Shirin Ebadi: Iran Awakening
Salon has a great interview with Nobel laureate and Iranian human rights activist Shirin Ebadi, in which she describes the current women's rights situation in Iran:
A man can have four wives, and he can divorce his wives without giving any reasons. But getting a divorce for a woman is extremely difficult, and in some situations impossible. The value given to the life of a woman is half that given to the life of a man. And on matters of testimony, the testimony of two women is equivalent to the testimony of one man. When a lady is married and she wants to travel, she has to have the written authorization of her husband in order to get her passport and the right to travel. But these are all laws that precede [hard-line Iranian president Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad.
She also points out that the civil rights situation is likely to get even worse if the U.S. decides to attack:
It's very well known that any time a country is under threat from outside, the government uses it as an excuse and starts talking about the necessity of preserving national security, and therefore individual liberties suffer.
Sound familiar?
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alright
i dont see a problem with a man having 4 wives ,as long as the wives agree,in cerain circumstances it would greatly benifit the female.
and as for divorce ,why do you feel that u have a right to hijack this culture and replace it with your extream western ideals?
If it were as likely for a male to have four wives as it was for a female to have four husbands, then I don't think that polygamy would indicate a difference in the amounts of rights that men and women hold. If both could terminate their marriages with the same ease, then it wouldn't indicate a disparity in rights either. But, dear John, you gotta agree that this doesn't happen -- here or in Iran.
I can't believe it, but I had never read The Handmaid's Tale before. I see it everywhere.
I'm glad that this woman is speaking out and I'm glad to learn from her. How much wisdom she has given in one small interview!
Here's something I wish that we as Americans could learn:
"Everybody has a piece of the truth. Therefore, you have as much truth and rights as I do. If you talk in this way, and prune this idea, then there won't be any problems among people."
Think about it, there would be many false allegations of rape, now would there?
"Men who are unjustly accused of rape can sometimes gain from the experience."
Vassar College. Assistant Dean of Students – Catherine Comin
Feminist quote for you ladies and Gentlemen.