Thank Women for Iran's Revolution

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 23, 2009 10:25 AM CDT
Thank Women for Iran's Revolution
Supporters of Mir Hossein Mousavi gather on the streets protesting the results of the presidential election in Tehran.   (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Americans like to thank Barack Obama or George Bush or even Twitter for Iran’s revolution, but the real movers and shakers are Iran’s women, writes Anne Applebaum in the Washington Post. They’ve spent years organizing and campaigning for equal rights, and their presence in the streets “could strike the deepest blow against the regime.” By rejecting the theocracy’s gender discrimination, tens of thousands of women are rejecting its supposedly divine authority, too.

It’s no coincidence that Mir Hossein Mousavi promised more rights for women and made his wife, a political science professor, a major part of his campaign. Middle East experts say stability, security, and oil are more important than “women’s issues.” “But regimes that repress the civil and human rights of half their population are inherently unstable,” writes Applebaum. “There has to be a backlash. In Iran, we’re watching it unfold.” (More women's rights stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X