Iranian candidate's wife is the next Michelle Obama.

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Iranian voters go to the polls today in an election being discussed in apocalyptic terms, as Iran’s next great awakening. Much of the popular excitement centers around Zahra Rahnavard, wife of reformist candidate Mir Hussein Moussavi, also known as Iran’s Michelle Obama. The 1979 revolution has brought conflicting results for women. It’s created sexual hypocrisy and fear of liberated women, as Janet Afary describes in her new book Sexual Politics in Modern Iran. But it’s also raised the average age of marriage and opened up opportunities for women. Rahnavard represents a slow awakening of the latter strain. In her dramatic unveiling, she recently went onstage holding her husband’s hand—the first time any woman has done that since the revolution. In college, she studied art and wore a miniskirt, but reluctantly. She “abhorred” sexual freedoms flaunted by her fellow students, writes Afary. After the revolution, she started a feminist magazine but always wore a chador. In her writings and speeches she popularized the term “second sex” and fought for laws against sexual abuse of women by relatives. If her husband wins, she may end up the most visible advocate for women the Muslim world has ever had.

Tags: iranian elections, zahna rahnavard

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Comments

Thanks for "Sexual Politics

By: Grunia | Tue, 07/21/2009 - 20:22

Thanks for "Sexual Politics in Modern Iran" link. It was very interesting reading.

Harriette

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By: natalimedpos | Mon, 07/20/2009 - 05:28

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Zahra Rahnavard is educated,

By: chrisawalik | Thu, 07/02/2009 - 05:16

Zahra Rahnavard is educated, living in a culture few of us truly understand the complexity of. Her strength of example is emboldening women and helping to blaze a path… There certainly is no shame in that.

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I don’t know much about Zahra

By: chrisawalik | Mon, 06/29/2009 - 23:36

I don’t know much about Zahra or her husband, but they make it out that she is a very good person who stands by what she believes. Now, I don’t have much respect for the Obamas, and I think from what i gathered about Zahra, she is a more noble and honorabe person than Michelle.

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Mrs. Rahnavard literally

By: chrisawalik | Mon, 06/29/2009 - 23:35

Mrs. Rahnavard literally risks her life to promote basic human rights not only for women but for all Iranians. On the other hand, Mrs. Clinton has never championed the rights of anyone unless it benefits her personally. Mrs. Clinton excuses the pigish behavior of her woman abusing husband. Their relationship is not simply a private one between two ordinary people. Both Bill and Hillary are professional politicians who have done little to nothing else in their life. They are both highly trained attorneys. They know exactly what they are saying and doing. That is their life. It is what they are trained to do. For Bill Clinton to be so blatantly irresponsible is not a normal human flaw but a serious breech of mental stability. Bill has done this more than once and Hillary has repeatedly defended him all in the name of keeping POWER. Hillary Clinton is the antithesis of Women's Rights. Comparing this power hungry grub to the hero Zahra Rahnavard is shameful. I suspect Ms. Misra wrote this article not to commend Mrs Rahnavard but to lick Mrs. Clinton's tax payer bought boots.

( Master Degree and phd degree and on line degree )