Tibetan Buddhists’ spiritual leader tells BBC that a female Dalai Lama would have to be ‘very, very, attractive’ or be ‘not much use’
Gender equality campaigners have criticised
the Dalai Lama for his suggestion that any potential female successor to his
role “must be very, very, attractive”. In an interview, the spiritual leader of
Tibetan Buddhists said there was no reason why a future Dalai Lama could not be a woman – but she would have to be good looking
otherwise she would be “not much use”.
The 80-year-old’s remarks – which he made in
an interview with the BBC reporter
Clive Myrie, as he talked of succession, or reincarnation – provoked
accusations of sexism that look set to plague the remainder of his tour of the
UK, which began on 14 September.
Dalai Lama
Since 1959, the Dalai Lama has lived in exile
in Dharamsala, northern India. For about 300 years the Dalai Lamas, or their regents, have
led the Tibetan government, but China has occupied Tibet since 1950 and has
long insisted it will appoint any successor to the post.
The present, 14th Dalai Lama, whose original
name was altered to Tenzin Gyatso, said his institution would continue only if
it were the choice of the people of Tibet. Asked
if the next “incarnation” could be female, he answered, “Yes!”
Both men laughed at the comment, which seemed
at first to come off as a clumsy joke, and Myrie gave the Dalai Lama a chance
to clarify his statement. The reporter asked whether he meant a female Dalai
Lama would be very attractive? “I mean, if female Dalai Lama come, then that
female must be very attractive,” the Dalai Lama said. “Otherwise not much use.”
Myrie said: “Really? You’re joking.” Gyatso replied: “No, true!”
Women’s equality campaigners said the Dalai
Lama’s remarks, apparent in the interview posted online on Monday, were
disappointing.
Vivienne Hayes, CEO of the Women’s
Resource Centre, which campaigns widely on women’s inequality, said: “It’s
disappointing that any woman’s ability to take on a leadership role should be
determined by her appearance. This seems to be a common obsession across the
media, given some of the comments about women in politics. We are concerned
that society is in fact going backwards in terms of women’s equality, and will
keep tirelessly campaigning against this.”
Nicole
Rowe, spokeswoman for Progressive Women,
a charity that seeks to empower women in their professional and personal lives,
said: “While we’re pleased to hear the Dalai Lama is in favour of the
possibility of a female Dalai Lama, we’re surprised and greatly disappointed
that a man of such compassion and wisdom could express such a retrograde
opinion.
“Perpetuating
the antiquated idea that women are primarily useful as ornaments, as in the
parlance ‘Women should be seen but not heard’, only adds fuel to the manifold
discrimination women still face to this day. A woman’s appearance is not more
important than her achievements. If a woman were to become Dalai Lama, we’re
certain that her actions would be of much more weight than how she looked, and
we hope the Dalai Lama will take the time to reflect on the impact of his words
for women, particularly given the scale of his influence.”
But other
prominent equality groups and campaigners chose not to comment on what they saw
as a tongue-in-cheek remark by the Dalai Lama. Among them was Caroline
Criado-Perez, the journalist and broadcaster, who has campaigned for British
banknotes to carry more illustrations of women. Replying to a request for
comment on the controversy, she tweeted: “Is ‘lol’ appropriate?”
theguardian
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