NFL Hires First Muslim Head Coach

According to Misbar’s investigation, the New York Jets are set to appoint San Francisco 49ers' defensive coordinator Robert Saleh as head coach, a move which would make him the first Muslim to take charge of an NFL team. According to CBSSports.com, coach Saleh will replace Adam Gase, who went 9-23 in his two seasons as the Jets head coach. 

According to ESPN.com, Saleh, who is Lebanese American, will join Brian Flores of the Miami Dolphins, Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Ron Rivera of the Washington Football Team as active minority head coaches in the league. Prior to coaching in San Francisco, Saleh served as a defensive assistant with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Seattle Seahawks and Houston Texans. 

Before Saleh was hired by the Jets, no Muslim had ever been an NFL head coach, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, a Muslim civil rights advocacy group in DailyHindNews.com. CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper said in a statement late Thursday: “We welcome this development as another sign of the increasing inclusion and recognition of American Muslims in our diverse society.”