President Bush has chosen a Texas businessman as the first U.S. special envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference. VOA's Paula Wolfson reports Sada Cumber will work to repair America's image in the Muslim world.

President Bush (r) and Sada Cumber in the Oval Office of the White House, 27 Feb 2008

President Bush first announced his intention to name an envoy to the 57-nation Islamic Conference in mid-2007.

He took eight months to select someone to fill the post. White House aides say the president searched hard for the right person. Mr. Bush says he found the perfect candidate in Sada Cumber.

"And his is an important job," President Bush said. "There are a lot of misperceptions about America, and Sada is going to be a part of our effort to explain the truth."

The president says the core of the envoy's mission is to explain to the world that America is a friend.

"Now, a lot of people love America, don't get me wrong," he said. "After all, there's a lot of people trying to come here because of what we stand for. But we've got work to do in certain areas."

Cumber is a Texas entrepreneur, who has started several high-tech businesses. He was born in Karachi, Pakistan in 1951 and was raised there. He immigrated to the United States as a young man and became a U.S. citizen in 1986.