Congress finds that successful engagement, including robust public diplomacy, with predominantly Muslim countries and communities is critical for achieving United States foreign policy objectives.
It is the sense of Congress that the Department should recruit more employees that have a personal background in, and thorough understating [1] of, the cultures, languages, and history of the Middle East and wider Muslim world.
The Secretary shall make every effort to recruit and retain individuals that have lived, worked, or studied in predominantly Muslim countries or communities, including individuals who have studied at an Islamic institution of higher learning.
(Pub. L. 114–323, title VII, § 713, Dec. 16, 2016, 130 Stat. 1945.)