Why was HAMSA started?
HAMSA was established to address two areas often overlooked in the debate over reform in the Middle East. (1) We focus on civil rights – not democracy. The challenge in the Middle East is to ensure guaranteed individual rights for all people; otherwise, elections can simply enshrine repressive regimes. (2) We focus on grassroots reform efforts – not US government policy. Americans as individuals have a key role to play in helping support indigenous Middle Eastern reformers, and American civil society can look beyond foreign policy debates to form effective partnerships with civil rights workers in the Middle East.
