What Do Jimmy Carter, Kofi Annan And Desmond Tutu Have In Common?

(US News)  By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

Check out this Web site by a group of international leaders calling themselves, The Elders.

OK, I get it. Even if the group includes former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu, it's still a cocky name. But, there's some really interesting material on this site. And these people an incredibly gifted and credentialed group.

I'm especially pleased by their page on civil rights for women and girls worldwide. It reads in part:

Religion and tradition are a great force for peace and progress around the world. However, as Elders, we believe that the justification of discrimination against women and girls on grounds of religion or tradition, as if it were prescribed by a higher authority, is unacceptable. We believe that women and girls share equal rights with men and boys in all aspects of life.

This approach is spot on and in a very reasonable way it points the finger of blame at theocracy which abuses its power to violate the human rights of its women and girls.

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By Bonnie Erbe