ADL's Task Force on Middle East Minorities

The mission of ADL’s Task Force on Middle East Minorities is to bring international attention to the human rights offenses committed against minority communities in the Middle East. The Task Force consists of regional and topical experts who serve as an advisory body to augment ADL’s work in protecting vulnerable minorities by identifying, elevating, and educating on emerging human rights issues in the Middle East.

The task force is comprised of leading scholars, experts, and activists:

George Selim, Co-chair, ADL Senior Vice President for National Affairs

Dr. Aykan Erdemir, ADL Director of Global Research and Diplomatic Affairs; former member of the Turkish Parliament | Religious Freedom and Minority Rights Scholar & Advocate

Susan Heller Pinto, ADL Vice President of International Policy

Farahnaz Ispahani, Senior Fellow, Religious Freedom Institute & Global Fellow, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars; former member of the Pakistani Parliament | Religious Freedom & Human Rights Advocate

Marjan Keypour, Founding Director, Alliance for Rights of All Minorities and StopFemicideIran | Human Rights Activist

Nadine Maenza, President, International Religious Freedom Secretariat; former Chair, United States Commission on International Religious Freedom | Religious Freedom Advocate

Shadi Martini, Executive Director, Multifaith Alliance | Human Rights Advocate

Dr. Johnnie Moore, President, Congress of Christian Leaders; former Commissioner, United States Commission on International Religious Freedom | Evangelical Leader & Religious Minorities Activist

Carole Nuriel, ADL Senior Regional Director for Israel and MENA

Samuel Tadros, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom | Scholar, Researcher & Activist

Behnam Ben Taleblu, Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies | Researcher and Analyst

Dr. Tugba Tanyeri Erdemir, Coordinator, ADL’s Task Force on Middle East Minorities | Religious Minorities & Religious Heritage Expert

Blogs from the Task Force are available on Medium

Task Force News: 

• ADL's Task Force on Middle East Minorities Expresses Grave Concern on Escalation of Violence Targeting Syrian Refugees in Türkiye, July 11, 2024
• ADL's Task Force on Middle East Minorities Urges the European Union to Designate the IRGC as a Terrorist Organization, November 16, 2023
• Statement by the Anti-Defamation League’s Task Force on Middle East Minorities Regarding Earthquake Victims in Turkey & Syria, May 17, 2023
• ADL’s Task Force on Middle East Minorities Highlights Five Critical Points to Ensure the Security and Safety of Minorities in the Middle East, January 5, 2023
• ADL Task Force on Middle East Minorities: Protests Across Iran Show Urgency of Addressing Regime's Human Rights Abuses, September 30, 2022
• ADL Task Force on Middle East Minorities Condemns Raids in Iran Targeting Baha’i Community, August 5, 2022
• ADL Task Force on Middle East Minorities Calls for U.S. to Keep IRGC on Foreign Terrorist Organization List, April 20, 2022
• Members of ADL Task Force Call on Secretary Blinken to Broaden Priority-2 Refugee Admissions Status to Afghan Minority Groups, November 29, 2021
• ADL’s Task Force on Middle East Minorities Expresses Grave Concern About Taliban Takeover of Afghanistan, August 18, 2021
• ADL's Task Force on Middle Eastern Minorities Condemns the Raids in Iran Targeting Baha’i Community, November 24, 2020
• ADL’s Task Force on Middle East Minorities Endorses Congressional Legislation in Support of Baha’is of Iran, March 12, 2020
• ADL's Task Force on Middle East Minorities Issues Statement Regarding Death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, October 28, 2019
• ADL’s Task Force on Middle East Minorities Welcomes House’s Passage of Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, January 24, 2019
• Task Force on Middle Eastern Minorities Condemns the Arrest of Over 100 Christians in Iran, December 14, 2018
• ADL’s Task Force on Middle East Minorities Welcomes Passage of Iraq and Syria Genocide Relief and Accountability Act, December 14, 2018
• ADL Launches Task Force to Protect Minority Communities of Middle East, November 8, 2018

Task Force Webinars:

• Understanding Hezbollah: Tactics of Repression and Violence, Threats to Israel and Beyond, November 1, 2024
• Tehran’s Accomplices: Islamic Republic’s Proxies Targeting Mideast Minorities, July 10, 2024
• Past and Future of Christianity in the Middle East, May 31, 2024
• Commemorating the Day to Mark the Departure and Expulsion of Jews from Arab Lands and Iran, November 30, 2023
• Politics of Hate: Religious Majoritarianism in South Asia and the Middle East, June 27, 2023
• Resisting Repression and Driving Change in the Middle East: How Women Can Lead Social Transformation, May 10, 2023
• Inciting and Enabling the Mob: Social Media’s Role in Attacks on Minorities in the Middle East, January 11, 2022
• Narratives of Hate: State Media and the Persecution of Minorities in the Middle East, October 19, 2021
• From Pastor Andrew Brunson to Osman Kavala: Rethinking Prisoners of Conscience in Turkey and Beyond, November 19, 2020
• A Spark of Hope or Escalating Extremism: The Middle East and the Plight of Vulnerable Minorities, September 16, 2020
• Persecution During COVID-19: Iran, Minorities, Conspiracy Theories, and Its Wider Impact, July 12, 2020
• ADL’s Task Force on Middle East Minorities: Introduction and Keynotes During the Inaugural Event, April 30, 2019