Notes on the Repression of the Women in Iran

Abstract

How are we to understand the Islamic Republic’s battle against women? Women who want gender equality are tried and given hefty jail sentences. By intimidation and detention, the regime forces women to observe the decreed head and body coverings. But why has the Islamic Republic gone to battle with women? The author argues that the issue is directly linked to the theory of the velayat-e faqih [rule by an Islamic jurist] and the legitimization of rule by Islamic jurists. Without gender apartheid, the velayat-e faqih would cease to have meaning.