Shirin Ebadi: The fight for Human Rights in the Middle East

During the Iranian Revolution in 1979 transformed Iran’s political,social,and economic structure. Secular Laws were replaced with Islamic laws creating an outburst. Women were often abused,raped,treated as slaves,and accused of false imprisonment. These tortures things that most women had to face are against the Islamic religion.

Accustomed to stereotypical depictions, Westerners are told that Middle Eastern women are passive, weak, and always veiled. It is often assumed that the severe conditions in Saudi Arabia—where women are not even allowed to drive cars—represent the norm for women throughout the Middle East and in the larger Muslim world. In reality, Saudi Arabia’s versions of both Islam and sexism are rather unique in their severities, although the rule of the Taliban in Afghanistan is now emulating the sexist Saudi model. Women enjoy political and social rights in many Muslim countries, and Egypt has recently granted women the right to divorce their husbands. In Tunisia, abortion is legal, and polygamy is prohibited. Women have served as ministers in the Syrian, Jordanian, Egyptian, Iraqi, and Tunisian governments, and as Vice President in Iran.

Women's rights in the Middle East have always been a controversial issue. Although the rights of women have changed over the years, they have never really been equal to the rights of a man. This poses a threat on Iran because women have very limited options when it comes to labor, marriage and other aspects of their culture. I believe that equal treatment for women and men is a fundamental principal of international human rights standards. Yet, in some places like Iran, discriminatory practices against women are not only prevalent, but in some cases, required by law. In this essay I will explain to you the every day life of an every day Islamic woman living in Iran. You will be astonished by what these women have endured through the

With this impression in mind, the theme for the picture above is religion; it shows “Women protesting forced hijab days after the Iranian Revolution, 1979” (online). All the demonstrations made by women, because of this exact same reason, show this theme; moreover, it is a big religious issue. Religious themes are, also, shown when Marjane tells her dad that the Shah was chosen by God, which is false; and, especially, with the Islamic regime. In fact, from the Deliverers of Divine Justice walking around, to school being

Women’s rights in the Middle East have always been a controversial issue. Although the rights of women have changed over the years, they have never really been equal to the rights of a man. This poses a threat on Iran because women have very limited options when it comes to labor, marriage and other aspects of their culture. I believe that equal treatment for women and men is a fundamental principal of international human rights standards. Yet, in some places like Iran, discriminatory practices against women are not only prevalent, but in some cases, required by law. In this essay I will explain to you the every day life of an every day Islamic woman living in Iran. You will be astonished by what these women

Ebadi shouldered the nation's most unmanageable human rights cases master bono. She pored over religious writings to contend against specific understandings of Koranic directives by demanding that inside Islam, other all the more simply or less prejudicial elucidations were conceivable. She did this not on the grounds that she had warmed to the Islamic reformatory code or to the thought of religious translation as an establishment for the law, but since her cases were pressing and her scholarly vanity was definitely

There are many ways in which Iranian cultural expectations are different from the western cultural expectations. They are different in regards to citizens’ rights and gender norms.

The emergence of the Islamic Republic in late 1970’s Iran demonstrates how middle class Iranian people purged themselves of the Pahlavi Dynasty in an effort to continue down a more righteous and egalitarian path. As a result, the country underwent a complete social upheaval and in its place grew an overtly oppressive regime based in theoretical omnipotence. In response to this regime, the very structure of political and social life was shaken and fundamentally transformed as religion and politics became inexorable. As a result, gender roles and the battle between public and private life were redrawn. Using various primary and secondary sources I will show how the Revolution shaped secular middle class Iranians. Further, I will show how the

Religion goes hand in hand with culture, and in the Muslim countries this is very apparent. The cultural importance of men over women may have stemmed from religion, however it was further recognized when imperialist countries introduced capitalism and class divides. “Islam must combat the wrenching impact of alien forces whose influence in economic, political, and cultural permutations continues to prevail” (Stowasser 1994, 5). Now, instead of an agrarian state where both men and women had their place, difficulties have formed due to the rise in education and awareness that women can and do have a place in society beyond domestic living Though women are not equal to men anywhere around the

For example, after the overthrow of the Shah of Iran and the rise of an Islamic republic in 1979, Iranian women’s rights declined drastically, as can be seen in the political cartoon from The Minneapolis Star. In this cartoon, a wilted flower represents Iranian women’s rights, and a devious Muslim man is seen in the background, which presumably symbolizes the new Islamic government led by the Ayatollah Khomeini. Thus, the creation of this new government has greatly diminished whatever women’s rights were previously established in Iran (Doc 9). This source, an American newspaper, may not be as accurate as, for example, a Muslim source because of a general American unfamiliarity with Islam. Princess Ashraf Pahlavi, a high-class Islamic woman, described her experiences as a Muslim female during this period in her memoir Faces in a Mirror: Memoirs from Exile. This specific excerpt depicts the immediate obedience of high-class Islamic women to their male superiors, despite their own intentions (Doc 10). Thus, although there were sparse attempts to reform the status of Islamic women in the 20th century, in general, the role of women remained the same, or in some cases it was even worse than before.

In today’s vast, democracy-fueled world, the concept of feminism has gradually taken on a significant role when it comes to modernity. The advocacy for equality of all women proves effective and boasts an undying faithfulness from women everywhere. Within the boundaries of the United States of America, feminism has grown since the establishment of the nation and continues to grow today, an issue that has especially risen in light of the recent election. However, beyond this great nation’s borders, feminism does not die in even the slightest way. Women all over the world are fighting for their equality and right to complete and total fairness. Despite the worldwide movement, it’s often overshadowed by other issues going on. Iran, the focus of Jasmin Darznik’s The Good Daughter: A Memoir of My Mother’s Hidden Life, played (and continues to play) host to perhaps one of the greatest flawed societies when it comes to feminism. Through her powerful, poignant memoir, Darznik brings us into the midst of a particular lifestyle and the reality behind treatment of women in Iranian society.

Iranians and people from the east are often look upon as terrorists and extreme fundamentalists. Before reading this book, I even saw Iran and the culture from that viewpoint. I saw the women of Iran as being passively oppressed and as Muslim women who had no voice.

* Show how Marjane Satrapi grew up under oppression during the Islamic Revolution in Iran.

The Secular Feminism in the West has its own problems and causes that they fight for. Women in the West are fighting for things like equal wages, end rape culture and protect reproductive rights. In America Women’s rights are protected by the constitution and cannot be taken away. Women have the right to vote, they have freedom of speech, they are allowed to have property. In America, all women have basic fundamental rights and our government protects these rights. However, in the Middle East, in Iran specifically, women are not protected by their governments and they do not have fundamental rights. According to the 209th Article of the Iranian constitution a women’s life is only worth half of a that of a man. In western society like Britain or America the law covers women and men in the same ways and one is not worth more than the other. In 2014 an Iranian artist named Atena Farghadani was arrested for drawing parliament as animals. At the time the Iranian parliament was trying to take away all access to any type

The soldier who appears to be in the leadership position is greatly concerned with going on military leave as he tells a girl, “[he] should be on leave…it’s [her] fault [he’s] on duty here” (Panahi). More than detaining these girls, he is concerned with moving back to his village and taking care of his family. The only reason he is detaining the girls is because “[he] [has] responsibilities” and “[he’ll] be punished” if he releases them (Panahi). There seems to be an evident discrepancy within the Iranian hierarchy as it pertains to the legal policy prohibiting women from