Lewis 1 Emma Lewis Mrs.

Evard World Literature 4/30/2012 Womens Rights in Iran: The Effects of the Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution of 1979, led by religious leader Ayatollah Khomeini, ushered in a wave of Islamic law in response to the Shahs attempt at the westernization of his country Iran. Driven by a hatred for the Western culture and a strict adherence to Islam beliefs, the Ayatollah established a system of Sharia law which sharply diverged from the previous Shahs policies. Among these Islamist reforms were reduced rights for women in their legal, family, and work lives. The rights of Iranian women since the Islamic revolution have teetered in the clash between the drives to both westernize Iran and adhere to its strong religiously conservative history. Following Cold War tensions from a U.S.-supported ruler, dramatic westernization and fading Arab nationalism, the Iranian Revolution was the archetype for many Islamic revolutions to follow. Irans previous leader, the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, had implemented reforms designed to force Iran into the modern age. Immediately before he was overthrown, the Iranian parliament had 22 female representatives and Irans government had one female minister, one female governor and five female mayors. Women comprised a third of all Iranian university students (Mason Crest, Publishers). These improvements in the education and status of women were a hallmark of the Shahs westernization of Iran. The stark contrast between the Western

Lewis 2 culture that the Shah promoted and the deeply religious Iranian history created a clash of cultures that fueled public outrage at his rule. The Shahs policy of mandatory unveiling in public, while regarded as liberation from a symbol of oppression among the upper class, was seen to the poorer, more conservative women of Iran as forced immodesty. Regardless of the symbolism of mandatory unveiling, the ban was seen by many feminists as a step back in womens rights, as many women refused to leave their houses unveiled. Khomeinis ascent to leadership took advantage of the disparities between the Shahs ideals and the religious convictions of the Iranian lower classes. Despite these conflicts in belief, many of the women who had enjoyed personal freedoms under the rule of the Shah believed that these freedoms would remain under an Islamic revolution. Despite these claims, a rapid removal of the rights of women established under the Shah immediately followed the Iranian Revolution. Not one woman remained in the government of the Iranian Prime Minister, Mehdi Bazargan. Khomeini introduced the chador; a full-length veil and body covering as mandatory dress for all women in March 1979 just months after taking power (Mason Crest, Publishers). Also soon to go was the Family Protection law, a set of laws allowing women rights in divorce and marriage. The minimum age of marriage for Iranian girls returned to nine years, and women lost the right to keep children in a divorce or to initiate a divorce. Restrictions on temporary marriages known as sigheh, where the women have fewer rights and men have no financial obligation to provide for their wife, were removed (U.S. Department of State). Outside of the repealed Family Protection law, women were subject to the unfair rulings of Sharia law. In Sharia law, women face a legal disadvantage in aspects of family life and credibility. A testimony from a woman was considered equal to half the testimony of a man. Men were legally allowed to kill their wife if she had committed adultery,

Lewis 3 while women were not equally forgiven. Women also received disproportionate sentences for almost all crimes, subject to the death sentence for crimes like adultery and fornication (U.S. Department of State). However, Khomeini left women the right to vote and even in the face of increasing discrimination many women continued to support his rule. The Islamist restrictions put on women under Khomeinis rule did not completely hinder them in important areas of life. From 1991 to 2000, women rose from 30% to 51% of the students taking university entrance exams. Both males and females have a relatively high literacy rate for Middle Eastern countries at 94%. By 2000, women have begun to outnumber men in fields such as medicine and social science (Mason Crest, Publishers). In 1997, many of the rights lost in the repeal of the Family Protection law were returned to women, as they gained the right to divorce their husbands in cases where the husband was found to be morally incorrupt, an addict, or unable to provide for the family (Mason Crest, Publishers).Women were allowed to keep children of whom they were awarded custody even after age seven, at which they would normally be returned to their fathers family. The year 1997 also marked the election of President Mohammad Khatami (Mason Crest, Publishers). Khatami promised the liberalization of Iran, and was popular among women due to his liberal stance on womens rights. His presidency marked an increase in womens involvement in the government of Iran the number of women in the Iranian parliament rose from nine to fourteen and he appointed a female vice president, a female presidential advisor, several female ministerial advisors and over a hundred female directorgenerals (Mason Crest, Publishers). Iranian women have faced many setbacks in their progress towards equality, swaying from periods of freedom under policies of westernization to periods of oppression under Islamic rule. Although the culture of Iran has traditionally been a patriarchal society, women continue to

Lewis 4 make progress in the aftermath of the Iranian Revolution in areas in which they were previously limited. Sectors of life such as marriage, divorce, and the workplace continue today to be stages for the ever-increasing status of women in a society where they historically have been secondrate citizens.

Lewis 5 Emma Lewis Mrs. Evard World Literature 5/4/2012 Annotated Bibliography Mason Crest, Publishers. 2 The Rise Of Islamism And The Iranian Revolution. Iranian Revolution & the Resurgence of Islam. 22-41. US: Mason Crest Publishers, 2007. History Reference Center. Web. 1 May 2012. 1. Summary This website provided information on the status of women in Iran throughout history. The author(s) effectively described in full detail how womens rights had shifted throughout major cultural changes in Iran, with special focus on the times leading up to, during and after the Iranian Revolution. 2. Analysis This source was found on the History Reference Center in the GALE database, which is the first attribute to its credibility. The events which were portrayed were free from very much emotional language, lending to the idea that the author(s) wished to have no bias in displaying his/her/their information. This information is absolutely invaluable in a paper on the topic of women in Iran. 3. Reflection This website was my main source of information on the progression of womens rights during Iranian history. It proved indispensable as a source of statistics, background information and facts on the suppression and growth of womens rights in Iran.

Lewis 6 The Middle East: A Guide to Politics, Economics, Society, and Culture. Ed. Barry Rubin. Vol. 2. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, 2012. p595-604. Word Count: 6779. 1. Summary This book provided information on the Iranian political climate leading up to the Iranian Revolution. It provided context in which it was easier to understand the information in Mason Crest, Pusblishers The Rise of Islam and The Iranian Revolution. Included were descriptions of the policies of Ayatollah Khomeini as well as several of the more liberal leaders who implemented reforms before and after him. 2. Analysis This source gains its credibility from its level portrayal of political facts from the Iranian Revolution. It did not present any noticeable bias, and the information was given in the form of quotes and political actions from prominent politicians. The source is useful because it provides an unbiased look at the policies of politicians and does not provide any analysis of their beliefs. The source simply provides their actions and leaves it up to the reader to judge the effectiveness or righteousness of a leader. 3. Reflection This source provided me with information within which to consider the status of women in Iran. Without knowledge of the countrys politics and the motives behind political actions, attempting to learn about the actions taken for and against women is shallow and cannot reach the depth of analysis otherwise feasible.

Lewis 7 Nanji, Azim A. The Muslim Almanac. Ed. Lawrence W Baker. New York: Gale, 1996. Print. 1. Summary This book by Nanji describes the interactions between men and women as dictated by the Quran. In Nanjis description, the difference between the Qurans idealistic description of marriage as a relationship of love and mutuality lies in blatant contrast to the advised status of women. The book describes the womans ideal temperament as chaste and obedient. The concept of dating is almost nonexistent, and arranged marriages are the norm in more traditional Muslim countries. While the Quran gives men many of the same restrictions as women, such as the prohibition of marriage to someone of another faith, in practice many of these restrictions are only recognized when they apply to women. In conservative countries such as Iran, the government and culture focuses on the parts of the Quran which are more conservative. In other countries, however, these are not always used. 2. Assessment This source aims to elucidate the variety of interpretations of the Quran. It uses specific lines of the Quran to show how these phrases have been applied to modern life. The source is useful as it allows a glimpse of the kinds of selections that have been made of what material to use from the Quran. As this kind of use varies from culture to culture, the source can be used to show some of these differences. The source is reliable as the book is reviewed by the Gale database, and a recent publication. 3. Reflection

Lewis 8 This source is useful to me as information on the various cultures which have a predominantly Muslim population. The source helps me to form an argument on how Muslim influences can shape a culture and its view on women: from viewing women as equals to the oppression present in Saudi Arabia.

The Qur'an (Oxford World's Classics). Trans. M. A. S. Abdel Haleem. USA: Oxford University Press, 2008. 1. Summary The Quran is the main source of religious guidance for Muslims. It outlines the practices which a Muslim should follow in their life. Some of its guidelines concerning women are as follows: Women and men may not marry outside of the Muslim faith. Men may marry up to four women, but they must be able to care for all of them. Male children receive twice the inheritance that female children do. Women are expected to dress modestly. 2. Assessment The Quran is a necessary source when studying the religion of Islam. It is not used for information on events, and so it is not necessary to check its reliability, but instead it is used to further understand the basis of Muslim traditions. The Quran is well-known as the holy text of Islam, and is even the basis of theocratic legal systems in countries such as Iran and Saudi Arabia. Therefore, its purpose as a means of understanding Muslim culture is invaluable. 3. Reflection

Lewis 9 The Quran fits into my paper as a reference on the official guide to Muslims lives. The main and most obvious use for this source is to find religious context for the treatment of women across Saudi Arabian society. As this book is the basis of the entire religion of Islam, it can be seen as a starting point from which the various Muslim subcultures have emerged.

U.S. Department of State. 2008 Human Rights Report: Iran. February 25, 2009. 1. Summary In this source the U.S. government provides an analysis of the state of human rights in the state of Iran. The analysis was completely comprehensive and provided examples, statistics, cultural background and other useful information on the traditions and law related to women. 2. Analysis This source is from the United States government, which lends it credibility as it is representative of the governments best knowledge of how the country treats its people. The possibility for political bias, however, does arise, but as the article is mainly composed of documented events and statistics, it is unlikely that this bias would have a large effect on the credibility of the report. 3. Reflection This source was indispensable to me as a source of statistics and laws concerning the status of women in Iran. The various descriptions of laws and legal practices in place that limit the status of women was a great source of information that lent credibility to my research paper.