Dieser von der Gesellschaft für Arabisches und Islamisches Recht (GAIR) veröffentlichte und von Hatem Elliesie herausgegebene dreisprachige Band basiert auf einer in Kooperation mit dem Deutschen Institut für Menschenrechte 2007 in Berlin veranstalteten Tagung anlässlich des 10-jährigen Jubiläums der GAIR. Thematisch widmet sich der Band dem Thema «Islam und Menschenrechte», wozu Wissenschaftler und Praktiker aus den unterschiedlichsten Fachgebieten und Ländern beigetragen haben. This trilingual volume, published by the Gesellschaft für Arabisches und Islamisches Recht (GAIR), and edited by Hatem Elliesie, is based on a conference, on the occasion of its 10th Annual Anniversary 2007 in Berlin, carried out in cooperation with the German Institute for Human Rights. The publication addresses the issue of «Islam and Human Rights», to which academics and practioners of various areas of expertise and countries have contributed.

Countries at the Crossroads: An Analysis of Democratic Governance evaluates government performance in seventy strategically important countries from across the globe, including emerging market countries and at-risk states. The in-depth comparative analyses and quantitative ratings_examining Accountability and Public Voice, Civil Liberties, Rule of Law, and Anticorruption and Transparency_serve as a valuable tool for public analysts, educators and students, government officials, and the business community.

This report states that local representatives of the Interior Ministry often refuse to accept registration papers when a group's objectives or membership displeases the authorities. Moroccan law permits new associations to come into being simply by registering with local authorities, rather than by requiring prior authorization. The law obliges officials to accept the registration papers.

In the wake of September 11 through the U.S. invasion of Iraq, a key tenet of U.S. foreign policy has been that promoting democracy in the Arab world is an important strategy in reducing terrorism; at the same time, some policymakers and analysts have held that democracy has nothing to do with terrorism -- or even that the growth of democracy in the Middle East may exacerbate political violence. However, scant empirical evidence links democracy to terrorism, positively or negatively. This study examines whether such links exist by exploring the effects of liberalization processes on political violence in Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, and Morocco from 1991 to 2006. Drawing on data on the incidence of terrorist violence, extensive fieldwork and interviews in each of the six countries, and primary and secondary literature from and about each country, Kaye et al. find that political reforms have, in some instances, helped to marginalize and undercut extremist actors, but that these effects tend to be short-lived if reforms fail to produce tangible results. Moreover, when regimes backtrack on even limited openings, the risks of instability and violence increase.

Human Rights Watch is increasingly recognized as the world’s leader in building a stronger awareness for human rights. Their annual World Report is the most probing review of human rights developments available anywhere. Written in straightforward, non-technical language, Human Rights Watch World Report prioritizes events in the most affected countries during the previous year. The backbone of the report consists of a series of concise overviews of the most pressing human rights issues in countries from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, with particular focus on the role—positive or negative—played in each country by key domestic and international figures. Highly anticipated and widely publicized by the U.S. and international press every year, the World Report is an invaluable resource for journalists, diplomats, and all citizens of the world.