THE EVENT was the tenth WOIBEX — Global Businesswomen and Leaders Summit. Held on March 8 and 9 to coincide with the International Women’s Day, it brought under the ornate roof of Burj Al Arab, outstanding women from different walks of life. The common denominator was their commitment to the cause of women. And one woman who has led by example is Dr Massoumeh Ebtekar. She found time to talk about concerns close to her heart, on the sidelines of the Summit, where Khaleej Times was one of the sponsors.

What according to you is the role of a woman in this region?

In this region, the role of a woman is an emerging one. We have a long and difficult history in terms of the opportunities given to women and in terms of the way Islam was interpreted for women. But the horizon in front of us has a lot of hope in it.

Now there are more opportunities and more room for women to come into the social, political and economic spheres of life and to play a more determining role and bringing about change and playing a more visible role in their society.

Yes, there are still groups which believe that the role of the woman should be confined to the home. But this group is becoming more and more a minority.

Women are advancing, particularly in areas like education. Education is one of the areas where women in Iran have been very successful and have improved their status.

In political and other levels of decision-making, women are not visible enough yet. That is an area where much more has to be done.

Do you think women make natural leaders?

I think they do because women have qualities which they exhibit when dealing with their children. They are educators and mentors. It is a God-given trait.

It is up to them how they manage this potential. If they gain the necessary education, training and experience and put it all together with their own intrinsic traits as women and mothers, and supplement it with a sense of self-confidence, and understand how important identity is, they will be able to go far.

Being women gives them a certain vision that is different from masculine type of leadership. The feminine model of leadership is very important because in today’s world we talk of inspirational leadership for organisational management. Here the EQ (Emotional Quotient) is more important than the IQ. And EQ is something women naturally have.

What do women bring to positions of leadership that men do not or cannot bring?

The inspirational leadership, as I mentioned is what they bring. Also, women can mobilise societies, especially young people by touching on their affections — something deep within them. Women have the ability to profoundly create change and transformation in mentality and attitudes.

The ethical approach that women have is also very, very different. Women have a very strong sense of ethics and commitment.

Women encounter a lot of challenges to reach to the level of public office, so their commitment is that much more strong. So they realise the value of integrity. That is why they know the importance of working within that ethical framework.

Educated women have learnt to come to the forefront and they have begun to matter. But how do we empower underprivileged women?

Women, above all, need to believe in their “self”. We need to help them do that because they sometimes get caught in the quagmire of despair and hopelessness. And they have a right to because they have many, many reasons in today’s world for despair and hopelessness.

Above all, we have to help them realise that there is a lot of hope despite all this — that hope is vested in their inner capabilities. They have to learn that they have the potential. But it has to be tapped. I would like women to be aware of their inner strength.

What is one thing that you would change in the world for women if given a chance?

Apart from changing the general perspective, it is the issue of poverty. I would like women to have the basic livelihood — the basic subsistence for themselves and their families to empower them. I think that would be a major step forward.

In most parts of the world, women do not have access to resources — even basic resources like drinking water. The economic resources and agricultural resources are either controlled by men or are just inaccessible to women. This is a major issue. We need to help women pull themselves out of the vicious cycle of poverty. That can change everything. But before that we need to change the mentality. We need to make women understand that they can make the change themselves.

How did you rise the position you did in a male-dominated society?

I was appointed as Vice-President by the former President of Iran, President Seyed Mohammad Khatami. He was elected in 1997. He became the leader of the reform process of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He realised that the expectations of the Iranian women was very high. They wanted to see representatives from among the women in leadership positions. He had the vision to realise that we needed to respond to these expectations. So for the first time, he appointed a woman to enter the Cabinet. I was the first woman Vice-President in Iran.

Thank God, the next government also appointed a woman Vice-President. So the trend continued.

What were the challenges like?

Yes, there were a lot of obstacles. But I think I faced a very favourable atmosphere, both in society and among my colleagues. There was a lot of support also from the media, the NGOs and women’s groups. That helped me achieve what I wanted to, in very difficult circumstances, especially in a developing country.

Many issues had to be dealt with, with a lot of flexibility, but at the same time with a lot of firmness. You have to be firm on your principles. I am happy that I fulfilled my obligations in a manner that brought satisfaction to me, along with international appreciation.

The perception about the Muslim world in general and Iran in particular is that it is very conservative. But your outlook towards the world is very progressive. How do we reconcile between the two?

We have a spectrum of different viewpoints in Iran, which includes a conservative viewpoint — that of the government running the country now. Compared to the earlier reformist government we had, they have more conservative attitudes. But I think the general trend is a forward-looking one.

Everywhere in the Muslim world there are obstacles — we still see a certain amount of backwardness in certain circles. Another obstacle is the issue of insecurity and war violence. We don’t have that in Iran itself. Iran, thank God, has been very stable and peaceful now, for sometime. But in the region, terrorism and violence are major impediments in the advancement of women. It directly affects livelihoods, empowerment and progress of societies in general and women in particular. War is a terrible thing.

Should men continue to let make the rules?

We should bring about a change in the way that many of the rules are made. We need to let both men and women make the rules and make sure that the women’s perspective is reflected in the rules.

Very often, the rules are applied to or implemented on women, but they lack the women’s perspective. Legislators often cannot grasp the experiences a woman undergoes. Therefore, sometimes, the regulations become very lopsided and irrelevant to women. Sometimes, women feel they are completely discriminated against due to totally male-oriented legislation.

But in most countries now, women are a part of the legislative process. But this is just the beginning. We have a long way to go.

Is there anything we Eastern women can learn from our Western counterparts?

I think we can learn lessons both from their gains and losses. We can learn from the courage that many women in the West have shown, and the changes they have brought about in their societies and the methods and ways they have used to bring about these changes.

We can learn from their mistakes too. I think the West has made a major mistake in transforming women into a market commodity. They have made a major mistake in undermining the essence of family values.

We who live in the East understand that very well. We know how precious those family values — the values of decency, morality and dignity are. We know these are core essential values.

This is the message that emanates from that side of the world to this side through the satellite, the media, through the pop culture and through Hollywood.

When a woman is downgraded to an object of consumerism — an object which is only used and abused for selling products and enjoyment which totally degrade her dignity — I think it is a major mistake.

We have to learn from that and learn to preserve our values. Our Asian values are those that are upheld in many countries. We regard the family as an important cornerstone of society and for human development.

In the West, family values have disintegrated. The losers are both women and children. Children need a proper milieu for moral and intellectual development. And it cannot happen in daycare centres. We should hold on to our family — defend it and protect it and maintain its sanctity and preserve the rights of men, women and children.

The world has become highly polarised along religious, ideological and economic lines. What can women do to change this?

Women are natural peacemakers. We can do a lot to promote dialogue, peace and understanding. We need to try to find the basic common denominators in dialogue to resolve conflicts and prevent potential conflicts. But unfortunately, we don’t see women as peacemakers at the international level.

What do you make of Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s recent visit of to Iraq?

I think under the circumstances it’s very important that Iran maintains its contact and relationships and upgrades them with countries of the region, particularly countries like Iraq, with a long history of dictatorship with Saddam Hussein and now a history of American invasion and occupation.

Iraq is now trying to balance itself and gradually stabilise itself. I think it is very important to strengthen these relationships and make sure that Iraq has the opportunity to advance in peace, prosperity and security. It is important for all of us in this region.

Do you see an early end to conflict in Iraq?

I would hope to see American forces pull out as soon as possible and Iraqi people come together and rebuild Iraq. I hope to see the countries in the neighbourhood help and relieve Iraq from all its pressures and challenges. I hope there would be  major effort to uproot poverty and despair. These are the reasons currently fomenting violence.

I hope the internal conflicts would get resolved — both among different religious sects and ethnic groups.

How do you see America — as a friend, a foe or just a thorn on the side?

Maybe a thorn on the side. Unfortunately, America has not been able to deal with Iran after the Islamic Republic was established after the Revolution. They have not been able to appreciate the potential Iran offers as an emerging economic power and an emerging political player in the region.

This is true of many other Muslim states in the region. The Americans have not been able to read correctly what has been happening in this region and this is the reason why they have this antagonistic approach. The opinion in this region is not very favourable towards Americans.

Do you think a new dispensation in America would help?

I am sure it will because in the present election campaign they are speaking a lot about change. That means they have realised that the present administration has made a lot of mistakes and they need to change their approach. And one of the areas for change — at least we see it in that light — is the foreign policy, which they need to revisit, particularly regarding this region.

They have to realise that they have to sit as equals with other countries in the Middle East and resolve issues like the Palestinian issue. We need a just peace in the region. Unresolved and unjust plight of the Palestinian people is causative agent for despair and unrest. It is seen as double standards.

Until this issue is not resolved and until America does not change its bias and protectionist position on the issue, we are going to face a lot of difficulties in this region. This is a reality.

Isn’t it a pity that a woman and a black man are Democratic contenders in the American election at the same time? The electorate is being pulled in two different directions — gender and race.

Maybe we should look beyond it. Maybe this is a signal that Americans should look beyond appearances — beyond race and gender — and see who has a meaningful content. They need to examine the programmes and manifestos more closely.

Who do you think has a more meaningful programme? Who would make a better American president, vis-à-vis this region?

I haven’t looked at the issue closely. But the American foreign policy is so flawed that whoever comes has to make a drastic change in this regard in order to improve the face of the American government in this part of the world. So it doesn’t matter who it is. The important thing is, the person should have a genuine will to change.

How can women help women?

Women can help other women by putting forward their experiences on the table and giving other women opportunities to learn from these experiences and build upon them. This will give others the confidence and strength to move ahead.

MILESTONES

Dr Massoumeh Ebtekar is a Professor of Immunology. Former Vice-President of Iran, and former Head of Department of Environment, she is the winner of the 2006 UNEP Champion of the Earth Award. At present she is the elected member of the Tehran City Council.

NOTE: The interview was conducted before the recently held elections in Iran.