Call to reduce communication gap between Pakistan, Iran
By: Asma Ghani
ISLAMABAD — There should be close cooperation between Pakistan and Iran to bridge up the communication gaps and there is a need to end reliance on foreign media and have direct communication with each other to counter the fabricated stories about both the countries spread by the western media.
Adviser to Iran’s President on Women and Family Affairs Dr Masooma Mohammadi on Saturday stated this while addressing the women journalists at National Press Club (NPC).
She was of the view that there was so much negative propaganda against the Muslim countries in western media, which needs to be tackled through close collaboration and interaction. The western media accuse Iran as a terrorist country and also that the Iranian women are oppressed which is not true at all, she said.
She said that the people of Iran were standing with the people of Pakistan during these hard times. “US has been threatening Iran of war but we do what we think is better for our country and nation. Iran does not want to be affiliated with any super power especially USA that was why they want to impose war on us,” she said.
She said Pak-Iran cooperation on all levels is a pre-requisite especially in education sector and Iran will invite the delegations to visit Iran and observe its social structure. She informed about a women news agency in Iran, which is specifically focusing on women issues in the region.
She suggested that there should be such a women news agency in the region as well so that they can get authentic information about each other instead of relying on western media’s propaganda.
While answering to a question, she said that Iran was not a signatory of Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) as they believe that it was not according to Islamic beliefs. “It has been observed that those countries that are signatory of CEDAW have not been able to tackle the women issues effectively. Every nation has its own culture and beliefs and we think that there are certain clauses in CEDAW that are not according to our religion,” she opined.
Replying to a question, she said Iranian women are professors, teachers and serving in public sector as well and women literacy rate in Iran is the highest rate that about 80 per cent. As many as 7 members of the parliament are women besides that there is a considerable number of women in the media.
“There is no quota for the women representation in parliament. Whosoever is on merit could be a member of parliament irrespective of gender as women do not have reserve seats in parliament and they have to contest elections on general seats,” she said.
She said that women in Iran were working in almost every field of life including politics as the government has given many incentives to workingwomen so that they could contribute in the progress of country without ignoring their family. “Women can avail six months maternity leave and there is a day care centre in every organisation and women could feed their children anytime during working hours,” she said.
However, she believed that “the main role of women in Islam is to maintain her family but she was not barred from contributing in the progress of country. We have witnessed that in the west, family system has been collapsed as the women were not performing their duties to maintain her family system.” Meanwhile, she also visited Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) and met with the women working at the university.
Speaking on the event she said in Iranian universities 60 per cent females and 40 per cent male students are getting higher education.
She said very soon national universities of Iran including Pyam-e-Noor Distance Learning University in Tehran, Tehran University and Industrial University would sign MoUs with Pakistani universities particularly with AIOU for collaboration in different fields.
Dr Masooma Mohammadi said that “Shuhada Foundation has been set up for rehabilitation of the widows and orphans effected during ten years war of Iran that plays an important role for welfare of widows and orphans and on the recommendation of this foundation, 50 per cent admissions are granted to the children of martyrs in all best educational institutions across Iran.”
Source: The Nation
Date:5/29/2011
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