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Philosopher George Santayana famously said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Millions of lives have been lost in genocides throughout our world.  The Holocaust stands out as the most haunting example of human evil. Yet despite the lessons and warning genocides hold for humanity, denial of history can be rampant. Such resistance to the truth and memory is dangerous. Today in the Middle East, women and minorities face widespread, targeted violence that is ideologically driven. Here you will find fact sheets and answers to frequently asked questions about genocide, the contemporary situation of minorities in the Middle East, and the meaning(s) of tolerance. The materials presented here range from histories of the Holocaust and contemporary anti-Semitism to a theoretical timeline of the concept of toleration to the contemporary persecution of the Baha’is in Iran and Coptic Christians in Egypt.

Genocide

Common Questions About the Holocaust

Hitler did not make the Holocaust happen by himself. Many Germans and non-Germans contributed to/or benefited from the so-called “Final Solution” (the term used by the Nazis for their plan to...

Holocaust Denial and Distortion

The Ten Stages of Genocide

Genocide is a process that develops in ten stages that are predictable but not inexorable. At each stage, preventive measures can stop it. The process is not linear. Stages may occur simultaneously....

Armenia

Bosnia

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Minority Rights

Afghanistan

Religious freedom conditions continue to be exceedingly poor for Sunni Muslims who dissent from governmental and social orthodoxies, Shi’a Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs, as well as the tiny Christian...

Bahrain

USCIRF has concluded that the Bahraini government has made demonstrable progress in rebuilding mosques and religious structures it destroyed during unrest in the spring of 2011. Nevertheless, more...

Egypt

Since he assumed office in June 2014, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has made several important public statements and gestures encouraging religious tolerance and has urged changes to religious...

Iran

Poor religious freedom conditions continued to deteriorate in 2014, particularly for religious minorities, especially Baha’is, Christian converts, and Sunni Muslims. Sufi Muslims and dissenting Shi’a...

Iraq

Iraq’s overall human rights landscape, including for religious freedom, deteriorated significantly in 2014, especially in areas controlled by the U.S.-designated terrorist group the Islamic State of...
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Tolerance

Toleration

The heart of tolerance is self-control. When we tolerate an activity, we resist our urge to forcefully prohibit the expression of activities that we find unpleasant. More abstractly, toleration can...

International Human Rights Standards

Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in...

Promoting Tolerance

The Declaration qualifies tolerance not only as a moral duty, but also as a political and legal requirement for individuals, groups and States. It situates tolerance in relation to the international...

Declaration of Principles on Tolerance

Bearing in mind that the United Nations Charter states: 'We, the peoples of the United Nations determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, ... to reaffirm faith in...

What Is Religious Freedom?

"Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion. This right shall include freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice, and freedom, either...
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About Tavaana

Tavaana: E-Learning Institute for Iranian Civil Society is Iran’s pioneer e-learning institute. Tavaana – meaning ‘empowered’ and ‘capable’ in Persian – was launched on May 17, 2010 with a mission to support active citizenship and civic leadership in Iran through a multi-platform civic education and civil society capacity building program. Tavaana holds a vision for a free and open Iranian society, one in which each and every Iranian enjoys equality, justice and the full spectrum of civil and political liberties.

About The Tolerance Project

The Tolerance Project aims to inspire conscience, pluralism, religious freedom, and celebration of difference. Using an array of educational materials in Arabic, Persian, and English, The Tolerance Project emphasizes the capacity of each and every individual to counter hate, and imparts the benefits of living in tolerant, open societies. The Tolerance Project educates to prevent persecution and genocide, cultivating the basis for vibrant and stable societies in the broader Middle East.

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