Emily
MikeOn June 4, I wrote that there was “Progress in Increased Visibility of Women in Iranian Politics.“ That post discussed Zahra Rahnavard, the wife of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, and the importantance of her appearing in public with Mousavi at campaign rallies. I wrote that “Obviously, the small act of having a woman in Iran do no more than appear at rallies and hold hands shows the exclusion of women from meaningful participation in Iranian politics. Nevertheless, any progress in increasing the visibility of women in a high-profile political arena, no matter how small it may seem to others, is a good sign.”
On June 17, The Guardian wrote an editorial titled “In praise of … Zahra Rahnavard” and said:
Eyebrows were raised when she was snapped on the campaign trail holding hands with her husband. For younger people in the cities, used to testing the boundaries of what is socially acceptable, this was interpreted as a precious sign of support from within a political class that spends much of the time hectoring them.
After the election, Iranian women have been heavily involved in the protests. The Telegraph reports that “Zahra Rahnavard, the wife of presidential candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi, has taken on an increasingly prominent role in Iran’s street protests since the disputed election 10 days ago.”
In a June 26 New York Times op-ed, the author stated:
From Day 1, Iran’s women stood in the vanguard. Their voices from rooftops were loudest, and their defiance in the streets boldest. “Stand, don’t run,” Nazanine told me as the baton-wielding police charged up handsome Vali Asr avenue on the day after the fraudulent election. She stood.
Also,
A friend told me he no longer recognizes his wife. She’d been of the reluctantly acquiescent school. Now, “She’s a revolutionary.” I followed as she led us up onto the roof. The “death to the dictator” that surged from her into the night was of rare ferocity.
However, the author also cautions that:
Women marched in 1979, too. But when the revolution was won, women were pushed out. Their subjugation became a pillar of the Islamic state.
Let’s hope that the results of the current turmoil in Iran include continued visibility of women in politics such that women’s rights can continue to grow. If they do, Zahra Rahnavard will have had much to do with it.
Filed under: International, Race/Ethnicity, Religion Tagged: | equality, International, Rahnavard, women's rights
[...] wrote in a previous blog about the role played by women in the Iranian election protests and, in particular, the role played [...]
A day after I wrote this post, the Washington Post had a front-page article reporting that the “Role of Women In Iran Protest Kindles Hope: Female Muslims Abroad Say They Draw Inspiration For Own Struggle at Home.” As an example, it quoted an Egyptian college student as saying: “To actually see Iranian women fight for their rights is inspiring. I never imagined that it could happen there.” Another Egyptian activist said about the women in Iran: “People trusted themselves, believed in something. And that feeling will live on long, especially with women. It was a huge empowerment to lead the protests. They didn’t fear the state. Images like that live on.”
The article also quoted a Saudi blogger as saying that many similarities exist between Iran and Saudi Arabia in their treatment of women. “But women’s battle in Iran is with the government. In Saudi Arabia, it is with the religious authority,” Fahed said. “I really believe that the Saudi government is in favor of change. But the religious authorities here are so powerful. Religious men are resisting any change in favor of women’s rights.”