Brownback to be honored for work as religious freedom envoy

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback will be honored for his work as U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom.

U.S. Ambassador Sam Brownback during May 2018 news conference

The Hindu American Foundation plans to give Brownback its Mahatma Gandhi Award for Advancing Pluralism.

The foundation said Thursday that the award recognizes individuals or institutions that foster America’s “inclusive and pluralistic character.” It is named for the Indian leader whose commitment to nonviolent resistance became a model for the U.S. civil rights movement.

The foundation praised Brownback’s advocacy for Hindu minorities in Afghanistan, Pakistan and other Muslim majority nations.

President Donald Trump nominated Brownback to the ambassadorship in July 2017, but Brownback wasn’t confirmed by the U.S. Senate until January 2018. He faced strong opposition from Democrats because of his record of opposing LGBT rights.