| Iran’s Women’s Rights Activists Are Being Smeared |
Run Date: 09/17/08 www.stanford.edu |
| By Nayereh Tohidi WeNews commentator |
| Women’s rights activists recently succeeded in stalling a bill to ease polygamy, temporary marriage and male-bias in divorce. But Nayereh Tohidi says a nasty smear campaign and continuous arrest show the adversity they are up against.Editor’s Note: The following is a commentary. The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily the views of Women’s eNews. |
 (WOMENSENEWS)–In Iran, the government of hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad recently proposed a bill and, in Orwellian fashion, named it the “Family Protection Law.”
If passed it would have threatened the stability, equilibrium, and mental health of families by reinforcing and facilitating polygamy, temporary marriage, and men’s privileged position with regard to divorce. The good news: A diverse coalition of women’s rights activists and even some moderate clerics and politicians persuaded a judicial commission to drop some of the most contested articles and Majles, the Parliament, passed an amended version on Sept. 9. This version makes second marriage contingent upon the first wife’s consent and does not attach any tax on the amount of dowry to be paid to wife in case of divorce. The bad news: The amended family law and many other laws pertaining to |
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