The Women's Movement in Iran

Published June 16, 2009 @ 05:32AM PT

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Amazing.

I find it really sad that women have to cover themselves for being women, and because they "may seduce" men and "force" a rape or whatever...

Posted by Juan Portillo on 06/16/2009 @ 10:55PM PT
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All men and women should be treated as equals. I think one should not be forced for covering themselves...

Posted by Lucy Henderson on 06/17/2009 @ 04:02AM PT
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Yeah, forcing women to cover themselves up is such an oppressive behaviour.

Posted by Juan Portillo on 06/17/2009 @ 09:52PM PT
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Different cultures have different standards for what is considered decent or indecent exposure. Once upon a time in the United States you were practically a hobag if you showed your elbows. Only "hobag" wasn't in the vernacular yet.

I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand decency standards are certainly often used to punish women. On the other hand, having no standards at all, especially in a multicultural society, leads to mixed signals and a lot of misunderstandings and worse. Not because women "make" men do anything but because men don't always know where the boundary line is, rather like a child misbehaving because he doesn't know what he's doing is not OK. Stuff like overt rape should be obvious, but lesser behaviors which might not be offensive to some recipients are not so obvious. Yet, nobody has the right to impose unwanted sexual or courtship behavior on another person.

So, where to draw the line? It's not like any of us (well, OK, not us normal folks) care to spend most of our waking hours explaining ourselves to every new person we meet. Visual signals, then, are very, very useful.

Thus, you will find that some religious women want to dress in a manner they view as modest, up to and including headcovering--and not just Muslimahs. Nuns, plain Christian folk (that is an actual term, encompassing everything from Mennonites to Quakers to Catholics), orthodox Jews, etc. I notice most of us even here on the liberal/progressive side don't have many problems with Christian and Jewish women covering up. Why the pity for Muslimahs then?

Here's one to really make your head explode. I was in the Neopagan community for many years. Would you believe I did a web search and found a couple of *Pagan* women who deliberately dress modestly? Not because they feel it imposed from outside (do NOT get me started about the "free love" culture in Neopagandom--it gets ridiculous sometimes) but because they feel so moved from their own consciences. Not because sex is dirty, either. I rather suspect it is something akin to the impulse that makes us close the curtains in the front windows at night: we like a certain degree of privacy, some of us more than others, even in public. And there's nothing wrong with that.

All of this is to say I still abhor double standards. I wish men would guard their own privacy, chastity, or whatever as assidiously as they expect women to do. I mean, right there in the Qur'an it tells men to cover their private bits and to avert the gaze (presumably, rather than staring at places on a woman where they would be unwelcome). So in a sense men have to keep hijab too, but tradition says they must cover less than women must. That makes no sense--it's a myth that women are less visually stimulated than men.

Posted by Dana Seilhan on 06/17/2009 @ 09:06PM PT
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This isn't a matter of an entire culture (the Iranian one) having different standards from us. Many of these women are forced to keep hijab and don't want to. It wasn't long ago that these women did not have to. Covering up is not a part of the cultural standard for all Iranians.

Posted by noell hyman on 06/21/2009 @ 01:37PM PT
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btw, while many women in Iran presumably don't want to cover up, one of the things that spurred the Islamic revolution in the first place, is the Shah insistence on imposing Western values upon a largely traditional society. One of the things that caused a lot of grievance is the demand (or even law?) that women do NOT cover themselves. Which angered many, including women.

Just adding to the whole 'it's a personal choice' argument...

Posted by Ruth Brandt on 06/22/2009 @ 02:05AM PT
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I think that the big uproar about Muslim women keeping hijab lies mainly in the fact that, in most Middle Eastern countries, it is forced upon them as opposed to being an individual moral choice.

Posted by Lydia Weiso on 06/19/2009 @ 05:21PM PT
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It's very disheartening that once again people shift their focus from the heart of the matter to a piece of fabric covering this woman's head. The point of this photo is not "liberate" a woman from decency or modesty, but to emphasize the courage of young Iranian women and their very active role in the demonstrations and political climate in Iran. Some of these women are happily choosing to observe modest Islamic dress. Some feel forced to cover their hair. Empowerment lies in choice and not in values imposed on them by the West. Those observing from the outside should move past the whole issue of hijab -- this young woman obviously has -- and cheer her on rather than pity her.

Posted by Amina Ben on 06/21/2009 @ 02:58PM PT
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Everyone has opinions, and just like we think it's sad she has to cover up, millions of people on the other side of the world condemn us for so many other things. If something feels oppressive in our opinion, we should be able to voice it out. Plus, women (and men) everywhere conform to the rules because it's the safe and comfortable thing to do.

Now, I'm not saying rules are bad, but some rules are oppressive and discriminate based on sex. Religious rules are not an exception and should not go unnoticed either.

Posted by Juan Portillo on 06/21/2009 @ 11:12PM PT
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I agree that it's very valuable to be able to voice opinions and engage in dialog. However, what was initially expressed here was an assumption and not actually educated opinion.

I do not mean in any way to be insulting, just wish to provoke more thought and understanding. Consider the grave circumstances in Iran right now, yet the focus went to hijab. It is very important for those who have not lived among Muslims to realize that what may seem oppressive is in fact a choice many Muslim women happily make.

That said, there are indeed many deviations from true Islam in the Muslim world that unfairly impact women. However, the ideal situation many of these women would like to see is not necessarily a Western solution, but a return to correct teachings of their religion. A woman can pursue education, career, marriage, philanthropy..whatever...without following a Western mentality that true liberation comes from exposing the hair, legs, neck, bosom and more.

Posted by Amina Ben on 06/22/2009 @ 01:22AM PT
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Sadly, the photojournalist who shot this picture is now missing in Iran.

Posted by Ondine Terrebonne on 06/21/2009 @ 04:14PM PT
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I heard that as well. Iran's censorship of media is very frightening.

Posted by Amina Ben on 06/22/2009 @ 01:23AM PT
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Jen Nedeau is a social media consultant, progressive activist, feminist speaker and writer. She currently lives in New York City, where she works full-time as the Director of Digital Strategy at Air America Media. In August 2008, Nedeau was selected to be the Editor of the WomensRights.Change.Org where she facilitates daily discussion about the feminist movement. Additionally, Nedeau volunteers as the Chief Technology Officer for New Leaders Council, a non-profit that offers exclusive training for young leaders. You can follow her on Twitter @HumanFolly or learn more here: www.jennedeau.com.