Women: The Iranian Revolution

THE IRANIAN REVOLUTION AND ITS IMPACT ON WOMEN

Revolutions have always had an effect on women and their role in society. Some revolutions gave women more opportunities while others restricted them to domestic servants. The Iranian Revolution is a prime example of both ends of the spectrum.

Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Moosavi Khomein was an Iranian religious leader and politician and leader of the 1979 Iranian Revolution that led the overthrow of the Shah of Iran. Khomein and his fundamentalist government took over the country through terror. Following the revolution and a national referendum, Khomeini became Iran’s Supreme Leader – a position created in the constitution as the highest ranking political and religious authority of the nation
Had these women investigated Khomeini 's earlier teachings, they would have realized the great importance he placed on the traditional Islamic role of women. In fact, when the new government achieved power, women were once again subjugated and restricted to the confines of their homes. To ensure that women wouldn’t tempt men the new regime ordered women to cover themselves except for their eyes and their hands and ordered women to segregate themselves from men in public places. Not only did women have to wear their tent-like veils, but they also had to perform their “duties” as wife and mother. In every aspect of their lives, women were discriminated against and punished severely. If a woman wore a bad hijab showing skin other than face and hands she would be punished by 70 lashes or 60 days in prison. A girl caught in mixed company was subject to ‘virginity tests. Segregation became the norm, including on buses where women sat in the back and entered by rear doors. Women were no longer allowed to walk in public without their father, brother or husband. The age of marriage was reduced to nine from eighteen, and stoning was the punishment for prostitution and adultery. There were reports of summary executions, rapes, and torture.

Khomeini 's view of women came from his school of Islam in which women are seen as sexual objects, obsessed with
Their belief is that women enjoy wearing the veil and welcome the restrictive nature of Islamic rule because it provides security and structure for them. The chador is seen as liberating because through it, women are no longer viewed by men as sexual beings but rather as equals. The reasoning behind this view is that since men are not tempted by a woman 's figure and shape, they can conduct themselves as equals. On its face such an argument is clearly deficient and absent of any logic or common sense. Taking indices such as the position of women within marriage, the treatment of her sexuality, her position in the eyes of the law, employment, and education, one can easily conclude that the majority of women are not equal and in fact, are discriminated against and oppressed. Some women have benefited from the Islamic state, but these are the women who are in some way connected to the ruling clerics. The mothers, sisters, and daughters of the mullahs are given some token positions within the institutions of the state to show the world that women enjoy power in Iran. However, in reality, this only illustrates that women are the objects of manipulation for the benefit of the