×U.S. EditionPart of HuffPost Politics. ©2022 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved.×ago, basketball star Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf knew he had to stand up for his beliefs, even if it was going to cost him his NBA career.And it did cost him his career. Abdul-Rauf ― who was known as Chris Jackson before he converted to Islam in 1991 and later changed his name ― was a who in 1994 had a free throw percentage of 95.6, the . AdvertisementBut it wasn’t his near-perfect free throws that drew him into the spotlight. In 1996, over the course of several games, the Denver Nuggets player chose to either sit...…×U.S. EditionPart of HuffPost Politics. ©2022 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved.×ago, basketball star Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf knew he had to stand up for his beliefs, even if it was going to cost him his NBA career.And it did cost him his career. Abdul-Rauf ― who was known as Chris Jackson before he converted to Islam in 1991 and later changed his name ― was a who in 1994 had a free throw percentage of 95.6, the . AdvertisementBut it wasn’t his near-perfect free throws that drew him into the spotlight. In 1996, over the course of several games, the Denver Nuggets player chose to either sit...WW…

×U.S. EditionPart of HuffPost Politics. ©2022 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved.×AdvertisementA USAID spokesperson told HuffPost that Lloyd’s comments “were in reference to radical Islam, not Islam” and that the agency”has prioritized support for religious and ethnic minorities, whether it be persecuted Christians in Iraq or the Muslim Rohingya in Burma.” AdvertisementAdvertisementSuggest a correctionNewsletter Sign UpHuffPost's top politics stories, straight to your inbox.Successfully Subscribed!Realness delivered to your inbox…×U.S. EditionPart of HuffPost Politics. ©2022 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved.×AdvertisementA USAID spokesperson told HuffPost that Lloyd’s comments “were in reference to radical Islam, not Islam” and that the agency”has prioritized support for religious and ethnic minorities, whether it be persecuted Christians in Iraq or the Muslim Rohingya in Burma.” AdvertisementAdvertisementSuggest a correctionNewsletter Sign UpHuffPost's top politics stories, straight to your inbox.Successfully Subscribed!Realness delivered to your inboxWW…