Iranian women
why women in Iran?
what oppression do women in Iran face that is not true of womein in Northern Nigeria, Saudi Arabia or any of the more hard-line Muslim areas?
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what oppression do women in Iran face that is not true of womein in Northern Nigeria, Saudi Arabia or any of the more hard-line Muslim areas?
Comments (5)
Screening of the documentary The Glass House followed by a Q&A by the founder of Omid Mehr Charity Marjaneh Halati at the Greenwich Picture house, about the work the Omid e mehr charity does in Tehran to provide support to severely disadvantaged women.
Tickets are £5 please contact info@iyda.org.uk to reserve a ticket.
Date Saturday 10 October 2009 -2-4pm
Screening and Q&A of The Glass House
Address: The Picture House, 180 Greenwich High Rd, London, SE10 8NN
A woman's life is worth half that of a man and so is her testimony. Broadly speaking that's the deal in Iran. Funny though - I lost count how many times I say something and my boyfriend would have to go and double check it for himself and similarly how often my sister says something and her son goes and checks with with Dad - "is what mum said right?" We have quite a lot in common really women in Iran and here just on a diferent scale.
there is an interesting article about Iranian women's rights activists in the Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/sep/04/ira...
Also I found the book 'Iran Awakening: A Memoir of revolution and hope' of Nobel Price winner Shirin Ebadi a very good starting point to get to understand the current situation for women in Iran. You can get the book on amazon at http://www.amazon.co.uk/Iran-Awakening-Memoir-R...
Why women in Iran? I think there is a particular issue with the way women are threated in Iran. Is it because of the religion? I don't think it is to do with the religion itself, but more with the way people are using the religion to diminish women's right.
I have to confess I am not a specialist of women rights history in the region, but I've met some young iranian women living in London and they don't seem to be keen in going back to Iran for the moment.
I'd like to understand a bit more about the issue - any suggestions of articles, books that will give me a bit more background to the problems that are facing women today in Iran?
I don't think it's that helpful to link women's oppression to Islam. For two reasons - firstly we see women's rights being violated all over the world irrespective of religion but also Islam, like any religion, ultimately depends on how it is interpreted or policed and enforced - There are plenty of examples of women enjoying full participation in all aspects of life and of women campaigning for their rights within Islam and indeed using Islam to promote their rights. If you take Iran - it wasn't that long ago that women were campaigning for the right to wear the hijab! - how things have turned around. Women in Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco have worked extensively to develop their own rights within Islam and have been hugely successful. if we look at the rest of the world - 70% of the women in the world who are murdered are murdered by their current or ex partner or family member. IN the UK alone, one in three women suffer rape, sexual assault, stalking or domestic violence. 2 women a week are killed by their current or ex partner. Worldwide there are some 60 million missing women and girls due to sex selective abortion and female infanticide. Many South American countries have laws on their books that allow for legal codes that are discriminatory against women and just look at the impact of US policies inspired by the religious right on women all over the world. The US won't allow funding to organisations that might offer advice on terminations - ever - whether its an ectopic pregnancy that will kill mother and child both, whether its a result of rape or incest, whether the poor family have already got 10 kids that they are selling into labour because they can't afford them.............Also the US won't fund organisations that work with women who are prostitutes - even the organisations that are trying to help prostitutes find alternative ways to make a living.
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