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The status of human rights in the Arab world in 2000
This report is the result of a collective effort that numerous members of the organization and associated organizations have helped to document, and was enriched by the discussions held by the Board of Trustees.The modern concepts of "human rights" and "civil liberties" are of Western origin, not native to the Middle East. Their introduction into the Arab world has been patchy at best, as local traditions of governance saw themselves threatened by such foreign imports. Absolutism was not easily overthrown in the West itself, as the history of Europe can attest. Nonetheless, as the record will show, the Arab states have a long way to go to catch up with the modern world in this respect. Arab regimes share one main aim - is to survive. What happens to the rights of the individual under such regimes is of little importance, and if the individual belongs to a minority group or religion, too bad for him or her. Arab and Muslim states can be broadly grouped under three categories, according to their degree of democratization and respect for human rights:
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