By: Ashraf Ramelah
Voice of the Copts

Capitol Visitor Center

Human Rights in the Middle East: What the West Needs to Know Capitol Visitor Center First Street N.E & East Capitol Street N.E Washington, DC 20515 Room SVC 209-08.

Every person on the planet is entitled to human rights. The concept of human rights was developed after World War II in response to the Holocaust. In 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The concept of rights is not new and existed in pre-modern cultures in ancient Greek and Roman times where we find various indicators of rights, although not as a universal issue.

In Europe, during the Renaissance, we find the Twelve Articles which are considered the first record concerning human rights. In the 18th century, fundamental civil rights and civil freedoms were included in the Virginia Declaration of Rights.

Today the world still struggles with human rights. While the majority of Westerners acknowledges human rights and fights to defend them, the majority of the Middle East (except the State of Israel) denies these rights. Western governments and NGOs have great concern over human rights abuses in the Middle East resulting in politically correct reports and soft condemnation.

In preparing this conference we bring together scholars, authors, activists, organizers and journalists concentrating in the area of human rights and we hope to offer a perspective which demands a much firmer approach by the U.S. and other Western governments to the issues.

At this point we have not taken the real actions necessary to effectively defend human rights around the world. It is unacceptable that we continue to overlook human rights violations.

This is the time to act!
Thursday, December 16, 2010

Conference Program Moderator – Sara N. Stern
Founder and President, EMET
Iran The right to stone women

Kenneth Timmerman
A journalist, political writer, executive director of the Foundation for Democracy in Iran
Will There Be Christmas in Iraq?

12:00 p.m.
Ashraf Ramelah
Voice of the Copts Founder and President
Opening Remarks

12:10 p.m.
Pamela Geller
Editor and Publisher of Atlas Shrugs
Executive Director FDI SIOA
Encroaching Shariah in America

12:30 p.m.
Tawfik Hamid
Author of Inside Jihad: Understanding and Confronting Radical Islam
Do We Need Democracy in the Middle East?

12:50 p.m.
Faith McDonnell
Director of the Religious Liberty Program at the Institute on Religion and Democracy in Washington, DC
Human Rights in the Middle East: Lessons from 14 years of Advocacy

1:10 p.m.
Jordan Sekulow
Director of Policy and International Operation
Defending the Persecuted: The ACLJ’s Legal Defense of Christian Minoritie

1:30 p.m. – 1:50 p.m.
Break

1:50 p.m
Robert Spencer
Director of Jihad Watch
Author of The Truth About Muhammad

2:10 p.m.
Ali Ayami
Director of Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia
Human Rights Under the Saudi-Wahhabi Rule

2:30 p.m.
Nazir Bhatti
President Pakistan Chistian Congress
Statement Concerning Asia Bibi

2:45 p.m.
Ahmar Mustikhan
American Friends of Balochistan
Human Rights Scene in Balochistan

3:00 p.m.
Ashraf Ramelah
Closing: Call to Action

3:10 p.m.
Audience Q & A

4:00 p.m.
Thank You for Participating