and Drive towards the Clash of Civilizations
Press release
The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) has delivered today to the Ambassador of the Vatican in Cairo, a message addressed to His Holiness Father Benedict XVI, Pope of the Catholic Church and Head of the Vatican City State, signed by 38 Human Rights NGOs in the Arab world.
Below is the message and signatories:
A Message from 38 Human Rights NGOs in the Arab World
to the Pope of the Vatican in Reference to His Speech Made on the Fifth Anniversary of September 11 Attacks
Your Holiness Father Benedict XVI,
and Drive towards the Clash of Civilizations
Press release
The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) has delivered today to the Ambassador of the Vatican in Cairo, a message addressed to His Holiness Father Benedict XVI, Pope of the Catholic Church and Head of the Vatican City State, signed by 38 Human Rights NGOs in the Arab world.
Below is the message and signatories:
A Message from 38 Human Rights NGOs in the Arab World
to the Pope of the Vatican in Reference to His Speech Made on the Fifth Anniversary of September 11 Attacks
Your Holiness Father Benedict XVI,
Pope of the Catholic Church and Head of the Vatican City State,
The signatories to this message followed up the lecture made by your Holiness on Tuesday 12th of September 2006 at the University of Regensburg in Germany, to commemorate the September 11 attacks. They find the statements included in your lecture entitled “Faith, Reason and the University… Memories and Reflections” shocking, given your spiritual status and the high esteem you are held in by millions of Catholics and others all over the world. The remarks you made are a slap in the face to efforts exerted throughout three decades of dialogue between religions to promote tolerance and the culture of peace in which representatives of the Vatican, other religions and thousands of civil society associations have participated from all over the world. The last of these efforts was an international cultural workshop entitled “Dialogue among peoples and cultures” that was conducted the day after you delivered your speech. The conference, sponsored by the head of the French Republic, gathered high-level participants from European and Arab countries in addition to dozens of intellectuals, the clergy and NGOs from south and north of the Mediterranean.
Signatories to this message express their concern that such statements may stir up religious hatred and racism already ignited by the sad events of September 2001 that have had deep negative impact on citizens of various religions in the North and South.
Signatories to this letter observe with regret that some of your statements go up against the efforts made by the majority of world states and NGOs in the North and the South to uproot religious extremism and avoid a clash of civilizations.
Out of deep-rooted faith in universal human rights values and principles, human rights NGOs working in the Arab world have been steadfastly defending the freedom of belief and the rights of religious minorities. Meanwhile, they have always denounced and criticized any attempts to resort to violence as a means to impose any beliefs and requested that mass media and educational curricula honestly reflect the plurality of religions and creeds in the Arab world and promote tolerance and respect of the Other.
Human rights NGOs working in the Arab world hope that religious leaders of all religions and creeds play a positive role in promoting human rights culture, tolerance and mutual respect between peoples, civilizations and religions. They also hope that your Holiness, in the light of your high spiritual position, play a central role in this context in step with your late predecessor His Holiness Father John Paul II whose statements, lectures and speeches on many occasions were conducive to the promotion of the culture of human rights and values of tolerance between human beings. Otherwise, such values will be blown away by the wind of religious fanaticism.
Kindly accept our greatest respect,
Signatories of the message
1. Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
2. Habi Center for Environmental Rights (Egypt).
3. Egyptian Association for Supporting Democratic Development.
4. Human Rights Association for the Assistance of Prisoners ( Egypt).
5. Syrian Organization for Human Rights
6. Andalus Institute for Tolerance and Anti Violence Studies ( Egypt )
7. The Arab Organization for Penal Reform (Egypt).
8. The Egyptian Association for Community Participation Enhancement
9. Damascus Center for Human Rights Studies
10. Egyptian women Issues ‘ Center.
11. Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights.
12. Arab Network for Human Rights Information ( Egypt ).
13. Bahraini Youth Society for Human Rights
14. Saudi Center for Human Rights.
15. Palestinian Organization for Human Rights (Lebanon).
16. Association for Democracy Development (Egypt).
17. The Libyan League for Human Rights
18. The Committee for the Respect of Freedoms and the Humans Right in Tunisia
19. Sisters’ Arab forum for Human Rights (Yemen).
20. The Program of Human Rights at Al-Khawei Institute (Iraq/UK).
21. Association for Jurists (Emirates)
22. Civil Society Forum (Yemen).
23. Khartoum Center for Human rights and Environment Development.
24. Amel Center for Treatment and Rehabilitation of Victims of Torture.
25. Tunisian League for Human Rights.
26. Egyptian Organization for Human Rights.
27. Syrian Center for media and liberty of expression.
28. Shumuu for Human Rights and care of disabled and Community Development (Egypt).
29. Center for Human Rights and Democracy Studies – Morocco
30. National Organization for Human Rights in Syria.
31. Al-Haq – Ramallah , Palestine .
32. Land Center for Human Rights (Egypt)
33. Bahrain center for Human Rights.
34. Moroccan Association for Human Rights.
35. Amman Center for Human Rights Studies
36. Salmmah Women’s Resource Centre, Khartoum, Sudan
37. Egyptian Child Rights Center
38. Human Rights Information and Training Center – Yemen
