The Inner Housekeeping in Ramazan

The commencement of Ramazan, the Holy month of fasting for Muslims, brings along with it important changes in lifestyle and behavior. In addition to prohibition of eating, drinking and sexual activity during the day light, fasting also implies refraining from unethical social behavior such as lying , backbiting and oath breaking. Muslims practice a sublime set of moral behavior and attitudes during this month, which should set standards  for the whole year around.  Fasting is a personal affair, their are social activities associated with fasting; but in abiding to the rules each individual begins a personal endeavor to change daily habits, and to revisit inner impulses and behaviors.

Ramazan is  the time for self or inner house keeping. The inner affairs of our hearts and minds , our intentions which create our actions and build our personality are revisited and addressed in this Holy Month. The difficulties of fasting and the pressures of thirst and hunger are meant to create a firm and steadfast personality who could resist the temptations and attractive worldly desires which may take a human being to a degraded state of existence and undermine human dignity . Weak people usually give in and sell their dignity for very little. Ramazan is meant to restore strong will and faith in humans who have lost their direction and goal.

During those moments of hunger and thirst the fasting individual considers the sufferings and pains of others and comes to a sublime level of selflessness. Ramazan takes humans to a higher level of contemplation and altruism, a sensation that is compromised in today's material world.

Reflections on the Awakening Conference in Tehran

Women have had a central role in the Islamic  awakening or Arab Spring, what ever we name it. They have taken to the streets along with men protesting against dictatorship and tyranny and demanding freedom and a dignified life. Women in Tunisia,Egypt,Libya, Palestine, Yemen, Syria and Bahrain all played an instrumental role in the success of their nations. As mothers, wives, sisters and daughters women, took central or support roles in promoting the movements and sacrificing their lives or that of their beloved . In many instances women resisted tremendous pressures and broke the chains of fear and suffering with resilience and hope for the future. Some Iranians believed that the Islamic Revolution and Republic served as an inspiration for their movement. Others questioned whether a Revolution of 32 years age and now facing numerous challenges could still serve as a model for Muslim nations.
The Islamic Revolution of Iran is still unique in many respects, the sweeping victory in 1978 amid the staunch opposition of the number one superpower the USA, surviving a devastating war and crippling sanctions are all indications of strength. Over the years, this Revolution like any other has face numerous growing challenges as well. 
1200 women involved in the Islamic awakening movements were invited to Iran by the government. They met and discussed issues related to the Awakening in the luxurious Milad Tower Conference Center  and later visited touristic attractions in some historic sites. State media gave much emphasis to the importance of this gathering which provided participants with the opportunity to become familiar with Iran and the achievements of the Revolution and which set grounds for a future network of these women .
The Islamic Revolution has taken great strides in providing a self confidence and identity for Muslims , and has given them pride in their Islamic faith and practice. While the great gains of these 32 years are numerous, an objective picture would include the lessons and losses as well. These Muslim women and all those who believe in the legacy of the Islamic Revolution, need to learn the losses and lessons as well as the gains and achievements. It is only then that we can deliver an objective picture and useful exchange of experiences for these nations. Press TV indicated in its report on this conference that these women from 83 countries had a chance in Tehran to freely discuss their ordeal and sufferings and aspirations without the fear of retribution. This is a good start , but hopefully it will also be considered for Iranian citizens as well, so that they could also speak out and voice their concerns and criticisms without any fear of retribution or pressure in their own homeland.

Afghan Refugees Find Precious Support From Iranian NGO

Dressed in beautiful traditional costumes, several Afghan elementary students stood on stage singing a song about their love for Afghanistan.  On the eve of the World Refugee Day, I was invited to speak at the opening ceremony of HAMI. HAMI is an NGO devoted the protection of refugee women and children. Since 1998, Fatemeh Ashrafi has led a non governmental effort to support refugees in Iran. According to the UNHCR official site reports Iran still hosts more than one million registered Afghan refugees. It ranks as the first country in terms of refugee number as well as duration of refugee stay. More precise statistics however, point to a number of 5-6 million Afghan refugees in Iran, most of whom do not have legal status and stay or work permit. Iranians have patiently hosted Afghan citizens for more than three decades when their country faced most difficult times of war, terror and insecurity. Their stay in Iran has been fruitful for both guest and host, although the burden has been mostly set upon Iranians and their government. Due to low economic status and low education, Afghan presence in Iran has been  marred by significant records of unlawful activity resulting in some degree of negative perception among the Iranian society. This has led to certain unreasonable reactions in which for example a  local authority in a northern province banned Afghan nationals from taking part in a certain public ceremony . This led to a strong reaction among some social activists .
HAMI has provided free education for Afghan children, through the establishment of two schools in Tehran and other cities and has supported their families now for several years. Stressing on the importance of providing education for refugees, Ms Ashrafi stated that when parliament elections were held in Afghanistan she felt proud to see that many candidates had announced in their campaign that they  were educated in Iranian universities.
The commitment of the civil society  to humanitarian assistance for refugees residing in Iran is indicative of strong social trends that have persisted in spite of official distaste and aversion, during the recent years specifically . In this particular case HAMI seems to receive some support from government officials.
At regional levels, while government support for neighboring states Afghanistan and Iraq has been significant and substantial the civil society has also been effective in strengthening ties between nations. I remember well that during the official visit of President Khatami to  Afghanistan, after the installation of President Karzai,   President Karzai made the point in a bilateral meeting that Iran had provided the greatest support for post war Afghanistan to that date.

In my speech last week I asked for more recognition and support for our precious civil society efforts from international organisations like the UNHCR and UNICEF as well as from the Iranian government.

The Appointment

The Prophet of Islam was appointed today on Mabaas the 27th of Rajab to promote the message of the Revelation.  According to the Holy Quran, Mohammad (SA) is a good example for all( Sura Ahzab 21). He has said : " I have been appointed to complete the best morals". He loves humanity and his life is full of sacrifices for the betterment of mankind.   Yet he is also human and a messenger for all times (Sura Asra 92-93). As Muslims we can name ourselves followers only when we take him as an example in our lifestyle, in our ways and in our words. This requires that we take the Prophet   as a role model, and that we understand his Mission and the teachings of the Quran. The question that arises today is that how can the personality traits of the Prophet and his ways and deeds be applicable to our lifestyles in the 21st century. Islamic scholars and Ulema have divergent views on this matter.
The more conservative and traditional Ulema stipulate that believers should follow and obey the teachings and lifestyle of the Prophet, as it was 14 centuries ago. The progressive scholars believe that Muslims should find the similarities between the lifestyle and manners of the Prophet and seek to implement them. The more modern intellectuals believe that while adhering to the principles and strategies Muslims may improvise to meet the requirements of modern times.
The sublime ethical and spiritual personality of the Prophet along with his sympathy for the oppressed and downtrodden and his support for those suffering from spiritual and material afflictions as well as his love for all humanity all set him in the apex of human history.

He serves as a beacon of hope for the wandering ship of humanity, guiding this wrecked ship to the shores of salvation and bliss.

Farideh Mashini and the Fate of Women's Studies

Iranian universities have  provided post graduate degrees in the field of Women's Studies since 1998. The MA degree program was established by the efforts of both academicians and civil society. The non-governmental Institute for Women's Studies and Research , of which I have been a founding and trustees member, had an instrumental role in proposing the degree and preparing its curriculum in 1996. I was part of that effort and we had proposed at least three branches for the degree program, including women's rights in Islam, family studies, social roles of women.  After approval in 1998, many students studied in this field during the past decade . Recently, during a major review and restructuring of  Human Sciences in Iran, which has been conducted with a certain ideological and political mentality, the Women's Studies degree has been changed to Women's Rights in Islam, thereby limiting the focus of the studies and courses provided. Since the initial attempt had been to delete the degree program in total , this seems to be a compromise to keep the program, but in a controlled manner that would subside the worries of certain conservative groups about the so called Feminist ideology that might permeate and poison such courses. The reality is that an academic approach should enable familiarity with all lines of thought in a particular field,  for only after such an approach would it be possible to make scholarly and unbiased comparisons and appraisals of each school of thought. This is the approach that Islamic leaders and scholars have historically  promoted based on the teachings of the religion.

We have lost a renown woman activist and Quranic researcher, and one of the early graduates in the    Women's Studies program.  Farideh Mashini (1960) died of cancer on Wednesday, after a long struggle against the disease. Farideh is well known among women activists for her dedication to the cause and for her support for the families of political prisoners particularly after the disputed elections of 2009. Mrs. Mashini was briefly arrested in 2009 and interrogated later as well.  Farideh had since several decades, convened sessions for the exegisis of the Holy Quran , particularly on women's rights and status. She was known for her progressive views and insight on these matters. She was a member of the board of the Institute for Women's Studies and has contributed to Farzaneh Journal of Women's Studies  Farideh has also written many research articles and contributed to many national and international conferences. She was one the Muslim Students Following the Line of Imam in 1979 .
We all pray that her soul rest in peace and eternal happiness.

Birthday Celebration in Pristina

I received an email today from a women's NGO in Kosovo . The director of the Nisa Organization was by chance our guest in Tehran, a few months ago. Based in Pristina, Kosovo's capital, they have stated their objective as: "To spread the practice and knowledge of Islam, and to raise the consciousness of our population comparing the similarity of Islam and our Albanian traditions" . These women are from a generation of Muslim Europeans who are seeking to revive their Islamic identity and culture. They have faced the terrible ordeal of racial discrimination at the hands of the Serbs and the difficult years of war and devastation. They are now back to normal life seeking to promote an Islamic lifestyle in Europe.

The Nisa members  have celebrated the birthday of the daughter of the Prophet , Fatima Zahra in Pristina. Fatima is considered as a role model for Muslims worldwide and her life and sayings constitute a road map for all humanity.

Women, Power and Politics in 21st Century Iran

 Based on an invitation from the editors, I have contributed a chapter to a recently published book " Women, Power and Politics In 21st Century Iran. link The book is an account of Iranian women who are activists , academicians or politicians about their experiences and their views on Iranian society.  Contrary to the often biased and misleading stereotypes about Iranian and Muslim women, this volume attempts to depict a realistic picture of their successes and challenges.

 In the introduction Elahe Rostami notes that: As is discussed by Jamileh Kadivar, Elahe Koolaee and Massoumeh Ebtekar, in this book, through much of the history of Islamic Iran, the Islamic concept of Ijtihad has allowed the constant reinterpretation of socio-economic and socio-political matters which can take both a conservative and a democratic form. However Taliban-ism and Saudi style conservatism have never existed in Iran. The Islamic Republic of Iran from its inception has been engaged in a battle between conservative Islam and reformist Islam....... The authors in this book offer a particular analysis of Iranian  women's struggle for change. ..They criticize the the conservative and patriarchal traditions in Islam which have taken away women's rights and continue to subject women to unequal treatment. At the same time they challenge the perception of Muslim women in the West as passive victims of men and religion. As is discussed by Mehri Honarbin Holliday  our aim is not to wholly negate the history of Western thought but to problematise its absolutist convictions in promoting the centrality and universality of Western traditions. Therefore we argue that simplistic views of the place of women in Islam are part of narratives of inferiority and otherness and that to advance this discourse the West has conveniently ignored the achievements of women in Islamic societies. 


I believe this effort which was undertaken by a group of academics concerned about the misleading stereotypes of Iranian women after the Revolution, has been an important step in providing an objective analysis and contributing to the debate about the status of women in Islam and the role of women in social and political processes in Iran.
I hope you would take the time to read this book which is one of the few insider looks at Iran.