Recent History of Iran:
Brief Timeline of Recent Iranian History:

1963: Women get the right to vote.

1968: The Family Protection Law is passed, give women more rights within marriage and eases restrictions on abortions.

1979: Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini, a Muslim religious leader exiled 15 years earlier for his opposition to the government, overthrows the Shah. Women, who strongly supported the revolution, are not rewarded for their efforts. The marriage age was lowered, polygamy was legalized and abortions were banned. Basically, the Family Protection Law was thrown out the window.

1979: Islamic militants take over 50 Americans hostage inside the U.S Embassy in Tehran. They demanded the extradition of the Shah.

1980: The Shah died of cancer in Egypt.

1980: Iraqi troops invaded Iran, igniting a 10-year war. Over a million lives were lost.

1981: Hejab (Islamic veils) become law in Iran. Females are segregated and banned from certain professions.

1981: The American hostages are finally released, following 444 days in captivity.

1989: Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini died. Ali Khameini, the former president, takes over as Supreme leader, the real position of power.

1997: Khatami is elected President, bringing much hopes of modernization in Iran.

2001: President Khatami is re-elected for a second term, with just under 77% of the vote.

2002: : President George W. Bush, causing much outrage in Iran, labels Iran as one of the “axis of evil”.

Present: Iranian women continue to dominate many areas of the Iranian political scene. Much progress has been made to ensure women's rights and equality, but there is still much room for improvement.

THE STRUGGLE

The 1979 Islamic Revolution was one of the most significant turning points in Iran and the Islamic world. The Shah was deposed despite his strong links to western powers such as the U.S. and Europe, and an Islamic fundamentalist government took over under the banner of anti-imperialism and anti-dictatorship. This became a time of joyous celebration not only for the majority of Iranians but for many Muslims as a whole. Many women took to the streets and upheld the hijab (veil) as a sign of revolt and opposition. But after the Islamic Republic took over, women empowerment took a dive and the "woman question" has been a burning issue ever since.

QUICK FACT:
The word hijab refers to the variety of styles in which Muslim women use scarves and large pieces of cloth to cover their hair, neck and sometimes shoulders. The hijab often leaves the entire face open. In the United States, the hijab is the most common form of headcovering for Muslim women.

The chador is the full-body cloak Muslim women in Iran are expected to wear outdoors. Depending on how it is designed and on how the woman holds it, the chador may or may not cover the face. The chador was forbidden in Iran under the reign of Mohammad Reza Shah, who was brought to power with help from the United States and sought to modernize the country. After the shah was exiled during the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the chador became required wear for all Iranian women. Many Iranians today subvert their dress-code by wearing Western-style clothing beneath the chador.

The Political Involvement of Iranian Women
(The following character, Sofia, is fictional, but the story portrays many actual events that have occured in Iran throughout the past 25 years)
(1978): Sofia is a young woman at only 21 years of age. She lives in the city of Tehran and has been intrigued by the new uprising in Iran. Apparently, many citizens are talking about a Revolution to bring down the rule of Reza Shah Pahlavi. Many talk about Ayatollah Khomeini, who was previously exiled but was now leading the Revolution. Without any doubt, Sofia vowed to join this Revolution against the rule of the Shah. She was inspired by hopes of gender equality, democracy, and a leadership that would not allow Iranian culture to be swallowed up by Western values. Sofia joined a women's group, did charity work, and used her newfound influence to rally support for Khomeini. She was now a central part of revolutionary actions.

The Shah was eventually forced out and Khomeini came into power. He established the Islamic Republic of Iran and praised the effort of the Iranian women during the revolution. Sofia had high hopes for the future. She had fought in the Revolution to expand her choices, and now she wanted to study at the local university and eventually become an engineer. She would be highly dissapointed.

(1981): Sofia was forced to study medicine, being that new education policies prevented her from enrolling in the field of engineering. It was deemed as a male profession. Nonetheless, Sofia was profoundly upset and dissapointed with the leadership of Khomeini. She believed that Khomeini's government seemed intent on making a woman's life revolve around the lives of men. Sofia had lost much hope and began to doubt the leadership of the man she highly praised during the revolution.

According to Donna M. Hughes, a professor at Rhode Island University, Khomeini and his followers crafted laws and policies that stated, "Stoning to death is a legal form of punishment for sexual misconduct. Women are banned from pursuing higher education in 91 of 169 fields of study and must be taught in segregated classrooms. A woman may work with her husband’s permission, although many occupations are forbidden to women." (www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/khatami.htm) Many of the new laws were implemented with great brutality.

(1986): Breaking news has Sofia even more discouraged. The situation in Iran has deteriorated every year since the Revolution for females. But the new story circulating has her scared. Apparently, a women by the name of Soraya M., was stoned to death for a crime she did not commit. Her husband, who wanted to leave her for his mistress, accused her of adultery. Soraya M. was stoned to death by the men of her village, including her father, husband, and sons. Sofia realized the situation in Iran would not change unless action was taken. She felt betrayed and wanted to fight back against the same government she supported during the revolution. Sofia was ready to put her life on the line and fight back, not physically, but politically.

According to Mehrangiz Kar, a writer for The Iranian, "the great injuries that women suffered after the victory of the 1979 revolution can hardly be described in a few words. Yet these attacks have hardened the human character and experimental endeavors of women and have increased their awareness and understanding. These changes are no doubt a great asset for paving the way for inevitable reforms in future." (www.iranian.com/Opinion/2000/April/Women)
A large percentage of Iranian women have fought back verbally and consequently have become more politically involved. Kar believes that, "because of the revolution, women have gained greater influence and power to the extent that religious leaders have been persuaded to legitimize female participation in social and political processes." (www.iranian.com/Opinion/2000/April/Women/)

(1997): "After 1979, the measure of the success of the Islamic Revolution was the depth of the suppression of women’s rights and activities. Now, nineteen years later, battles among factions within Iranian government are played out over women’s rights, hejab and segregation." (www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/khatami.htm)
But after many years of inequality and struggle, Sofia, now 40 years of age, has new hope and faith. A man by the name of Mohammed Khatami, who reportedly believes there is no difference between men and women, is running for President. He promises change in Iran. Sofia is very optimistic about the future. She urges the women of Iran to stand up and make a difference in the election. Like in 1979, Sofia believes that Iran's women can once again play a dominant role in the movement for change.

In 1997, Iranian women voted in their millions for reformist candidate President Mohammad Khatami. He won by a landslide and was elected fifth president of the Islamic Republic of Iran. In return, Khatami urged women to play a bigger role in politics. Many believe that the election of Mohammed Khatami to the position of President was due to the votes of women.

(1999): Sofia is now very involved in Iranian politics. She is very proud of what the women of Iran have accomplished throughout the past couple of years. Fatemeh Khatami, eldest sister of President Khatami, was among the winners as moderate and female candidates performed well in the first nationwide local elections since the revolution. Iranian women made up 5,000 of 300,000 candidates running in that year's elections to city and village councils. Also, in 1999, Iran saw what was the first of its kind since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, 100 female police officers paraded down the streets of Tehran in black traditional Islamic attire. According to BBC News Online, "the change in law and practice was seen as a major victory for the women's movement in Iran." Sofia watched the parade on her native streets of Tehran and wept in joy.

(2000): Sofia continues to be actively involved in politics. She has seen much improvement and remains optimistic about the future. More women are gaining power and authority. For instance, according to Kar, in 2000 it became apparent that "a total of 297 women were elected to city and some 484 women to rural councils. What is more, in 56 cities women topped the list of elected councilors in terms of votes received." Also, Sofia learns that Islamic religious leaders in Iran have lifted a ban on women leading prayers. Iranian women will now be able to lead congregations of worshippers for the first time. The change in law is seen as a victor for women's movements in Iran. These are definite signs of change.

(2001): President Khatami is re-elected. Once again, Iranian women played a major role in his victory. Yet, Sofia is still discouraged by many events that have been occurring. There is still much oppression of women in Iran. According to Donna M. Hughes, "since the beginning of 2001, six women have been stoned to death." Apart from that, many women have been flogged and beaten in public. Sofia realizes that the struggle will continue into the 21st Century.

CONCLUSION:

The Islamic Revolution in Iran provoked thousands of Iranian women to stand up and make a difference. Like Sofia, many women became politically involved and make a huge impact. Afterwards, many of these same women were betrayed by the same people they supported in the revolution. Nonetheless, the women of Iran never gave up hope. They consistently argued their rights and became actively involved in Iranian politics. By 1997, Iranian women helped President Khatami win the election by a landslide. It was a major victory for all Iranian women. But the struggle continued, as many women are still being suppressed by their government. Keep in mind that although Khatami is President of Iran, he is not the Supreme Leader, the most powerful position in Iran. The supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, controls the armed forces, the police, the security and intelligence services, radio and television, and the judicial system. According to Hughes, "Ayatollah Khamenei’s opinion of women and their place in society is the same as his predecessor Ayatollah Khomeini’s - women should be wives and mothers." He also views women's equal participation in politics and society as negative and childish. Until Khomeini changes his beliefs or passes away, women will continue to pursue equality and make a difference in Iranian politics. But there is still much hope for the future. Recently, according to BBC News Online, a senior cleric, Ayatollah Yosef Sanei, made headlines when he declared there should be nothing to stop a woman from becoming president or even supreme religious leader. As more changes occur in the future, I will continue to update this website.

Quick Fact: Ayatollah Sanei said women's ''bad treatment'' since the Islamic Revolution contradicted the teachings of Islam.

"Iranian society appears to want to give women the chance to prove themselves. Men have not done so well...let's give the women a chance."---Jamileh Kadivar, former advisor to President Khatami