US embassy cable - 05BANGKOK2601

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BANGKOK 002601 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/BCLTV, NEA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, SOCI, IR, TH, Southern Thailand, IRAQ 
SUBJECT: THAILAND: NOBEL LAUREATE SHIRIN EBADI DISCUSSES 
HER VIEWS ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN IN IRAN, SHARES OPINIONS 
ON THE THAI SOUTH AND IRAQ 
 
1. (U) SUMMARY. On April 10, Iranian Nobel Peace Laureate 
(2003) Shirin Ebadi spoke in Bangkok.  She focused a 
discussion attended by poloff on her experiences as a judge, 
lawyer and advocate for women,s rights in Iran, before and 
after the Islamic Revolution. She argued that many of the 
laws that stand in the way of women,s equality in Iran are 
in place due to "the wrong interpretation of Islam," and that 
these laws are opposed by a "very strong" women,s movement. 
Ms. Ebadi also criticized the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and 
stated that the U.S. reason for going to war was a desire for 
Iraqi oil.  At a dinner reception that night, Ms. Ebadi 
called for a withdrawal of Thai troops from the South as a 
means of beginning peaceful negotiations with "the rebels." 
END SUMMARY 
 
"THE RIGHTS OF HUMAN BEINGS ARE THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN" 
 
2. (U) On April 10, Iranian Nobel Peace Laureate (2003) 
Shirin Ebadi -- who has just been named one of Time 
Magazine,s 100 Most Influential People -- spoke about 
"Defending the Rights of Women and Children" to a small 
audience composed primarily of representatives of the NGO 
community and several members of the Thai Human Rights 
Commission (HRC).  Poloff observed several Muslim attendees 
in the audience. 
 
3. (U) Ms. Ebadi contrasted different ways women suffer 
inequality in the West and in the Islamic World.  In the 
West, she said, women,s rights are legally protected, but 
not always recognized by society. In the Islamic world, women 
suffer "legal and institutionalized" discrimination, 
including polygamy and unequal treatment under the law.  She 
concluded that these two halves form "an entire world where 
women are second-class citizens" stemming principally from a 
universal "patriarchal culture."  Ms. Ebadi argued that the 
key to a peaceful society is a combination of "real" 
democracy and human rights. She repeatedly emphasized that a 
democracy elected by the majority, but which does not respect 
the rights of its women and minorities is not a "real" 
democracy. 
 
4. (U) When asked why so many educated women in Iran 
supported ("voted") for the Revolution in 1979, Ebadi 
responded that the key ideals behind the 1979 Revolution were 
"independence and freedom," which she supported to this day. 
She expressed her hope that someday there would be "real" 
democracy and freedom in Iran. 
 
5. (U) Ms. Ebadi was asked what women,s groups in Iran have 
been able to accomplish under Islamic shariyah law.  She 
noted that 63% of Iranian university students are now women 
and that Iranian women are becoming more educated than men. 
The feminist movement in Iran has been "gaining ground 
strongly" and there is support from all classes of society. 
Still, she said, the Iranian legal system continues to deny 
women their rights as equal citizens. She pointed out that 
many of the current laws derived from "the wrong 
interpretation" of Islam and that these laws were "not 
compatible with Iranian culture." 
 
6. (U) She proudly stated that pressure from women,s groups 
had been instrumental in changing many laws, including the 
reversal of a 1979 ruling that women could no longer serve as 
judges. In 1979, female judges (including Ms. Ebadi herself) 
were demoted to clerks in their own courts. Thanks to women 
"fighting the system" she said, the government ruled in 1992 
that the previous interpretation of Islam had been incorrect. 
Although the women,s movement still had a long way to go, 
she expressed optimism that women would one day win equal 
rights in Iran 
 
IRAQ 
 
7. (U) When asked about Iraq, Ms. Ebadi stated that she had 
denounced the U.S.-led military attack on Iraq on many 
occasions.  She added that although Saddam Hussein had been a 
terrible dictator who "should have been eliminated," she 
"wished" that he had been overthrown by Iraqis and not by 
U.S. military force.  She said that recent elections were "a 
step in the right direction," but was adamant that the price 
of the war had been "outrageously high," resulting in 100,000 
Iraqi deaths, the looting of national museums and the 
destruction of homes.  She argued that the human cost could 
have been lessened greatly if the international community had 
helped Iraqis to do the job themselves. 
 
8. (U) She stated matter-of-factly that "oil was the deciding 
factor for going to war." When asked if she believed the war 
was fought for the benefit of Israel, she considered the 
question a moment before responding that while "it goes 
without saying" that the foremost U.S. objective in the 
Middle East is Israeli security, Iraq had not posed a serious 
threat to Israel since the first Gulf War.  In her opinion, 
it was clearly oil that interested the U.S. 
 
THE THAI SOUTH 
 
9. (U) At a dinner hosted by the Thai Senate Foreign 
Relations Committee the evening of April 10, press reports 
indicate Ms. Ebadi urged a full pullout of Thai troops from 
the South as a means of entering into peaceful talks with the 
"rebels."  "In my opinion, soldiers must be returned to their 
barrack.  Through (dialogue) everything must be solved," she 
is quoted as saying.  As part of Ms. Ebadi's message of the 
importance of "real democracy," she also commented that 
"majority-Islam nations must observe the rights of minorities 
such as Christians, while majority-Buddhist nations must 
observe the rights of minority Muslims." 
BOYCE