In the Shadow of Islam: The Women's Movement in Iran

260 Pages·1982·9.81 MB·English

by  Azar Tabari and Nahid Yeganeh

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In the Shadow of Islam
The Women's Movement in Iran
Compiled by Azar Tabari
and Nahid Yeganeh

In the Shadow of Islam
Azar Tabari and Nahid Yeganeh

In the Shadow of
Islam
The Women’s Movement
in Iran
Azar Tabari and
Nahid Yeganeh
Zed Press, 57 Caledonian Road, London N1 9DN
In the Shadow of Islam was first published
by Zed Press, 57 Caledonian Road, London
N1 9DN, in 1982
Copyright © Azar Tabari and Nahid Yeganeh, 1982
Translation Copyright © Zed Press, 1982
Copyedited by Beverley Brown
Typeset by Jenny Donald
Proofread by Rosamund Howe
Cover design by Jan Brown
Cover photo courtesy of Michel Setboun
Printed by Krips Repro, Meppel, Holland
All rights reserved
U.S. Distributor
Lawrence Hill and Co., 520 Riverside
Avenue, Wesport, Conn. 06880, U.S.A.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Tabari, Azar
In the shadow of Islam.
1. Feminism—Iran—History
I. Title II. Yeganeh, Nahid
305’.0955 HQ1171
ISBN 0-86232-022-4
ISBN 0-86232-039-9 Pbk
Contents
Glossary ix
Preface - The Editors 1
PART ONE: ISLAM AND WOMEN’S STRUGGLES IN IRAN 3
1. Islam and the Struggle for Emancipation of
Iranian Women — Azar Tabari 5
2. Women’s Struggles in the Islamic Republic of
Iran — Nahid Yeganeh 26
3. Khomeini’s Teachings and Their Implications
for Iranian Women — Haleh Afshar 75
PART TWO: DOCUMENTS ON THE QUESTION OF
WOMEN 91
1. Official Documents 93
(1) The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran 93
(2) The Bill of Retribution 94
2. Statements from Islamic Leaders 98
(3) The Question of Women (A Selection of Interviews
and Speeches) — Ayatollah Khomeini 98
(4) On Hejab — Ayatollah Taleghani 103
(5) Sexual Attraction and the Question of Hejab —
Abolhassan Banisadr 108
3. Positions of Political Parties 112
(6) Women on the Path of Liberation — Mujahidin-e-
112
(7) Onthe Question of Hejab — Mujahidin-e-Khalq 126
(8) Rfompulsory Veiling Under the Pretext of Fighting
Imperialist Culture — Fedayeen-e-Khalq (Minority) 127
(9) A BrieT-R^view of Two Years of Democratic
Struggles of Women — Fedayeen-e-Khalq (Minority) 129
(10) The Necessity for Women’s Unity and Organization
— Socialist Workers Party of Iran 132
(11) ‘The Social Progress of Any Society can be Gauged
by the Freedom of Women Within it’ — excerpt from
What Is To Be Done? 134
(12) Women’s Rights and Islamic Hejab — Fedayeen-
e-Khalq (Majority) 136
(13) Women and Revolution: On the Occasion of the
International Working Women’s Day — Fedayeen -
e-Khalq (Majority) 138
(14) Women Make Humanity — Tudeh Party 139
(15) Why Humiliate Women in the Name of Religion? —
Women's Organization of the National Front 141
4. Women’s Organizations 143
(i) Marxist Women’s Organizations 143
(16) An Analysis of the Socio-Economic Situation of
Women in Iran — National Union of Women 143
(17) Message to the Solidarity Conference — National
Union of Women 153
(18) The Veil and the Question of Women in Iran —
Emancipation of Women 156
(19) Women in the Eyes of Clerics of the Islamic
Revolution — Emancipation of Women 168
(ii) Muslim Spokeswomen 171
(20) Understanding Islam as the Only Way to Understand
Women’s Role — Shahin Etezadi Tabatabai,
Women’s Society of Islamic Revolution 171
(21) Women in an Islamic versus Women in a Muslim View
— Fereshti Hashemi, Women’s Society of Islamic
Revolution 177
(22) Proposal for the Legal Revival of the Rights of
Women — Fereshti Hashemi, Women’s Society of
Islamic Revolution 183
(23) UN Decade for Women Conference (Copenhagen)
Official Address — Iranian Women's Delegation 188
(24) Discrimination and the Imposition of the Veil —
Fereshti Hashemi, Women’s Society of Islamic
Revolution 193
(25) ‘Instead of Compulsory Veiling, Public Decency for
All Should be Compulsory’ — Azam Taleghani,
Shahin Tabatabai et al 194
(26) Harassment of Women’s Organizations — Azam
Taleghani 195
(27) Parliamentary Representations of Women - Ghohar
Dastgheib, representative of Tehran in the Majles 197
(28) The Place of Women in the Bill of Retribution -
Zan-e Rouz 198
(29) Speech at the Havana Inter-Parliamentary Union —
Ghohar Dastgheib, member of the Islamic
Consultative Assembly 199
PART THREE: WOMEN’S ORGANIZATIONS IN IRAN 201
Introduction 203
National Union of Women(Etehad-e Melli-e Zanan) 203
Emancipation of Women (Anjoman-e Rahai-e Zan) 207
Society for the Awakening of Women (JamVat-e
Bidari-e Zan) 209
Women’s Solidarity Committee (Komiteh-e
Ham bas tegi-e Zanan) 211
Society for Militant Women (Jami’at-e Zanan-e
Mobarez) 214
Revolutionary Union of Militant Women (Etehad-e
Enghelabi-e Zanan-e Mobarez) 217
Democratic Association of Iranian Women (Tashkilat-e
Democratic-e Zanan-e Iran) 219
Militant Women’s Committee (Komitehe-e Zanan-e
Mobarez) 222
Society of Militant Women of Saqqez (Jame’a-e
Zanan-e Mobarez-e Saqqez) 222
Women’s Society of Islamic Revolution (Jame’a-e
Zanan-e Enghelab-e Eslami) 223
Women Adherents of Freedom Movement of Iran
(Zanan-e Tarafdar-e Nehzat-e Azadi-e Iran) 227
Women’s Organization of National Front (Sazeman-e
Zanan-e Jebheh-e Melli) 227
The Union of Women Lawyers (Etehadie-e Zanan-e
Hoghughdan) 228
Other Smaller Groups 229
Chronology 231
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