Email This to a Friend
Meet Mrs. Ahmedinejad and Co.
The rise of vociferous female conservatives in Iran.
Since becoming president in 2005, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has become one of the most widely known Iranian politicians. In direct contrast, his wife has been one of the most discreet spouses in Iranian political history. The world got its first glimpse of her in 2005, after she accompanied her husband on a trip to Malaysia. However, she did not speak any words and has hardly ever appeared in front of cameras since then. What was even more mysterious was her identity. She was only referred to as Mrs. Ahmadinejad in the very few reports which mentioned her. Her real identity was strongly protected.
But on January 18, 2009, the world suddenly met Azam Al Sadat Farahi, who until that day was known as Mrs. Ahmadinejad. The encounter was brought about by a letter she wrote on behalf of Gazans to Suzanne Mubarak, the wife of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. In it she wrote:
The people of Gaza have been subjected to aerial, ground and sea attacks and have been living under siege for a long time. Witnessing the bombardment of mosques, hospitals and houses and the mutilation of women and children brings pain to the heart of any human being. …I ask you to do whatever is in your capacity to help the people of Gaza and to help them from the oppression that they are suffering from, so that your name is placed alongside the name of worthy and peace seeking women.
One could doubt whether Mrs. Ahmadinejad’s letter would have any impact, because these days Egypt is trying its best to isolate Iran. This was seen by the fact that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei on several occasions asked for Mubarak’s help. Nothing ever came of it.
Nevertheless, the symbolic value of the letter should not be ignored. Many people around the world believe that Iranian women, especially conservative ones, are confined to the boundaries of the kitchen. This may be true about wives of conservative clergy. However when it comes to non-clergy conservatives, the opposite is true. Quite a few are very vociferous in their political thinking and beliefs.
Page 1 of 2 Next ->
Meir Javedanfar is the co-author with Yossi Melman of The Nuclear Sphinx of Tehran: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the State of Iran. He runs Middle East Economic and Political Analysis (MEEPAS).
 |
 |
 |
Podcasts |  PJM Home |
Pajamas Media appreciates your comments that abide by the following guidelines:
1. Avoid profanities or foul language unless it is contained in a necessary quote or is relevant to the comment.
2. Stay on topic.
3. Disagree, but avoid ad hominem attacks.
4. Threats are treated seriously and reported to law enforcement.
5. Spam and advertising are not permitted in the comments area.
The clause regarding "hate speech" has been deleted because readers criticized it as being too loosely defined. We agreed.
These guidelines are very general and cannot cover every possible situation. Please don't assume that Pajamas Media management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment. We reserve the right to filter or delete comments or to deny posting privileges entirely at our discretion. If you feel your comment was filtered inappropriately, please email us at story@pajamasmedia.com.
19 Comments
1. Marie Claude:yeah, since the mullahcraty took the power, the Iran speciality is “emotional policy” !!!!
Now, where are the true warriors there ??? There must be some left DNA of them though !!!!
Out, the pulcinellas !!!
Jan 28, 2009 - 4:17 am 2. Laura:If only the women in oppressed Islamic countries got together to protest their own enslavement by their own people, instead of vilifying Israel, whose women are freer than any other in the Middle East. They could break their own chains and free their sex. Where are the radical Western feminists in all this? Wait, I know….. protesting in the streets against Israel.
Jan 28, 2009 - 7:25 am 3. Meir Javedanfar:For the majority of Iranian women, the economic struggle at home is the priority. This is one opportunity which may enable them to improve their position even further, due to the high level of education which they have.
Jan 28, 2009 - 10:34 am 4. DoubleTapper:Here in Israel, our women have the power. From our Female Prime Minister Golda Meir to my personal favorite.
Isn’t she special??
She dwarfs me!
DoubleTapper
Jan 28, 2009 - 12:54 pm 5. KansasGirl:DoubleTapper@gmail.com
DoubleTapper, blogging on
Guns Politics Defense from Israel
Oh no, the feminization of Iran? Who’d thunk!
Jan 28, 2009 - 1:12 pm 6. Leatherneck:Wow, she really looks hot in that Burka! I bet she cleans house real good too.
Jan 28, 2009 - 1:51 pm 7. Marc Malone:They can only do this if their hubbies let them. Tempest in a teapot.
Jan 28, 2009 - 1:56 pm 8. mohammed:Haha keep deluding yourselves. All Hillary could manage are some imaginary cracks in the glass ceiling. The Iranian parliament has more women in it in proportion than the American congress, likewise the Palestinian authority parliament. And some majority Muslim countries have produced women leaders. Pakistan elected a female prime minister once, though she spoiled the show by becoming an American lackey. Indonesia largest Muslim nation has elected a female president before, Bangladesh almost 100% Muslim country has had 2 women prime ministers and just returned one to power. Your facts are wrong, America has not even got a female vice president yet. Next century may be.
Jan 28, 2009 - 2:30 pm 9. Leatherneck:And guess what the Muslim countries with the fewest rights to women like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have governments that are only in power because of American support, the day they are toppled this will all end. They are the so called allies. Your logic is upside down people.
Wow, with such great things going on inside the Ummah, I wonder why the moon god worshipers continue to want to come to Europe, and the United States.
Perhaps, it is the free housing, and food stamps.
Jan 28, 2009 - 3:15 pm 10. kelly k:“The Iranian parliament has more women in it…” Now, if only they could do something about those stonings….
Yep, our logic is upside down.
Jan 28, 2009 - 3:33 pm 11. Delia:The Burka makes this all moot anyway. Women with freedom? HA! In fact, DOUBLE HA evennnnnnnnnn!
I mean… Come the frick ON! Seriously! Muslim men are notorious for treating women like caca whether in the USA or in their own homelands.
Atlas Shrugs as shite loads of examples:
http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/
Seriously, STFU Muslim extremists and your ilk. You are a pox on the world and you know damned well you’d love to send this whole world back into the dark ages under your guiding, head lopping, hand.
EFF YOU!
Jan 28, 2009 - 6:02 pm 12. WestGuard:“Wife” in the islamic world really means owning a dehumanized and ever subserviant “house maid / sex slave”
Jan 28, 2009 - 10:41 pm 13. ella:But at least Mrs Ahmadinejad has a rich, politically powerful master. Most burka wearing “pets” have it far worse.
I think that Iranian women at universities are less conservative then Iranian women who did not got university education, but of course, many educated women are supporting conservative causes/government because by doing so they can get a good job which would make them less dependent on their family or their husband. And some, not many, but some, are truly conservative.
I would not agree that Ahmadinejad champions rights of women. Ahmadinejad wanted more votes and more support for his policies – roughly half of the Iranian voting population are women, so it is natural that he tried to make some small changes in return for votes and support.
As for soccer – Soccer is no. 1 game in Iran, all Iranians, men and women, watch soccer matches and women many times protested against not being allowed to be a spectators during soccer matches. Ahmadinejad himself was a soccer player so I assume that he has different view on that then mullahs of Iran.
@mohammed
No it does not. 8th majlis have 8 women on 290 representatives. You are also forgetting that no woman could be a leader of IRI, as the leader, presently Khamenei, should be a cleric as well as be a direct descendant of Muhammad family.
I will not discuss Gaza or West Bank because with the introduction of hudud punishments into Gaza legislature women situations will not be that much different from the situation under original Taliban in Afghanistan.
As for Pakistan or Bangladesh – Pakistani women situations are different from place to place and although in cities women situation are not that bad in countryside women situation is – hmm – talibanized. Which is no surprise, taliban sprang up in Pakistan.
As for Bangladesh – situation there is worsening with every day..
Oh, and stop telling us that the governments of KSA or Kuwait are in power only because of evil americans. Where are the protesting people of KSA, Qatar or emirates? If the people of KSA decide to change the government they would change it US or no US. At the moment they might dislike many things but they are rich compared to others and they do not want to change it.
Majority of loud protesters sit on their behind in Londonistan, France, USA or Qatar and complain from the distance.
@Delia & Co.,
Iranian women do not wear burka. The Afghani women and Pakistani women wear burka.
Jan 28, 2009 - 11:44 pm 14. Delia:Women in Iran are one of the best educated in the ME, and there are more women in the universities then men
ella,
Certainly websites such as this would argue otherwise regarding ‘freedoms’ for Iranian women:
http://www.wfafi.org/
Jan 29, 2009 - 7:53 pm 15. mohammed:13. ella:
You ignored the main point, America has not managed a woman vice president yet all these ‘backward’ and uncivilized Muslim countries managed it, may be a fatwa helped. Rubbish, your math doesn’t add up.
Jan 30, 2009 - 11:46 am 16. tanstaafl:Whatever Mrs. A’jad is saying, I’m sure it’s with her husband’s permission. I find it hard to read positive comments on Ahmadinejhad (”fostering chaos to lay the groundwork for the return of the Mahdi”), especially given rather violent suppression of student unrest & other reporting that manages to get out of Iran.
I wonder what A’jad & friends thinks of this women’s movement in Iran, doing the legwork to inform women of the backwardness of shari’a…
1 Million Signatures Campaign for Women’s Rights in Iran
Feb 1, 2009 - 10:28 am 17. Concerned:Wow. Is that DoubleTapper guy for real?
He looks like an action figure.
And that IDF Giant Woman is incredible.
http://doubletapper.blogspot.com
Feb 3, 2009 - 4:33 am 18. ella:Delia
I am not saying that women in Iran are free, although they are more free than women in Saudi Arabia (but that’s not saying much). I am saying that they are one of the best educated in the ME and that there are more women at Iranian Universities then men.
Don’t read into my post more than I wrote.
Mohammed
Getting the showcase woman President or PM means nothing if overall situation of women is pretty bad and if situation of women during presidency of that woman did not improved.
Feb 3, 2009 - 5:46 pm 19. ella:Unfortunately neither situation of women is good nor situation of women under any woman-president improved.
And tell me, oh knowlegeable one, how much women is in the majlis?
ups, sorry, should be: “how many women are in the majlis”
Feb 3, 2009 - 5:48 pm