Iran's Election: Women Behind The Candidates
If not as important as American election, but maybe more, Iran’s 10th presidential election is to be held on June 12,2009 as one of the most debatable and influential elections in Iran and maybe in whole world.
The current president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is running for re-election. There are many people around the world including Iran who want him to stay or go.
The Iranian reform movement tried to unite behind a single candidate. But they’ve been unsuccessful up to now.
Former President Mohammad Khatami had been the leading candidate until he left the race and endorsed Former Prime Minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi. Former Speaker of the parliment, Mehdi Karroubi, another Reformist, also intends to run. Also there is Mohsen Rezaei, former military commander, currently the Secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council who is supported by moderate conservative parties, but does not have the votes of majority.
According to a poll conducted in late March 2009, Mir-Hossein Mousavi who calls himself an independent candidate, would take 52% of Iranian workers’ votes in the election, defeating Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with 36% and Mehdi Karroubi with 8%.
This coming election has another especial character too. Along with the candidacy of some notable women for presidency, there are some female members of Iran’s political arena who might influence the result of election and get votes for the candidates. Although i didn’t hear of any famous female politicians to participate in Mohsen Rezaei’s Campaign.
One of those notable women is Fatemeh Rajabi, the journalist wife of Gholam Hossein Elham, Iran’s official government spokesperson.
Fatemeh Rajabi is is critical supporter of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and apparently more in news than her husband. She is an outspoken woman with radical conservative thoughts who has written two books about Ahmadinejad , one of them is “Ahmadinejad: the Third Millennium Miracle”.
She’s founder of Raja News, a news agency which supports and defends Ahmadinejad. She has a blog (It’s filtered in Iran now) in which she publicly attacks notable Iranian politicians including Rafsanjani and his allies for corruption and reformists including Khatami for being friendly toward the West.
Fatemeh Rajabi is the first female critic in Iran’s post-revolution history to go so far in her criticism of prominent politicians.
Exactly different from Ahmadinejad’s wife who usually keeps a low profile and has not appeared much in the public, Fatemeh Rajabi offers speeches in universities, interviews in newspapers and unlike many other women, has very strong influence on her husband whom support her thoroughly.
On the other hand, Jamileh Kadivar is a reformist politician and a former member of the parliament whom along with so many famous reformist politicians, has made a campaign for Mehdi Karrubi.
Jamileh Kadivar has a Bs and Master’s in Social Sciences and a PHD degrees in Political Sciences.
She is the wife of Ata`ollah Mohajerani, former reformist Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance of Iran and sister to Mohsen Kadiver, an Iranian philosopher, University lecturer, cleric and activist.
She is also a blogger and shares a website with her husband called Maktoub which also has a separate subdomain for each of their personal weblogs.
And at last, Zahra Rahnavard, the wife of Mir-Hossein Mousavi. I hear and read that some Iranians are voting him just because of his wife, in the hope that Iran also like many other countries could enjoy the potential of a positive and prominent first lady.
Zahra Rahnavard has a bachelor and master’s degrees in Art, also a master’s and PhD degrees in Political science.
She is a University professor and was the chancellor of Al-zahra University in Tehran, from 1998 to 2006 as the first Iranian woman appointed as a chancellor of a university since the Iranian Revolution of 1979. She was also a Political Adviser to the former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami and has published over 15 books. There are many sculptures and statues made by her throughout Tehran like sculpture of “Mother and child” in Mother square.
In the coming election polls, speeches and rallies, she’s appeared with her husband and made together some historical images like the one above. One might not get the chance sometime soon to see an Iranian politician hand in hand of his wife in political arena of the Islamic Republic.
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hi!
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Hi dear Shahrazad:)
It is very nice of you to share the pictures and the voices of women who can somehow be there reflecting our format of democratical theocracy. However, I was wonderfing if in these elections or any other elections that might follow there be room for ladies like Shirin Ebadi, I mean the only Iranian Nobel prize winner, the lady who single-handedly stands in the face of those who do not feel any thing wrong with our human rights records, or qith the way women and activists and bloggers and memebers of religious minorities are being treated. TYhis lady does not sport a black overall Chador, she does not pretend to be what she is not as well, and she truely represents the Lionesses of Iran. Do you think there is any chance of a lady of her integrity and her scope of thought and activity, a lady of her understanding and knowledge and Bravity…. one day be taken seriously as some one who could truely be considered as a candidate for presidency or some thing like that?
Shahrazad, with what I said, I didn’t mean to evaluate these very respectful ladies in these pictures, but this is not a brave act when a lady praises a current president in her book. In case there is room for people of all walks of life to have a chance to get into presidential campaign, in that case ladies with a conservative view would be taken more seriously, or if there was room for ladies to be as observant as they personally choose, I mean, if they had freedom to veil or unveil, in that case, ladies of such dignity would be more dignified. Well, at least we have these ladies making the news and sharing some views, it is better than not having any ladies at all
Elinor, Thank you for your comments and your points.
Actually regarding the post, i emphasize that i was not going to defend or oppose a system or give a review of all notable women in Iran. My entry is not related to Nobel laureates, i am just giving a “review” on some famous women in Iran who get to be supporters of candidates and i am not judging their bravity etc. Though just one of them support the current president.
I tried my best not to get an especial direction in my post. I hope you read the whole article and do not judge the text through watching the photos.
Shirin Ebadi is a woman that i respect for whatever she did in the field of human rights in Iran. Not just for people like Shirin Ebadi, I would like there be a “room” for an Iranian woman as whatever they chose to be.
It’s long time that Shirin Ebadi does not vote and she does not point or support any candidate, mean she wants to stay away from the official political arena and again that’s her choice.
I do not know how many years you’ve lived in Iran after revolution. I remember there were horrible days in my childhood that girls were not allowed to wear sneakers or white socks at school, otherwise they would be called as bitches! Now school girls’ clothes are all colorful which someday was our utmost dream.
I know that Islamic Republic is not doing good all about, but it’s not as tough as before. We still need many reforms here. Iran is accepting reforms and breaking taboos, bcs there is no other choice, though in a traditional political system of Iran, it takes longer time than other countries.
That’s the idea that Shirin Ebadi supports and for that reason she has enemies from both sides.(I was just reading an article yesterday, about some minorities and political groups who call her a regime puppet!)
And yes, at least we have ladies who make news, whether they wear hijab like the ones above or like Shirin Ebadi without Hijab.
And i hope those notable Iranian women also go alittle further than making fuss, and try “sincerely” to solve real problems of Iranian women.
Shahrazad
Amen to that, I hope that reform will not only change the form but it will also fundamentally change the Quality 
I guess reform is not enough , because that is dealing with the form. Well, it is easy to sit down and right, but the ones who care more, or the ones who would somehow step into the realm where they can affect the course of events, they need support from people who might trust them, perhaps thngs will change more speedily requarding our hellp of requirements. 
Elinor, i do not really agree with a changing of form, since it just bring us back to the zero point. Like 30 and something years ago, again all those struggles, days of extremism, days of fighting among political groups, street battles, incorrect and incomplete laws and so on. That changing the form, finally comes to the idea of “reforming”!
I feel much better with the “reform” which is alittle slow and would take longer time, but it will be more reasonable and logical and will enforce the “longterm” cultural and political change in the society which lasts.
We’re not living in a world of idealism to get all the goodness quickly in the day one. We have yet long way to go..
Shahrazad, do we have any other choice? I guess not. So as long as we can walk with our white snweakers on and be sure there is no one to stone us for misconduct, as long as I can at least let my hair fall on my shoulders when it is damn hot and my head is aching, without the serious consequences, I might respect the ladies who keep their black veils and walk around in order to0 safeguard my rights as a woman.
If the reform candidate wins, relations with USA will be much stronger and there will be peace in the region. Maybe US will even leave Iraq sooner. Iran will be safe from attack from Israel. Trade may resume.
Matt
USA
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i think united state has not do well.because it always act against iran threaten iran attacked iran airline support saddam in iraq iran war support madly isreal without judgment call iran terrorist influnce in mid east by force help MKO which killed presedent rajaee always carry out sanction against iran help and support opposition of islamic republic SO IRAN HAS TO RESIST US because iran is indipendent ahmadinejad’s government talked with US about Iraq but it never happened before====these are for Brian Vree