29 Mar 2024
Saturday 13 February 2016 - 15:31
Story Code : 201436

Women in post-revolution Iran

Alwaght- Last year, French President Francois Hollande bent his head in respect instead of extending his arm for the customary diplomatic handshake, as a chador-clad woman walked toward him. This woman was Iranian Vice President Massoumeh Ebtekar, a woman who has shown the world that one can reach a high position without comprising Islamic values; and conversely, that Islam is not an impediment to success.

Underneath the veil, an emblem of Islamic modestywhich the West loves to connote as a symbol of oppression, and which, under the Islamic Revolution in Iran is mandatoryIranian women are not prisoners of the fabric nor of their homes by means of thehijab.

Since the 1979 Islamic revolution toppled former Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Western medias favourite headline has been that of the suppression of freedoms, particularly womens, under the Islamic Republic, depicting thehijabas the tool of persecution.

Back then, the leader of the revolution, Imam Ruhollah Khomeini warned against the US-backed propaganda. He said that women, like men, have the right to learn, work, and engage in politics.

The Shahs media has portrayed the subject of womens freedom with such deception until some began to think that Islam has come only to keep woman a prisoner at home. Why do we object to womens education? Why do we object to her working? Why cant a woman perform government work? What is wrong with her travelling? A woman, like a man, is free to do all of that, the leader clarified.

Building Iran

In 1980, Imam Khomeini praised the efforts of women who contributed to the success of the revolution and continued to do so in building the nation.

Women in the Islamic Republic are busy today alongside men in building themselves and building the country, he told an audience of women in the holy city of Qom.

While this statement took a metaphorical significance more than anything else at the time, Leila Araghian, among many other women, is literally building Iran.

An award winning architect who designed the Pol-e-Tabiat, or Nature Bridge, Araghian challenges misconceptions about women in Iran. She is definitely not a prisoner of her home and she built an avant-garde structure that brought 200 tons of steel to life, now referred to as the third symbol of Tehran.

She got the idea when she was only 26 and studying architecture in Tehran-based Shahid Beheshti University.

When asked about claims about the status of womens rights in the Islamic Republic, Mrs. Alimi, a holder of a Masters degree in psychology from Tarbiat Modares University (TMU), told Alwaght that the numbers dont lie.

When we look at the figures that show the percentage of women in universities, the workplace, and politics we can clearly see that these allegations are lies. In Iran, women who like to be active in society can do so without contention.

The Islamic Republic functions based on Islamic values so it creates a safe atmosphere for women and their contributions in society. It took certain measures so that women can play their roles in their homes, as daughters, mothers and wives; and also outside their homes, across various important domains. A woman in Iran has the right to be active in any domain as long as there is no Islamic deterrence. For example, she can be a MP, a minister, a university doctor, a pilot, and even a truck driver, Alimi added.

Education

A study by the Women`s International Affairs Department of the Ministry Of Foreign Affairs showed the discrepancy between women of pre and post-revolution Iran in the education sector. Collaborating with Womens Information and Statistics Center, the paper revealed that literacy among females in Iran has significantly increased since the 70s, contrary to what is generally perceived as a decline in education; and ultimately, that the hijab does not cover their minds.

The comparison showed that only 35.48 percent of women in Iran were educated in 1976. Out of this percentage, around 37 % were school students and 29% were university students.

Today, 80.34 percent of women above six are literate, read the report which was published in 2010.

The rate has increased above 126 percent within these three decades, it added.

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Female students now comprise more than %60 of the student body, outnumbering the presence of men since 2001.
But its not only education where women have displayed their achievements and capabilities. Well across the scientific, technological, sports and cultural fields, women in Iran have been excelling for more than 30 years.

The report gave sports as an example: In recent years, there has been news regarding Iranian women athletes who have made glorious achievements at international competitions. Meanwhile, these women have shown their capabilities while observing Hijab and Islamic values.

Political Rights

The history of the Islamic Republic of Iran tells us that women did in fact play a political role, one that led to the victory of the revolution.

Interfering in politics is one of womens rights. It their responsibility and their duty were the words of Imam Khomeini after the revolution.

Women participation in the Islamic revolution in 1979 was notable and their votes in the March referendum also played a major role in shaping the future of the country.

Women have the right to vote. We believer in these rights for women more than the west does. A woman has the right to an opinion, the right to vote, and the right to run in the elections, he had stressed.

In modern-day Iran, according to the report, the number of women candidates in the eighth parliamentarian elections was 585, among which eight persons occupied parliament seats.


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Yet, not only has representation increased in number. It has also seen a significant leap in recent years with regards to position. In 1997, Iran appointed its first female Vice President Massoumeh Ebtekaralso an immunologist and Head of the Department of Environment Iranand its first foreign ambassador Marzieh Afkham in 2015.
Whether black-clad in a chador or in a flamboyant scarf, the Iranian woman in post-revolution Iran is not to be underestimated. There is much power under the veil that is not prohibited from surfacingalbeit within some specific limitsbut for the most part, the room provided by authorities is spacious enough for their ambitions.

By Alwaght








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