Joumana Haddad launches Freedom Center

BEIRUT: Author, journalist and political activist Joumana Haddad announced today the founding of the Joumana Haddad Freedoms Center (JHFC); which is a youth-focused, secular and independent platform looking to inform and mobilize youth in Lebanon for the purpose of the advancement of the enlightened values of secularism, citizenship, equity, inclusion and individual liberties.

According to Haddad, “JHFC will operate as a national, societal, intellectual and creative laboratory intended to support and preserve different forms of freedoms, as well as to strengthen their ethics, uphold their standards, elaborate their functions, and expand their spaces in the Lebanese public and private life, for the promotion of democracy, social justice and human rights."

The Center will serve as the executive branch of Haddad's NGO Freedoms Monitor (permit number 1700 - Ministry of Interior and Municipalities).

Haddad argued that Lebanon is a parliamentary democratic republic and a founding member of the United Nations, with the principles of democracy and human rights enshrined in its constitution.

It is also a signatory to a large number of treaties and conventions, notably the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, she said.

Despite these strides towards freedoms, the Lebanese authorities exercise and/or overlook different forms of discrimination, inequality, repression and human rights abuses, whether in law or in practice, especially against women and vulnerable groups such as the LGBTQ community, Haddad argued.

"Freedom of expression is at its worst, and religious and partisan interests override civil and public interests. Most importantly, high levels of sectarianism and corruption (the two mutually reinforcing) infect the Lebanese system, and the established political parties are exploiting these toxic tools to perpetuate their power," she told Annahar. 

"The confession-based power distribution in Lebanon has led to a fragmented individual and communal identity In order to move forward," Haddad maintained, adding that Lebanon needs a unifying drive towards secular citizenship and unabridged freedoms.

"Youth are a powerful force that can steer any society towards transformation. However, our youth are living in a system that lacks the right consideration and productive actions required to advance us towards freedom and secularism. Awareness and education are key to ignite a grassroots movement towards progress and change and as such, we strongly believe that initiatives such as ours are vital for the gradual formation of a viable, humane, liberal, and a democratic and transparent state."

In her view, one of the main reasons why Lebanon is stuck in this vicious cycle is the complete detachment of a big part of the youth (who constitute a large demographic in Lebanon) from the country’s main issues.

"This detachment is the result of desperateness, indifference, and/or anger," she said.

"Not to mention the young brains and talents we are losing every year because of the lack of opportunities and the gloomy political climate. Doing what is needed to provoke, encourage, inspire, and involve a good number of those in our causes is the only way to move the Lebanese state and society in the right direction."

"We want Lebanon to be a secular, lawful, just, and democratic state. That is our vision. In order to accomplish that vision, the Center will strive to achieve four main goals," she told Annahar.

- Freedom from Sectarianism towards Secular Citizenship

- Freedom from Sexism towards Equity

- Freedom from Discrimination and Homophobia towards Inclusion

- Freedom from Repression towards Individual Liberties

The Center will be directed by Haddad who has been vocal and active, for more than twenty years now, in causes and issues affecting Lebanon’s human rights and democracy climate, and youth concerns. Haddad is surrounded and supported in these endeavors by a number of experts who share the same beliefs and principles. There is already a large number of volunteers in JHFC who are involved in different areas of the process. The Center also has its own think tank, to keep an eye on the big picture and ensure that the different agendas are moving in the right direction.

The Center’s logo is the fruit of a beautiful collaboration between Lebanese graphic designer George Deeb and Russian graphic designer Evgeniy Goliaka.

Those interested in becoming members of JHFC need to fill out this simple form: https://forms.gle/uhwwZxjH7b1ADSfQ8

For inquiries: [email protected]