- Religion is not a reason for suppression.
According to peace prize winner Shirin Ebadi, female suppression is like a cultural disease that passes on from generation to generation.
Storsalen received Ebadi with a standing ovation last night. The Iranian lawyer and human rights activist was not that much taller than the ISFiT rostrum, but still filled the room with an encouraging speech. Ebadi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003, emphasized the universal human worth and women’s responsibility in their own situation.
– Religion is not the reason that women are discriminated against in the Middle East. Many believe that it is Sharia law in Islam that causes it, but it is really about a patriarchal culture. And you do not find that just in Muslim societies, but also in Christian, Hindu and Jewish countries, said Ebadi.
She referred to that female circumcision rituals are performed by both Christians and Muslims, for instance in Somalia.
– It shows that it is a practice bound in culture, not religion. The solution is to separate state and religion, so that the state cannot hide behind religion to discriminate against women, said Ebadi.
She pointed out that women have an independent responsibility to end the patriarchal culture; a culture that according to her does not acknowledge human worth.
– One can compare it with haemophilia, where the mothers are the carriers. They pass on the “sickness”, they socialize their children with a patriarchal culture, and thus pass on the suppression. Every man has once been raised by a woman, she added.
– In Iran, 65 percent of university students are women and we have had suffrage for more than 60 years, and we have women in the parliament. In spite of this, laws that discriminate against women are passed all the time.
Ebadi exemplified the paradox with the female vice president that had to ask her husband for permission to participate in UN meetings. She also pointed out that it can be misleading to use affirmative action in leading positions to gain gender equality.
– What does it help that women are sitting members of parliament, when women generally are discriminated against? Saudi Arabia’s new minister of education is female. Does that really count for anything when she is not even allowed to drive a car?
Further Ebadi talked more of the topic democracy. She thinks that feminists are the advocates of democracy.
– Instead of dropping democracy as cluster bombs across countries, one can help women with the democracy process. Women’s role cannot be overrated here, she said.
After her speech, the audience was allowed to ask questions, and on a question of the connection between luck and rights, the peace prize winner said:
– It is not for certain that one obtains happiness by having rights, but it is for certain that one will become unhappy without them. Especially if one knows what one is missing. Therefore it might be that my grandmother was happier than I am, even though she had fewer rights.
Shirin Ebadi ended the night with thanks to the ISFiT organizers and with a recommendation to appreciate the days the student festival lasts.
– Take care of the friendships that are made and good luck with fighting for women’s rights. I wish you well in the future.
