"JOINING HANDS AGAINST FORCED MARRIAGES" (C-NC9-01624)

UNCLAS MADRID 000802 SIPDIS FOR EUR/WE, DRL, G E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PINR SCUL KWMN SP SUBJECT: "JOINING HANDS AGAINST FORCED MARRIAGES" (C-NC9-01624) REF: STATE 80201 ¶1. (U) In Spain, the "Joining Hands Against Forced Marriages" campaign organized by Professor Ramadan and SPIOR was facilitated by the Spanish government-sponsored, "Casa Arabe", an institutional consortium of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the autonomous states of Madrid and Andalucia, and the cities of Madrid and Csrdoba, which seeks to promote dialogue, mutual understanding, and cooperation with Arab countries and the Muslim world. Professor Ramadan and SPIOR representative Marianne Vorthoren presented a campaign overview at Casa Arabe on May 22, 2008. The audience was estimated at 30-50 participants. A videotape of the conference is available on the Casa Arabe website at: http://www.casaarabe-ieam.es/index.php?modulo = contenido&idioma=es&id=116&seccion=3 ¶2. (U) The Casa Arabe Director opened the 2008 conference noting that it was important to bring the topic of forced marriage to public attention, encourage debate among European Muslims and foster dialogue. She noted that Islam, as a religion, does not establish forced marriage. She also reminded the audience that forced marriage was not unique to Muslim communities, referencing forced marriage practices in Romany, Gypsy, Hindu and African communities as well. Professor Ramadan gave an overview of the program's inception and called for local level initiatives to take further action. SPIOR Representative Vorthoren presented a slide show in English (with Spanish simultaneous interpretation for the audience) describing the logistics of the campaign in The Netherlands. An English version and Spanish translation of the SPIOR published booklet "Joining Hands Against Forced Marriages" was distributed at the end of the conference. ¶3. (U) Casa Arabe has neither current plans for follow-on initiatives nor to republish the Spanish language booklet. Embassy outreach to a variety of Muslim community organizations found that most groups were unaware of the May 2008 conference and unaware of any ongoing efforts to combat forced marriage. There does not appear to be an active branch linked with SPIOR in Spain. The Spanish government does combat forced marriage in more general ways through the Equality Ministry and other social welfare institutions focusing on human rights. 4Q|Eractice. Professor Ramadan also called for local and national Muslim leaders to address the topic at the grass-roots level and engage in self-critical review rather than allowing outsiders to define Muslim practices - whether regarding forced marriage, wearing the veil, etc. With the message, "don't let others set the agenda," the conference discussants called for discourse. Fifteen months later, it appears that the call for action is not resonating with local groups at the grass roots level as a wide range of Muslim contacts canvassed by Embassy staff was not aware of the campaign. DUNCAN