Source:

April 3, 2010

Members of an Iranian women’s group met with Zahra Rahnavard, wife of one of the Green Movement’s leaders Mir-Hossein Mousavi. A number of women journalists, students and lawyers were also present in the meeting.

Members of the women’s society called Zanane Noandish (Forward Thinking Women) met with Zahra Rahnavard on Wednesday. The group’s Secretary-General Fatemeh Rakei congratulated Ms Rahnavard on for the occasion of the Iranian New Year and presented a report of the group’s activities to the Dr Rahnavard.

According to an Iranian women’s website, Zahra Rahnavard welcomed the increasing role of women’s groups and organisations in political and party oriented activities. “Without the presence of women, there would be no great points in the history of our country and the Green Movement could never reach such heights without women.”

Zahra Rahnavard also said that the current interpretation of Islam regarding women’s rights were not at all “Islamic” and added: “Throughout these years, certain people have attempted to misrepresent their own backward theories as Islam. Islam is a progressive religion and has the capacity to interact with the modern world.”

She also maintained that Islam has new ideas and a lively and dynamic Ijtihad (independent interpretation of Islam) has created an opportunity for improvement and adaptability with the time which we live in.

The former prime minister’s wife also called on discriminatory laws against women to be removed. “All segments of [women's society] in our country, especially women from deprived sectors suffer from a great deal of discriminatory laws and I am certain that even the free spirited men of our country suffer from these discriminations and are ashamed of them.”

In the end, Rahnavard recalled the close relationship between the Green Movement and the women’s movement in Iran. “A number of great movements such as women’s movements, worker’s movements, student movements, teachers’ movements are within the enormous Green Movement and their demands are common slogans such as freedom, removing discrimination, respect for law, seeking democracy. The resistance of these movements will help in the victory of the Green Movement.