(RNS) Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has appointed a special representative to Muslim communities, State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said Thursday (June 25).

Farah Pandith, who has worked in the State Department’s European Bureau, was appointed earlier in the week.

“She was a special adviser for outreach to Muslim communities in Europe,” Kelly said. “The secretary has appointed her to more of a global role.”

President Obama has made outreach to Muslims a priority, highlighted by his speech in Cairo in early June in which he quoted from the Quran and emphasized the importance of religious freedom.

During the Bush administration, Karen Hughes worked on outreach to Muslims in her role as a State Department undersecretary.