Thursday October 23, 2008
Iranian Nobel prize winner won’t be speaking at forum
By YUEN MEIKENG
PETALING JAYA: Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr Shirin Ebadi will not be speaking at the Bridges - Dialogues Towards A Culture of Peace forum which begins on Nov 3.
Universiti Malaya (UM), which is hosting the event, said Ebadi was invited through a letter dated Sept 10 to speak at the forum but it has now decided against it after seeking the Foreign Ministry’s advice.
Instead, the university would now focus on a chemistry lecture by another Nobel laureate Professor Dr Ryoji Noyori, said vice-chancellor Datuk Rafiah Salim in a statement.
She added that the university did not receive any directive to cancel the peace forum.
Rafiah, however, was quoted by AFP yesterday as saying that the decision was made “out of respect for our Iranian students who were not very happy.”
UM had written to the ministry to seek its views on inviting Ebadi on Sept 3.
The ministry replied in a letter signed by the Middle East and North Africa division secretary Dr Hasrul Sani Mujtabar advising UM to withdraw its invitation to keep the close ties between Malaysia and Iran.
The letter, made available to The Star, said it was not wise to invite Ebadi as the Iranian Government viewed her as a critic supporting “Western agenda”.
UM has faxed the ministry’s letter to other organisers like the International Islamic University Malaysia and Asian Strategic Leadership Institute.
Ebadi is the first Muslim woman to have been awarded the prize and is known for championing democracy and human rights for women, children and refugees.
The peace forum, which features a series of talks by Nobel laureates, will be held from November to April next year in Malaysia and Thailand.
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