NGOs will file submissions to the European Commission to counter
discrimination and human rights violations at Brussels European Human
Rights Conference

Over 30 different religious, civil and political organizations
attended a working conference on "The Challenge of Human Rights in an
Age of Terrorism, Religious and Ethnic Discrimination" at the Church
of Scientology International’s European Office for Public Affairs &
Human Rights.

(PRWEB) September 4, 2004 -- Over 30 different religious, civil and
political organizations attended a working conference on "The
Challenge of Human Rights in an Age of Terrorism, Religious and Ethnic
Discrimination" at the Church of Scientology International’s European
Office for Public Affairs & Human Rights. At the end of the conference
sessions, NGOs determined to file submissions to the European
Commission of issues of discrimination and human rights - according to
recent requests by the EU Commission - to correct these.

Another conclusion of the conference was that there is a pressing need
for the media to report far more accurately on the subject of
terrorism and refrain from depicting Islam as the cause of terrorism
either by innuendo and implication or even more directly.

The conference was co-sponsored by the Spanish League for Human
Rights, the Association of British Muslims, Media Watch, Church of
Scientology International and Council for Human Rights & Religious
Freedom.

Terrorism vs. Anti-terrorism

Conference speakers expressed concern where anti-terrorist legislation
had stepped over the boundaries of what is acceptable. The Spanish
League for Human Rights highlighted the detention of a dozen people
who are currently indefinitely detained without trial in maximum
security facilities under the Anti-Terrorism Crime and Security Act in
the UK where they have no expectation of release.

Bashy Quraishy, President of Media Watch, presented a selection of
media examples from the European press showing the biased reporting
which quite wrongly portrays Islam as the cause of terrorism. As a
participant to the conference strongly pointed out, "blaming Islam for
terrorism makes as much sense as blaming Catholicism for IRA
offences".

Announcing that a research project was close to completion and would
be released in the near future, Martin Weightman said, "Our research
has found that there are a number of psychiatrists who have played
major roles in generating terrorism. Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama Bin
Laden's chief adviser and personal doctor is a former psychiatrist
convicted of terrorism in Egypt and sentenced to death in absentia.
Al-Zawahiri studied behaviour, psychology and pharmacology in
obtaining his medical degree at Cairo University. He remains the
second most wanted man in the world. Another example is Adel Sadeq,
Chairman of the Arab Psychiatric Association and head of the
Department of Psychiatry at Cairo's Ein Shams University. He goaded
viewers to become suicide bombers in an April 2002 interview broadcast
on the Arab Radio and Television Network, stating, ‘As a professional
psychiatrist, I say that the height of bliss comes with the end of the
countdown: ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
And then, you press the button to blow yourself up.... It is a
transition to another, more beautiful world.'" Mr. Weightman further
stated that "I do not see the words of Islam stirring up the terrorist
issue here, but the words of psychiatry. There are hidden causes to
the Islamic/Jewish conflict which require a much greater examination
and we shall be releasing more detailed research on this soon."

More information can be obtained from the following websites:
http://www.scientology.org/humanrights
http://www.youthforhumanights.org
http://www.humanrightsandtolerance.org
http://www.scientology-europe.org
http://www.humanrightsareality.org/
or contact Mr. Martin Weightman at
humanrightsdir@scientology-europe.org
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 — http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/9/prweb154950.htm