Sayed Rahmatullah Hashemi


Sayed Rahmatullah Hashemi سيد رحمت الله هاشمى was a former envoy of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. 'Sayed' is an honorific title that indicates lineage with the family of the Banu Hashem. Also known simply as Rahmatullah, he was once enrolled as a non-degree student at Yale University. In July 2006, it was announced that his application to pursue a bachelor's degree had been rejected by Yale College via the Eli Whitney Students Program.

Biography

Rahmatullah was born in Afghanistan, to Pashtun parents. In mid 1980s, his family moved to Pakistan. Rahmatullah grew up in Pakistan and was educated in the Pakistani school system. His schooling was fragmented, but he did emerge proficient in English as well as Pashto, Persian, and Urdu.
In 1994, Rahmatullah worked as a computer operator and translator at the zonal sub-office of Afghanistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kandahar. He was appointed to the position of diplomat in the Afghan Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan in 1998. In this capacity, he traveled around the world as an envoy of the Afghan Foreign Ministry of the Taliban regime. When top Taliban leaders were banned from foreign travel, Rahmatullah acted as representative of the regime on foreign visits.

Yale attendance controversy

In 2004, an American friend, Mike Hoover—a CBS cameraman who had sponsored his 2001 trip—suggested applying to college in the US. In 2005, Rahmatullah was admitted to Yale as a non degree student. In 2006, conservative sentiment arose opposing Rahmatullah studying at Yale University and questioning outright his presence in the United States.
As of April 2006, Yale has published the following comment on its website:
A recent non-scientific poll conducted by the Yale Herald—a student-run weekly newspaper—which was answered by 2,000 undergrads, concluded that 50% of Yale supported Hashmi's acceptance and about 25% opposed it.
In July 2006, Rahmatullah was denied admission to the Eli Whitney Students Program, Yale's degree-granting program for non-traditional students.