Community Outreach

Lectures

A lecture about Capitalism, Oil in the Middle East, and Political Islam.
The Masters Program in Democracy and Human Rights has hosted Mr. Joel Beinin a Professor of History at Stanford University on March, 28,2001. Professor Beinin discussed the development of the “liberal capitalism” and its relation to oil and globalization, the democratic transformation in the Arab countries, and the United States attempts to implement the policy of free open market in the Arab countries and the developing countries in general, especially in Egypt at Abdil.Nasser period. The period when the open market lead to portraying of democratic phenomena, and transformation in the Egyptian political regime, and its perspective towards the opposition movements such as “Political Islam”.

Meeting with Pierre Sane Amnesty International General Secretary
The Masters Program in Democracy and Human Rights has hosted Mr. Pierre Sane the General Secretary of Amnesty International and Mr. Martin O’Brien on 27/3/2001. In this meeting Mr. Sane tackled the following issues including Human Rights Agenda for Peace he discussed this issue in the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. The discussion included the role of the Israeli and Palestinian civil societies, and injecting this issue in the Israeli- Palestinian negotiations. Sane displayed the two points of view towards this issue: the first that thinks that it is impossible to discuss it in the presence of the Israeli occupation, the occupation that violates the human rights, while the second thinks that discussing this issue will integrate it with the negotiations, and will represent a danger on it. On the other side, Sane mentioned that Israel and the Palestinian National Authority have ratified many human rights conventions, and are obliged to them. Sane thinks that discussing human rights in the negotiations will permit both Israeli and Palestinian sides to agree on terms of: excessive use of force, policy of assassination, restrictions of freedom of movement, and closure. Mr. Martin O’Brien, who worked for 13 years for the Committee of the Administration of Justice in Ireland, spoke about the organization’s work at human rights monitoring in Ireland, and the importance of developing human rights agenda, and the necessity of achieving peace agreements which assures improvement in daily life conditions, in addition to the impact of the civil society activities on politicians in order for them to take the last issue into consideration during negotiations and agreements.
At the end of the meeting, a discussion has taken place between the lecturers and the audience including Palestinian human rights organizations, lecturers, and students. Their discussion raised issues such as the role of Amnesty International in protecting Palestinians human rights and providing them with the International protection, especially with the excessive Israeli violation of human rights in the Second Intifada.

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