Our society is composed of people from various ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds. This diversity is a potential that it takes active participation and integration of all its members to develop into a peaceful communal life. Every day, people all over the world build bridges to allow their fellow-beings to gather, meeting the great challenges of integration. We are called on to be more than onlookers in this process, we are bent on contributing what we can give.

The Forum for Tolerance and Human Rights is an association of people who do what they realize to be necessary. We are responsible people who stand up

• against human rights violations and terror in the name of religion;
• against all forms of racism;
• for an open-minded, cooperative dialogue;
• for the observance and protection of human rights,
• for fighting fundamentalism and
• for a peaceful communal life in Germany and Europe.

All these things can be achieved if we simply respect people’s natural rights und communicate in a considerate way.

We have founded this association to stand up and show that we can attain these goals if we stand together. Therefore we call on all our fellow-beings to participate and help us. Join forces with us, enter our association!

Many years ago, the Persian poet Mossadegh wrote the follwowing lines:

If I stayed put
If you stayed put
Who would get up
Who would fight the enemy of freedom
If I stand up
If you stand up
Everyone will stand up
If you remained seated
If I remained seated
Everyone would remain seated.

YES.

I am fully convinced of the truth of these statements, being a victim of Iranian fundamentalism and having lived the life of an artist and human-rights activist ever since, which has taught me to feel these truths deeply. We need you to hold up the flame of freedom and human rights in a dark age to give people courage.

We shall prevail! Be confident! Mankind is able to achieve this!

Mohammad Moshiri
Chairman
poet, writer, journalist and human-rights activist