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New IRLA Middle East Partnership

On February 10, Dr. John Graz, Secretary General of the IRLA, announced a new partnership between the IRLA and the Arab Bridge Center for Human Rights & Development in Amman Jordon. The partnership will include jointly organizing the 12th IRLA Meeting of Experts, which will take place in Jordon. The organizations will jointly sponsor a symposium, followed by an international religious freedom congress in 2011.

The agreement came as the culmination of a week-long trip to Jordan ending February 5, during which Dr. Graz met government officials and human rights leaders, including Princess Basma. Dr. Graz also met the Jordanian Minister of Information and Communication, the director of the Institute for Interfaith Relations and Judge Amjad Shamout, the head of the Arab Bridge Center for Human Rights & Development.

“I was impressed by the warm welcome we received in Jordon,” said Graz. “It has been our ambition to foster cooperation between scholars and experts of Middle East and the IRLA, and this is a major step towards achieving that dream.”

Graz was part of a delegation led by Dr William Johnsson and IRLA representatives in Middle East Kjell Aune and Levon Maksoudian. Reverend Abed Dowals organized the meetings.