Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Dubai and An Election Rally


The Summit in Dubai was an excellent opportunity to meet with successful and influential women from different backgrounds. The Conference and the Middle East Excellence Award Ceremony were both well covered by Arab media and satellite TV. Many of them interviewed me after my speech. During my speech I had mentioned the need for inclusion of a feminine perspective in global decision-making processes. War, I argued was the consequence of the suppression of feminine archetypes and decisions driven by power and lust. My speech was preceded by an address by Mary Robinson the former President of Ireland who described her experiences in dealing with some of the issues in Africa and other developing countries. Some friends in Iran contacted me with SMS to tell us that they had seen me in Alan Satellite Channel. Dubai TV, Al Agharia, City 7 and some regional newspapers including Khaleej Times had also made interviews. Some people enjoy the publicity but I take it as an opportunity to speak the unspoken. We came back on Sunday late at night.
Last night we attended a large election rally for the Reformist Coalition. The 30 coalition candidates had attended and and hundereds of people had come to listen to their views and programs. When I arrived the anchor woman announced my name and everyone applauded . While I was there dozens of people came forward to speak and discuss their problems. I enjoyed talking to them although it was a demanding job after a long workday.
I still think the elections are not lively yet. The reformists feel they have recieved unfair treatment in every aspect. After the initial disqualifications, the campaign process has begun under very strict regulations. The law does not allow for candidate posters or pictures to be attached. I hope double standards do not rule here.Both refomists and principalists should be treated equally before the law. After all as religious politicians we should take ethics more seriously. What do you think?

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