between the United States and Muslim communities around the world.

You were born in Pakistan; you’ve been in the US for 30 years and you’ve been involved until now in business. What brought you to this extraordinary position of special envoy to the OIC?

As much I was involved in the private sector in Texas, I was also engaged in working in the communities of the Muslim in Texas and I was also engaged in civil society programs. Besides that I have been engaged in working with the state government there. I have served as Governor Perry’s appointment on the Board of Economic Development and also a $200-million emerging technology committee. So I’ve been engaged in civil society work all my life as a volunteer in the Muslim communities.

Why is it so important for the US to have an envoy at the OIC?
If you look at post 9/11 and for the last 10 years, the issues we are dealing with, especially with the Muslim world and the West, it has become imperative now to engage in a dialogue.

It is important that we engage in this dialogue and the OIC is a very powerful platform where we can represent and come together.

In the last three weeks since I was appointed, I [have] already had two meetings with the OIC secretary general, Dr. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu. So we are engaged and there are many opportunities to work with the OIC and the Muslim Umma, especially the OIC’s 10-year programme. They are indicating that they need to move in the direction where they want to make sure that the 1.3 billion Muslims are beneficiaries of the programmes, including science and technology, education, culture, human rights, advancement of women’s status, taking care of the elderly, and all these are the same values to which we in America aspire. So I think this is great opportunity for the US to engage and work with the Muslim Umma to take the OIC in the direction where they are moving forward themselves.

It’s no secret that Americans are not popular in the Middle East. Muslims as well say that these are cosmetic efforts by the US, but in fact they’re not changing their policies in the Middle East.

That’s one of the reasons that when I was in Dakar in Senegal, I was suggesting the fact that if you look at the core values, the pure ethics of Americans - Muslims and non-Muslims - it is part of us. By default we have deep respect for all religions including Islam, and that is part of our lifestyle here.
I was explaining that it is not a matter that America is positioning itself today. If you look at the freedoms that we enjoy here in America as Muslims, we practice Islam here openly and regularly; we have 1,200 mosques and the freedom of expression, the freedom of practice of faith; all these things are core values as part of our culture here in America. It’s nothing new. All I’m doing is trying to articulate clearly that when it comes to core values the West and Islamic communities are in sync.

I said there is no clash of civilizations. If there is anything, it is a clash of ignorance. I was even suggesting that as a Muslim in America, I don’t even use the terms Islamic terrorist or Islamo-Fascism. Those are not even part of my own vocabulary as an American Muslim. These are some of the dialogues that we need to engage in and to make sure we’re moving forward to bring stability, peace and prosperity to all people.

Is the image you’re trying to tackle among Muslim communities your largest challenge?

No, in fact not, because it comes very naturally to me and all the Americans that we articulate this message clearly. The largest challenge for me is to make sure I engage the OIC leadership in making sure I bring the US government resources in tackling the issues of education, culture, the status of women, and also to deal with science and technology, because once we have a strong civil society in any part of the world and any culture, I think that really mitigates a lot of the other issues that we otherwise have to invest a lot of effort and resources in.
How different is it approaching the Muslim world as an official of the US state rather than as a businessman?

I see that as a positive opportunity because, since I come from the private sector and I have never seen a diplomat or someone from the political environment, for me it is very simple. It is a very honest and clear approach of what I practice every day in the private sector. I can articulate in the same way. Here I am on the one side trying to see that if I have a valuable proposition, how do I get some of those assets that need to be acquired? It’s a very simple thing; I have been doing it for a while. I see it as a dialogue where both parties declare a position where there is a win-win, so it’s very easy for me to deal with this new position.

Mr. Cumber was an entrepreneur and investor based in Austin, Texas prior to his appointment. Mr. Cumber’s business background is in senior management, marketing, and imaging technology. As an entrepreneur, Mr. Cumber has specialized in national and global network strategy, strategic marketing, business planning and institution building.

Mr. Cumber has founded 11 companies in technology-based industries, including Texas Global and CACH Capital Management, an investment advisory and wealth management firm. Prior to his appointment as Special Envoy, Mr. Cumber also served as Chairman of the Board of TCMS-LLC, an intellectual property development company, and as Chairman of Sozotek Inc., an imaging technology company. Mr. Cumber has also served on numerous corporate boards in various capacities.

Mr. Cumber has been active in the public sphere, serving on the boards of various Texas-based and international organizations, including the Board of Directors of the Texas Economic Development Board (a $300 million fund), the Texas Emerging Technology Fund (a $200 million fund), the 15th World Congress on Information Technology, the Texas Business Council, and the Governor’s Task Force on Higher Education. Mr. Cumber has also been active in civic organizations, advisory councils, and charitable foundations. Until recently, Mr. Cumber also served as the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Malta in Austin.

Mr. Cumber is committed to using his multicultural background and extensive business, social, and political skills to promote cooperation across cultures, to support international economic development and help advance meaningful dialogue among the world’s religious communities. He has served on the Board of Directors for the Texas Foundation of Religious Studies and the Advisory Council for the College of Fine Arts at the University of Texas.

Mr. Cumber was born in Karachi, Pakistan in 1951. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce and a Master’s Degree in History, both from the University of Karachi. Mr. Cumber came to the United States in 1978 and has been an American citizen since 1986.