As the Obama administration takes office, Iran is certain to be a top priority in U.S. foreign policy. From human rights abuses within Iran to the nation’s quickly advancing nuclear program, Iran is worthy of priority attention. Currently in the United States, there are different streams of advocacy on issues of concern related to Iran, but these groups have not come together to discuss how to engage Iran. At the same time, many people at the grassroots level are not yet informed about what is happening in Iran, its human rights abuses towards its own people, and its growing nuclear threat.

Engaging Iran: A Conference on Human Rights & Nuclear Proliferation is intended to educate the public and develop a plan of action in New Jersey by bringing together human rights activists, women rights advocates, religious freedom proponents, academics, labor unions, government experts, nuclear proliferation experts, policy makers, and other high-level experts on Iran. As diverse organizations and constituencies educate each other about their own priorities, the sponsors hope the conference will give rise to a coalition working to focus public attention on Iran, develop strategies for decisive action, and press our elected officials to act.

The format of the day will begin with a panel composed of scholars and resource people from different organizations who will speak about what is happening now within Iran. Opening panelists include:

• Hadi Ghaemi, International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran
• Elise Auerbach, Amnesty International
• Ambassador Mark Wallace, United Against Nuclear Iran
• Patrick Clawson, The Washington Institute for Near East policy
• Moderated by Barbara Slavin, The Washington Times, Assistant Managing Editor for World and National Security and author of Bitter Friends, Bosom Enemies: Iran, the U.S. and the Twisted Path to Confrontation

A book signing by Barbara Slavin will be held after the opening session.

The third part of the conference will be devoted to break-out groups on different areas of concern that will recommend strategies for engagement. The day will conclude with a closing plenary focusing on policy strategy and action steps.

This initiative was the brainchild of the CRC Iran Task Force, which has been organizing programs designed to raise awareness and promote civic action concerning the threat of Iran’s nuclear arms. The threat of a nuclearized Iran is a real one. Israel has been fighting a proxy war with Iran in Gaza, and the U.S. has been fighting one in Iraq. Iran has increased the number of operating centrifuges at its uranium enrichment plant to 4,000 and has publicly refused to halt its nuclear proliferation, defying the international community. The reality in Iran provides us with a call to action regarding what we going to do to STOP IRAN before it is too late.

The program is free and open to the public. Everyone planning to attend is requested to RSVP to: http://depts.drew.edu/crcc/registration_open.html. For more information, contact (973) 929-3064.

This program is a joint initiative of the Drew University Center on Religion, Culture & Conflict, United Jewish Communities of MetroWest NJ, Human Rights Institute at Kean University, and American Jewish Committee of New Jersey (list still in formation). >>BACK TO TOP>>