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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT: Doug Green
LCHR President attends founding meeting of
Middle East Minority Rights Group,
addresses common challenges of ethno-religious minorities,
women in region
Zurich – Human rights activists and journalists from across the Middle East and beyond gathered last weekend for the inaugural conference of the Middle East Minority Rights Group (MEMRG), a broad coalition representing the spectrum of religious, ethnic and linguistic minorities in the region.
Leadership Council for Human Rights President Kathryn Cameron Porter addressed MEMRG members during the conference, saying “As advocates for human rights, specifically the rights of minority groups and indigenous people, we must give a voice to the voiceless, and bring the stories of their struggles to leaders around the world who believe in the cause of promoting human dignity. It is our moral responsibility to do so.”
Ms. Porter also addressed the status of women in the Middle East, saying, “Women, while not statistically speaking a minority group, nevertheless experience the same level – or worse – of discrimination as ethno-religious minority groups in the Middle East.” In societies with repressive interpretations of Sharia law, women who belong to minority groups are essentially victimized twice, first because of their gender, and second because of their ethnicity and/or religion.
Accurate documentation of human rights abuses against minorities in the Middle East, increasing awareness of their common plight, sustained interreligious dialogue, and an emphasis on tolerance are all imperative to increase collective rights and freedoms in the region.
To read Ms. Porter’s full remarks in PDF format, please click here. |
