Iranian Government Has Legalized Violations of Women’s Rights in Its Religion Based Law and Constitution
By
Elchin Hatami
August 11,
2020
The
patriarchal world was formed as a result of several historical processes. These
ancient processes served to dominate men, denying women any authority in
society. In this system, enhancing the man’s social position and physical power
prepared conditions for psychological, social, and biological exploitation of
women, resulting in deprivation of them from social, political, economic, and
cultural activities. The development of the patriarchal religions and
philosophy was prominent in regulating of this mentality. So, the male Gods
replaced the female ones. The status of women declined based on religious rules
by the powers as a law of their governments. Therefore, based on the process of
the formation of patriarchy throughout history, we can see the fact of
sexualized unfair government in Iran is administrated by the patriarchal rules
and Sharia law that violates women’s rights.
The
situation Iranian women have been formed due to the combination of the two
factors, religious rules, and Traditional patriarchal beliefs, especially after
the Islamic Revolution. They are exposed to discrimination not only from the
social but also from a legal standpoint. Presently the women have undergone the
violence in the home and social life. In his writings, Ayatollah Murtaza
Motahari has determined new roles and duties for the Iranian women by the Islamic
rules in comparison with the West. Still, we know that women across the country
are exposed to discrimination and unfairness by the religious government as the
consequence of Islamization.
Ayatollah
Khomeini and his supporters have established a state resting upon the
traditional Islamic rules. So, the women were transformed into the stratum
subjected to all restrictions, whose rights are exploited in an authoritarian
regime. The women considered as protectors of the Islamic ethics are exposed to
many law violations by the state in social life. Ayatollah Khomeini had
appeared with a declaration in 3 weeks after the revolution in connection with
the obligatory veil. The government issued an order on the women to put on the
Islamic hijab. The women being against the new mode of wearing have to be
punished severely. The women objecting to the compulsory hijab and black veil
in many big cities were exposed to encroachment and attacks by knife and armed
men and women supporting Hezbollah. Even some women were executed by shooting
slandered as prostitutes. So, beginning from the 1980s, all women employed by
the state authorities were obliged to wear a black veil. The black veil has
been defined as the symbol of the Islamic government and the sign of independence
for the Muslim women that they had to wear in public areas and workplaces.
Contrary to the ideological thinking of government officials, the hijab
restricted women’s freedom.
Moreover,
the Islamic regime’s pressures on women are still intense. The women have
imposed a ban upon the sportive activity that can engage only in some kinds of
sport determined by the government. The majority of women have driven away from
politics and working in governmental institutes. The doors of the press and
entertainment centers have been closed to the face of women. ?For instance,
Thousands of female teachers, state officials, and other women employed on the
different specialization were forcedly fired from their jobs. According to the
statistics, about 40 thousand female teachers were dismissed from the work
between 1980-1985s. In the media, schools, and universities of Iran, only the
rights and duties were determined beforehand by the state. For example, the
high school manuals represented the women to bring up children and cooking. In
the present, also women do not have any rights to watch main sports
competitions as well as soccer, volleyball, basketball in the stadiums with
men. Nowadays, females cannot ride the bike in public areas. The government has turned gender
discrimination into a profound issue in society and has banned the
relationships between men and women. The Islamic regime justified all these
restrictions to the people as the order of the religion and divine law.
Consequently, the imposed constraints by the government have been ruining
women’s lives for more than 40 years in Iran.
Additionally,
the Iranian government has legalized violations of women’s rights in its
religious-based law and Constitution. The rights of the heritage, inheritance,
divorce, marriage, and so on have been provided for men rather than women.
Also, inside the family, the women have no right to engage in any activity
without the permission of their father, brother, and other male relatives.
Furthermore, to have a passport, her father, brother, or husband of a woman
have to issue written permission certified in the public notary office. These
discriminations are reflected in criminal law as well. After the Islamic revolution that the conservative
forces have grasped the power, these laws became more severe. Because of the
discriminative law against women, we can acknowledge that the women in Iranian
society are considered second-class citizens. In fact, Sharia law has had
adverse effects on women’s empowerment and development in Iran.
Overall,
the regime insists on violating women’s rights, and no serious reforms have
been made since 1979. The change of the government and the establishment of the
democratic state is the only way to provide women rights. It needs a systematic
and widespread peaceful struggle against the regime that should be accompanied
by the awareness of the women.
Original
Headline: Iranian regime: Male Gods and Oppressed Women
Source: The Modern Diplomacy