The Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) and the Middle East Program of the Woodrow Wilson Center hosted a panel discussion on the relationship between religious freedom and democratization in the Middle East. The speakers discussed the abuses of religious rights in the region and addressed how the United States can best incorporate religion into its strategy for democracy promotion.
Deputy Executive Director of Freedom House Thomas Melia, former Director of the State Department’s Office of International Religious Freedom Thomas Farr, and Deputy Director of the Middle East and North Africa Division at Human Rights Watch Joe Stork spoke to these issues. The Wilson Center’s Director of Middle East Program Haleh Esfandiari provided introductory remarks and POMED Executive Director Andrew Albertson moderated the event.
For full notes on this event, click here.
Event Summary
The Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) and the Middle East Program of the Woodrow Wilson Center hosted a panel discussion on the relationship between religious freedom and democratization in the Middle East. The speakers discussed the abuses of religious rights in the region and addressed how the United States can best incorporate religion into its strategy for democracy promotion. Deputy Executive Director of Freedom House Thomas Melia, former Director of the State Department’s Office of International Religious Freedom Thomas Farr, and Deputy Director of the Middle East and North Africa Division at Human Rights Watch Joe Stork spoke to these issues. The Wilson Center’s Director of Middle East Program Haleh Esfandiari provided introductory remarks and POMED Executive Director Andrew Albertson moderated the event.
Event Details
Date: February 22, 2008, 10:00 – 11:30 am
Location: The Woodrow Wilson Center, 6th Floor Flom Auditorium
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004
Panelists:
Thomas Melia, Deputy Executive Director of Freedom House and former Director of Middle East Programs at the National Democratic Institute (NDI).
Thomas Farr, Visiting Associate Professor of Religion and World Affairs at Georgetown University and former Director of the State Department’s Office of International Religious Freedom.
Joe Stork, Deputy Director of the Middle East and North Africa Division at Human Rights Watch and principal author of the recent report on Egypt, Prohibited Identities: State Interference with Religious Freedom.
Introductory remarks by Haleh Esfandiari, Director of Middle East Program, Woodrow Wilson Center and moderated by Andrew Albertson, Executive Director, Project on Middle East Democracy.
Downloads
Click here to read POMED’s full notes on this event.
Click here to watch a video of the event.
