Iran leads in Islamic WomenÂ’s Rights But That DoesnÂ’t Say Much.

After beating down women demonstrating for more rights and liberties IranÂ’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad threw Iranian women a bone and said Via Yahoo News:

"The presence of families and women will improve soccer-watching manners, and promote a healthy atmosphere," Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said . "They will be allocated some of the best stands in stadiums," he added.

He also paid additional lip service to womenÂ’s rights with this statement.

"Some consider women as the source of corruption and this is a very wrong attitude," he said. However, he added women sometimes expressed objectionable views, or what he called "ideas that are not related to Islam."

Still the nation of Iran treats women badly and as less than equals.

Iran's Islamic law imposes tight restrictions on women. They need a male guardian's permission to work or travel, and have rarely been allowed to attend public sporting events. In 2001, a group of Irish women was permitted to attend a World Cup qualifier match between Iran and Ireland that was held in TehranÂ…

Â…Women in Iran are not allowed to become judges, and a man's court testimony is considered twice as important as a woman's. Iranian men can divorce almost at will, while women must go through a long legal battle and often relinquish rights in return for divorceÂ…

Â…In March, police charged a peaceful women's rights protest in Tehran, beating women and men and provoking condemnation from international rights groupsÂ…

Â…Last week, some 500 conservative activists demonstrated outside the Majlis, or parliament, demanding full implementation of Islamic law, which bans women from wearing short coats and skirts in public as well as premarital relationships. They blamed police negligence for an increase in violations of strict Islamic law.

So Ahmadinejad is a politician. Iranian women fight for their rights and he gives them a sky box at the stadium. Somehow I doubt Iranian women are that stupid. Must say I’m impressed by the Iranian president’s ability to learn how to play politics “Washington Style”. The old bait and switch eh?

Posted by: Howie at 10:51 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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