Iran’s Supreme Leader Takes Fresh Shot At Gender Equality – RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is no fan of gender equality, which he routinely decries as a Western concept that damages women and distracts them from their vital roles as wives and mothers.
And again this week, at a speech on March 19 marking the birth of the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, Fatima Zahra, Khamenei doubled down, suggesting that Westerners themselves are having second thoughts.
"Today, Western thinkers and those who pursue issues such as gender equality regret the corruption that it has brought about," said the man who has the final say in religious and political matters in a country of 83 million people.
He even blasted gender equality as a "Zionist plot" aimed at corrupting women's role in society.
"Making women a commodity and an object of gratification in the Western world is most likely among the Zionist plots aiming to destroy society," Khamenei was also quoted as saying.
Women in Iran are denied equal rights before the law in divorce, child custody, inheritance, and other areas. A woman's testimony in court is considered to be half the value of a man's. Women need the permission of their father or husband to travel. And women are forced to cover their hair and body.
There are rare reports of women being sentenced to death by stoning, although it is unclear how many such sentences are carried out under Iran's opaque justice system.
Khamenei suggested that Western views of women used to be "more decent," "more prudent," and "more suitable" with "the nature of men and women."
"When you look at the literature in European countries in the 18th and 19th centuries, it was absolutely different from the 20th century," Khamenei said. He added that "it is obvious that there has been political work from the Zionist and the colonial system."
Khamenei went on to say that Iran's overwhelmingly male, clerically dominated establishment does not aim to keep women at home. Yet he added that, in his eyes, the roles of mother and wife are the most important a woman can play.
"The role a woman can play as a family member is in my view more important than all other roles that a woman can play," the Iranian leader said. "The question is whether a woman has the right to ruin her role as a mother and a wife because of all the good, interesting, and sweet [opportunities] that could be there for her outside the family environment."
Khamenei has said in the past that the effort to establish equality between men and women was "one of the biggest intellectual mistakes" of the Western world. "Why should a job that is masculine be given to a woman? What kind of honor is it for a woman to do a man's job?" he asked in a 2014 speech.
Iranian hard-liners routinely accuse women's rights champions of promoting "obsolete" feminist views and claim that such views and demands are anti-Islamic.
In December, the head of Iran's female Basij militia called the promotion of gender equality illegal and demanded that the country's powerful judiciary take action against people who speak out against gender discrimination.
Women's rights activists have been persecuted by the Iranian state through interrogation, arrest, and jail sentences. Many have been forced to leave the country.
Homa Hoodfar, a retired professor at Concordia University in Montreal known for her work on gender relations, was imprisoned in Iran last year for more than 100 days for what a state prosecutor called "dabbling in feminism and security matters."
Iran's lone Nobel laureate, lawyer and 2003 Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi, now lives abroad following years of persecution for her work on human rights cases.
In a 2009 contribution to The Guardian, Ebadi noted that "despite the cultural, social and historical heritage of Iranian women, the Islamic republic has imposed discriminatory regulations against them."
She added, "The laws imposed on Iranian women are incompatible with their status and, consequently, the equality movement is very strong."
See the original post:
Iran's Supreme Leader Takes Fresh Shot At Gender Equality - RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
- Israeli officials think Trump could give them green light to attack Iran again - Axios - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- We didnt wipe them out: Why Iran is still dangerous even after key strikes - The Times of Israel - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Iran's president says Tehran open to dialogue with US, accuses Israel of assassination attempt - Reuters - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Israel said to expect US backing for future strikes on Iran if it revives nuclear program - The Times of Israel - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Trump all for Iran peace talks, but ready, willing and able to strike again - The Hill - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Witkoff promises new nuclear talks with Iran within a week; Trump says not sure they have a purpose - The Times of Israel - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Iran demands accountability for Israel and US after war of aggression - Al Jazeera - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Iran gets significant diplomatic boost from BRICS bloc with Russia and China - Newsweek - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- After setback to Iran's nuclear program, Trump expected to leverage military support in Netanyahu meeting - Fox News - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- A timeline of the Iran-Israel war - Tehran Times - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Turkey is the new Iran - www.israelhayom.com - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- US, Iran de-escalate rhetoric, nudge to talks but Tehran wary of Israels influence - The Arab Weekly - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Sen. Steve Daines says regime change is the best long-term plan in Iran - Fox News - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Why Iran emerged victorious in its war with Israel - Tehran Times - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Why has Iran stepped up its deportation of Afghan refugees? - Al Jazeera - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Iran alone in crises: Where were Russia, China in their time of need? - Euronews.com - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- The 12-day conflict is over: What is next for Iran? | Daily Sabah - Daily Sabah - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Iran President Accuses Israel of Assassination Attempt in Interview with Tucker Carlson - Algemeiner.com - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- I will never regret coming: Amid Israels devastating strikes on Iran, a woman traveling solo had to find her way out - CNN - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- A text, a Telegram link, then an offer of money: how Iran sought to recruit spies in Israel - The Guardian - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Tucker Carlson says to air interview with president of Iran - Reuters - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- CNN in Iran: Behind the scenes with our team - CNN - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- A fragile ceasefire in the Israel-Iran war tests the harmony of Los Angeles' huge Iranian community - AP News - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Nuclear Inspectors Leave Iran After Cooperation Halted With U.N. Watchdog - The New York Times - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Israel concealed information about Iran's destruction of five military sites, satellite images show - Tehran Times - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Only diplomacy will stop the atomic bomb: Reflections following the war against Iran - EL PAS English - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Readers sound off on what Iran achieved, Diddys jurors and Sen. Lisa Murkowski - New York Daily News - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- American Solo Traveler Was in Iran When It Was Bombed. She Documents How She Fled the Country (Exclusive) - People.com - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Iran hit five Israeli military bases in 12-day war The Telegraph - - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Why Hamas can keep fighting without Iran, and what that means for Israel - opinion - The Jerusalem Post - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Iran's uranium supply chain must be thwarted as nuclear program grows - The Jerusalem Post - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Why Im banned from Iran, Israel and the US despite breaking no rules - The Telegraph - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Why Trump stopped calling on Iran to surrender - The Spectator World - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- A week into the fragile Israel-Iran peace agreement, heres what we still dont know - AP News - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Dont look away from whats happening in Iran - The Boston Globe - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Its offensive: voices from Iran as fans face 2026 World Cup travel ban - The Guardian - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Tucker Carlson interviews the president of IRAN - Daily Mail - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Divine justice: IAF is Gods army, striking Iran as prophesized in the Bible - The Times of Israel - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- New Cold War?: US faces long-term battle to contain Iran after Trump's strike on their nuclear facilities - Fox News - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- The Israel-Iran war has not yet transformed the Middle East - The Economist - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Opinion | Iran Is Terrorizing Its Own Citizens. The World Needs to Respond. - The New York Times - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Trump meets with Saudi defense minister at the White House and discusses situation in Iran - Axios - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- US issues first wave of Iran sanctions after ceasefire in 12-day war - Al Jazeera - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- France demands immediate release of French couple held in Iran for three years - Reuters - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- US-Iran nuclear talks to resume in Oslo next week for first time since war report - The Times of Israel - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Will Trumps Strikes on Iran Really Stop Its Nuclear Program? - The New York Times - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Between Gaza and Iran, Israel's Hidden War in the West Bank Is Flaring Up - Newsweek - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- After ceasefire, Iran is preparing for the long war with Israel - Middle East Eye - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Iran becomes the latest Russian ally to discover the limits of Kremlin support - Atlantic Council - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Trump says Iran wants to meet 'very badly' after US strikes - - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Iran can still build nuclear weapons without further enrichment. Only diplomacy will stop it - Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Pentagon says US strikes set back Iran nuclear program one to two years - The Guardian - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Assessing the U.S. Article 51 Letter for the Attack on Iran: Legal Lipstick on the Use of Force Pig - Just Security - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Suspected Iran spies accused of plotting assassination of senior figure in Israel - The Times of Israel - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Will Iran conflicts aftermath drive Israel, Saudi Arabia towards normalization? - Breaking Defense - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Israel's economy can't survive a long war with Iran - and Trump knows it - Middle East Eye - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- US slams Iran for unacceptable suspension of ties with UN nuclear watchdog - The Times of Israel - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- U.S. Launches Eighth Round of Sanctions Targeting Iran's Oil and Tankers - The Maritime Executive - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Opinion | John Bolton: Trumps Work in Iran Has Only Begun - The New York Times - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Iran assesses the damage and lashes out after Israeli and US strikes damage its nuclear sites - AP News - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Iran Suspected of Scouting Jewish Targets in Europe - WSJ - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Opinion | War With Iran Exposes the Emptiness of the Axis of Autocracy - Politico - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Iran Pivots Toward China, But Is Beijing Ready To Play Ball? - Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- The global implications of the US strikes on Iran - Brookings - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Iran readied to mine Strait of Hormuz after Israel began strikes US sources - The Times of Israel - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Hackers tied to Iran preparing calculated smear campaign on Trump, cyber agency says - Politico - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Refinery hit by Iran missiles emitting 100 times higher than usual levels of benzene - The Times of Israel - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- US calls reported threats by pro-Iran hackers to release Trump-tied material a 'smear campaign' - AP News - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Trump and Noem want CNN prosecuted for Iran, immigration reporting - Axios - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Israel-Iran live updates: Trump says he is not 'talking to' Iran - ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Donald Trumps Attack on Iran May Have Made the Nuclear Crisis Worse - Rolling Stone - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Israel and Iran Have Set the Stage for the Next War - Jacobin - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Iran says needs time before talks with US, claims it can start enriching again quickly - The Times of Israel - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- The attacks on Iran didnt achieve anything more than harm nonproliferation - Al Jazeera - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Iran: More than 900 killed in war with Israel - The Hill - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- First it was regime change, now they want to break Iran apart - Responsible Statecraft - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Iran Threatens To Release 100GB of Trump Aides' Emails: What To Know - Newsweek - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Israel was facing destruction at the hands of Iran. This is how close it came, and how it saved itself - The Times of Israel - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Sleeper cells and threat warnings: how the US-Iran conflict is spinning up fear - The Guardian - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Iran raises death toll from war with Israel to more than 900 - AP News - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]