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Open Letter to President Obama Urging Him to Support Human Rights and Democracy in the Middle East
URGENT & Open Letter
President Barack Hussein Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
Like so many others throughout the world, we find ourselves both hopeful and inspired. Your election is proof of America’s continued promise as a land of opportunity, equality, and freedom. Your presidency presents a historic opportunity to chart a new course in foreign affairs, and particularly in the troubled relationship between the United States and the Muslim world.
We are heartened by your promise to listen to and understand the hopes and aspirations of Arabs and Muslims. By shutting down Guantanamo Bay and forbidding torture, your administration will inspire greater confidence between the United States and the Muslim world. Last month, in your first major interview, millions of Arabs heard your call for mutual respect on one of the Middle East’s most watched television channels. They were encouraged to find that you hold a resolution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict as an urgent priority, as evidenced by the appointment of Senator George Mitchell as your envoy. Reaching out to the people of the region so early on in your presidency is a step of no small significance. But it is a step that must be followed by concrete policy changes.
Improving relations between the United States and Middle Eastern nations is not simply a matter of changing some policies here and there. For too long, U.S. policy toward the Middle East has been fundamentally misguided. The United States, for half a century, has frequently supported repressive regimes that routinely violate human rights, and that torture and imprison those who dare criticize them and prevent their citizens from participation in peaceful civic and political activities. U.S. support for Arab autocrats was supposed to serve U.S. national interests and regional stability. In reality, it produced a region increasingly tormented by rampant corruption, extremism, and instability.
In his second inaugural address, President Bush pledged that the United States would no longer support tyrants and would stand with those activists and reformers fighting for democratic change. The Bush administration, however, quickly turned its back on Middle East democracy after Islamist parties performed well in elections throughout the region. This not only hurt the credibility of the United States, dismayed democrats and emboldened extremists in the region, but also sent a powerful message to autocrats that they could reassert their power and crush the opposition with impunity.
In order to rebuild relations of mutual respect, it is critical that the United States be on the right side of history regarding the human, civil, and political rights of the peoples of the Middle East. There is no doubt that the people of the Middle East long for greater freedom and democracy; they have proven themselves willing to fight for it. What they need from your administration is a commitment to encourage political reform not through wars, threats, or imposition, but through peaceful policies that reward governments that take active and measurable steps towards genuine democratic reforms. Moreover, the US should not hesitate to speak out in condemnation when opposition activists are unjustly imprisoned in Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, or elsewhere. When necessary, the United States should use its considerable economic and diplomatic leverage to put pressure on its allies in the region when they fail to meet basic standards of human rights.
We recognize that taking these steps will present both difficulties and dilemmas. Accordingly, bold action is needed today more than ever. For too long, American policy in the Middle East has been paralyzed by fear of Islamist parties coming to power. Some of these fears are both legitimate and understandable; many Islamists advocate illiberal policies. They need to do more to demonstrate their commitment to the rights of women and religious minorities, and their willingness to tolerate dissent. However, most mainstream Islamist groups in the region are nonviolent and respect the democratic process.
In many countries, including Turkey, Indonesia, and Morocco, the right to participate in reasonably credible and open elections has moderated Islamist parties and enhanced their commitment to democratic norms. We may not agree with what they have to say, but if we wish to both preach and practice democracy, it is simply impossible to exclude the largest opposition groups in the region from the democratic process. At the same time, to reduce the future of the region to a contest between Islamists and authoritarian regimes would be a mistake. Promoting democratic openings in the region will give liberal and secular parties a chance to establish themselves and communicate their ideas to the populace after decades of repression which left them weak and marginalized. More competition between parties of diverse ideological backgrounds would be healthy for political development in the region.
In short, we have an unprecedented opportunity to send a clear message to the Arab and Muslim world: the United States will support all those who strive for freedom, democracy, and human rights. You, Mr. President, have recently relayed such a message in your inaugural address when you said: “To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history, but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.”
We are fully aware that, with a worsening global economic crisis, and continuing challenges in Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, political reform and progress toward democratic reform in the Middle East will need to compete with a whole host of other priorities on your agenda. Policy is often about making difficult choices. However, as you work on other Middle East priorities, we urge you to elevate democratic reform and respect for human rights as key considerations in your engagement with both Arab regimes and Arab publics.
In conclusion, we are writing this letter to raise our profound belief that supporting democrats and democracy in the Middle East is not only in the region’s interests, but in the United States’ as well. Perhaps more importantly, what we choose to do with this critical issue will reveal a great deal about the strength of American democratic ideals in this new era – and whether or not we will decide to respect and apply them in the Middle East.
Coordination Committee:
Radwan A. Masmoudi
Center for the Study of Islam & Democracy
Geneive Abdo
The Century Foundation
Larry Diamond
Ctr. on Democracy, Dev. & Rule of Law, Stanford University
Shadi Hamid
Project on Middle East Democracy
Michele Dunne
Carnegie Endowment for Int. Peace
Jennifer Windsor
Freedom House
American Scholars, Experts & Organizations:
Tamara Cofman Wittes
Saban Center, Brookings Institution
Francis Fukuyama
The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies
Matt Yglesias
Center for American Progress
Mona Yacoubian
U.S. Institute of Peace
John L. Esposito
Georgetown University
Reza Aslan
UC Riverside
Morton H. Halperin
Formerly Office of Policy Planning, Department of State
Will Marshall
Progressive Policy Institute
Randa Slim
Rockefeller Brothers Fund
Neil Hicks
Human Rights First
Robert R. LaGamma
Council for a Community of Democracies
Jack DuVall
Int. Center on Nonviolent Conflict
Robert A. Pastor
Center for Democracy and Election Management, American University
Jean Bethke Elshtain
University of Chicago
Peter Beinart
Council on Foreign Relations
Bob Edgar
Common Cause
Rachel Kleinfeld
Truman National Security Project
Robert Kagan
Carnegie Endowment for Int. Peace
Dokhi Fassihian
Democracy Coalition Project
Dina Guirguis
Voices for a Democratic Egypt
Andrew Albertson
Project on Middle East Democracy
Nathan J. Brown
George Washington University
Marc Gopin
Ctr for World Religions, Diplomacy, & Conflict Resolution, GMU
Graham E. Fuller
Simon Fraser University, Vancouver BC.
Amb. M. Osman Siddique
First Muslim American Ambassador
Amb. Akbar Ahmed
American University, Interfaith Leader
Andrew Natsios
Georgetown University and former US-AID Administrator
Rabbi Michael Lerner
Network of Spiritual Progressives
Farid Senzai
Institute for Social Policy and Understanding
Frank Kaufmann
Inter Religious Federation for World Peace
Ammar Abdulhamid
Tharwa Foundation
Arsalan Iftikhar
Islamica Magazine
Richard Bulliet
Columbia University
Seth Green
Americans for Informed Democracy
Joseph Montville
Toward the Abrahamic Family Reunion
Joseph K. Grieboski
Institute on Religion and Public Policy
Jim Arkedis
Progressive Policy Institute
Asma Afsaruddin
University of Notre Dame
Joe Stork
Human Rights Watch
Will Dobson
Carnegie Endowment for Int. Peace
Anisa Mehdi
Arab-American Journalist
Mohammed Ayoob
Michigan State University
Peter Mandaville
Center for Global Studies, GMU
Omid Safi
University of North Carolina
Sulayman S. Nyang
Howard University
Naiem A. Sherbiny
Ibn Khaldun Ctr. for Development
Louay Safi
ISNA Leadership Development Ctr.
Najib Ghadbian
University of Arkansas
Aly R. Abuzaakouk
Libya Human and Political Dev. Forum
Robert D. Crane
The Abraham Federation
Sally Painter
Global Fairness Initiative
Steven Brooke
Independent Academic
Sheila Musaji
The American Muslim
Hashim El-Tinay
International Peace Quest Inst.
Antony T. Sullivan
Near East Support Services
Clement Moore Henry
Dept. of Government, U of Texas at Austin
Ahmed Subhy Mansour
The International Quranic Center
Yvonne Haddad
Georgetown University
Shahed Amanullah
altmuslim.com
Hakan Yavuz
The University of Utah
Ibrahim Kalin
Georgetown University
Mumtaz Ahmad
Hampton University
Charles Butterworth
University of Maryland
John P. Entelis
Fordham University
Nahyan Fancy
DePauw University
Jeffrey T. Kenney
DePauw University
Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad
Minaret of Freedom Institute
Jamal Barzinji
International Institute of Islamic Thought
H. Ali Yurtsever
Rumi Forum
Abubaker al Shingieti
American Muslims for Constructive Engagement
Nayereh Tohidi
California State University, Northridge
Nancy Gallagher
University of California, Santa Barbara
Safei Hamed
Alliance of Egyptian Americans
Ali Akbar Mahdi
Ohio Wesleyan University
Nader Hashemi
University of Denver
Timothy Samuel Shah
Council on Foreign Relations
Sondra Hale
Islamic Studies, UCLA
Lester Kurtz
George Mason University
Mehrdad Mashayekhi
Georgetown University
Fatemeh Haghighatjoo
University of Massachusetts, Boston
Salah Aziz
American Society for Kurds
Ali Banuazizi
Boston College
Mehrangiz Kar
Harvard University Human Rights Program
Tamara Sonn
College of William & Mary
Salam Al-Marayati
Muslim Public Affairs Council
Stephen Zunes
University of San Francisco
Mike Ghouse
World Muslim Congress
David A. Smith
University of California, Irvine
Ziad K. Abdelnour
US Committee for a Free Lebanon
Samer Libdeh
Center for Liberty in the Middle East
Javed Ali
Illume Magazine
Selahattin Oz
Georgetown University
Amin Mahmoud
The Alliance of Egyptian Americans
Maher Kharma
Islamic Society of Annapolis
Marah Bukai
Al Waref Institute, Washington DC
Sameh Hasan
Yale University
Maria Dayton
Voices for a Democratic Egypt
Rabbi Arthur Waskow
The Shalom Center
Samer Shehata
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
M. Cherif Bassiouni
International Human Rights Law Institute, DePaul University
John R. Van Eenwyk
The International Trauma Treatment Program, Olympia, WA
Kathryn Cameron Porter
Leadership Council for Human Rights
Jeffrey Boutwell
Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs
Jacob Bender
“Out of Cordoba” Film Project
Diane Singerman
American University
Abukar Arman
Activist and writer
Tom Malinowski
Human Rights Watch
Steve Heydemann
Georgetown University
Khalil I. Semaan
Binghamton University – SUNY
Constance Wilson Andresen
American Businesswoman
Tariq H. Cheema
World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists
David B Burrell
University of Notre Dame & Uganda Martyrs University
Marah Bukai
Founder of Al Waref Institute
Peter Ackerman
International Center on Nonviolent Conflict
Faiz Rehman
President, National Council of Pakistani Americans
Fred Dallmayr
University of Notre Dame
Father Thomas Michel
Woodstock Theological Center
Stephen McInerney
Project on Middle East Democracy
Merve Kavakci
George Washington University
Rafik Beekun
University of Nevada
Charles H. Kennedy
Wake Forest University
Ambassador Mark Palmer
Freedom House
Norman G. Kurland
Center for Economic and Social Justice
Mohammed Abu-Nimer
American University
Diane Singerman
American University
Ruby Amatulla
Supporter and Alliance
Daniel Brumberg
Department of Government, Georgetown University
Abdul Aziz Said
American University Center for Global Peace
William B. Greenough, III
Johns Hopkins University
Mary Larkin
Street Law, Inc
Charles N. Quigley
Center for Civic Education
Michael Kirtley
President, The Friendship Caravan
Sondra Hale
University of California, Los Angeles
Ed Bice
CEO, Meedan.net
Ghulam-Nabi Fai
Kashmiri American Council
Mike Mohamed Ghouse
Foundation for Pluralism
Lois M Critchfield
Critchfield Endowment for Middle East Studies
Iftekhar Hai
UMA Interfaith Alliance, SF., CA.
Ghulam-Nabi Fai
Kashmiri American Council
Jacob Bender
Film Director, “OUT OF CORDOBA”
Louis Goodman
American University
Charles Henry Kennedy
Wake Forest University
Ingrid Mattson
Hartford Seminary
Mumtaz Ahmad
Hampton University
Jose V Casanova
Georgetown University
Zachary Lockman
New York University
Jim Vitarello
sharing jerusalem
Imam Sayed Moustafa al-Qazwini
Islamic Educational Center of Orange County
Isobel Coleman
The Council on Foreign Relations
Douglas Johnston
International Center for Religion & Diplomacy
Robert B. Miller
The Islamic Development Initiative
Theodore Piccone
Brookings Institution
Judge Zakia Ismail Hakki
International Association of Women Judges
International Scholars & Organizations:
Saad Eddin Ibrahim
Ibn Khaldoun Center
Anwar Ibrahim
People’s Justice Party, Malaysia
Radwan Ziadeh
Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, Harvard Univ.
Usman Bugaje
Action Congress, Abuja, Nigeria
Dogu Ergil
Ankara University, Turkey
Nabila Hamza
Foundation For the Future, Jordan
Atef Saadawy
Al-Ahram Democracy Review
Obaida Fares
Arab Foundation for Development and Citizenship
Mona Eltahawy
Commentator and public speaker, Egypt
Mohammad Fadel
University of Toronto Faculty of Law
Edip Yuksel
Islamic Reform, Turkey
Hamadi Redissi
Political Science, University of Tunis
Tal Almlouhi
Syrian writer based in Cairo
Shady Talaat
Lawyers Union For Democratic and Legal Studies, Egypt
Almut Wieland-Karimi
Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Germany
Osama Altikriti
member of iraqi house of representatives
Asma S. Khader
Sisterhood Is Global Institute / Jordan
Jamal Eddine Ryane
Global Migration and Gender Network, Amsterdam
Najah Kadhim
International Forum for Islamic Dialogue-London-UK
Emad El-Din Shahin
Dept. of Government, Harvard University
Maajid Nawaz
The Quilliam Foundation, London, UK
Mohamed Elshinnawi
Journalist/Consultant
Sameer Jarrah
Arab World Center for Democratic Development, Jordan
Ihsan Dagi
Insight Turkey
Santanina T. Rasul
Former Senator, The Philippines
Can Kurd
Kurdish PEN Club / Germany
Saoud El Mawla
The Islamic Council for Dialogue, Justice and Democracy, Lebanon
Amina Rasul-Bernardo
The Philippines Council on Islam & Democracy
Sayyed Nadeem Kazmi
The britslampartnership Ltd, UK
Boudjema Ghechir
Algerian League for Human Rights
Kais Jawad al-Azzawi
Al-Jareeda Newspaper, Baghdad, Iraq
Rola Dashti
Kuwait Economic Society
Zainah Anwar
Sisters in Islam, Malaysia
Jafar M. Alshayeb
Writer and Advocate, Saudi Arabia
Daoud Casewit
American Islamic Scholar, Morocco
Anwar N. Haddam
Mvt. for Liberty & Social Justice, Algeria
Ashur Shamis
Libya Human and Political Dev. Forum
Hamdi Abdelaziz
Journalist & Human Rights Activist, Egypt
Dalia Ziada
The American Islamic Congress, Cairo, Egypt
Abdulkhaleq Abdulla
Dept. of Political Science, United Arab Emirates
Wajeeha S. Al- Baharna
Bahrain Women Association for Human Development
Abdullahi Mohamoud Nur
Community Empowerment for Peace and Integrated Development, Somalia
Brendan Simms
The Henry Jackson Society: Project for Democratic Geopolitics, London, UK
Alan Mendoza
The Henry Jackson Society: Project for Democratic Geopolitics, London, UK
Ashraf Tulty
Justice & Democracy for Libya
Hadi Shalluf
International Criminal Court, Paris
Aref Abu-Rabia
Fulbright Scholar
Omar Affifi
Hukuk Elnas
Jacqueline Armijo
Zayed University, United Arab Emirates
Sliman Bouchuiguir
Libyan League for Human Rights
Mohammed Mahfud
Al-Kalima Magazine, Saudi Arabia
Walid Salem
Center For Democracy and Community Development, East Jerusalem
Lise Garon
Université Laval, Québec, Canada
Abdel Salam Sidahmed
University of Windsor, Canada
Munira Shahidi
Z. Shahidi International Foundation, Tajikistan
Abbes Karim Asal
Human Rights for the New Iraq
Osama Kadi
Syrian Centre for Political and Strategic Studies
Mahmoud Aldebe
Muslim Swedish Federation
Abdeslam Ballaji
Moroccan thinker and writer
Hafez Albukari
Yemen Polling Center, Yemen
Tarek Heggy
Author on Egypt’s politics & culture
Ivesa Luebben
Political Analyst (Middle Eastern Affairs), Bremen, Germany
Aminetou Mint Moctar
Réseau des Femmes Leaderships de Mauritanie
Sara Sadegh
Réseau des Femmes Leaderships de Mauritanie
Yusoph I. Muhammad
Coordinating Council of Muslim NGOs in the Philippines
Fakhry Abu Shakra
Arab center for democracy and peace studies
Muna Darwsih
Arab Civic Education Network
Hani Hourani
Al Urdun Al Jadid Research Center, Jordan
Taher N. Masri
Senator, Jordan
Khaled Almaeena
Arab News, Saudi Arabia
Moncef Marzouki
Honorary Chair of the Tunisian Human Rights League
John Keane
The University of Westminster/WZB (Berlin)
Lord Hylton
House of Lords, London
Ajmal Sohail
Afghan Liberal Party and National-Democratic Participation Front – Afghanistan
Osman Bakar
International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies – Malaysia
Cheikh Ahmed Ould Sidi
President of The Democracy Defense Association, Inc. (DDA) – Mauritania
Sean Carroll
Club of Madrid – Spain