NEW DELHI: Notwithstanding the fact that numerically Muslim women constitute only a small percentage of the diplomatic staff of their respective countries, they continue to make their presence felt.
The Embassy of Iran hosted a women-oriented function in Delhi called the “Food Festival” recently. Wife of Iranian envoy Seyed Mehdi Nabizadeh was the chief host while Ms. Menon, wife of Indian Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon, was the chief guest.
In addition to highlighting similarities in Iranian and Indian cuisine, the Food Festival strongly suggested that, diplomatically, women of Muslim nations certainly know how to convey a message emphatically. The guests, among others, were women from various fields, including diplomatic representatives, social activists and media persons.
Other embassies of Muslim countries have also not fallen behind in giving importance to their women. Women hold senior positions in several embassies of Muslim countries based in Delhi, including Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt. Riffat Masood is the first woman from Pakistan to hold the office of deputy high commissioner here. Referring to the importance women of Muslim countries are gaining in the diplomatic field, Masood told Arab News: “This is like a slap on the face of those who paint only a negative image of women in Islamic countries.” Even though only around 10 percent of Pakistani diplomats are women, they and other Muslim women have definitely not stayed behind others in asserting their diplomatic importance.
