The Routledge Handbook of Religious Literacy, Pluralism, and Global Engagement

Knox Thames

About the Contributor

Knox Thames is currently a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Global Engagement and a Senior Visiting Expert at the U.S. Institute of Peace, with the Middle East and Religion & Inclusive Societies teams. Most recently, he served as the former Special Advisor for Religious Minorities in the Near East and South / Central Asia at the U.S. Department of State under Obama and Trump administrations.

The first to serve in this special envoy role, he received a civil service appointment in 2015 to lead State Department efforts to support religious minorities in these regions. During his 20-year government career, among others, Knox has also served at the Helsinki Commission and the U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom.

In addition, from 2004-2012, he was a State Department appointee to the OSCE Panel of Experts on Freedom of Religion or Belief. He received a BA from Georgetown College (KY), a JD (cum laude) from American University’s Washington College of Law, and an MA from the School of International Service at American University.

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