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Religious Activism in Iran
Abstract by Samaneh Oladi On Session 037  (Shiism, Gender and Politics)

On Friday, November 19 at 11:00 am

2010 Annual Meeting

Abstract
The participation of women in civil society and their public and private roles is a complex and contentious topic that has engaged the state and women in a dynamic debate. In post-reformist Iran religious women continue to take an active role in order to promote women's emancipation. This study examines the involvement of religious women in civil society in Iran. A case study has been conducted, which focused on a religious organization named "Zeinab Society" (Jamayeh Zeinab). Members of this organization encompass both the conservative and reformist religious activists. These women activists believe that, Islamic texts offer an equal representation of both men and women, while at the same time acknowledging gender differences. By exploring how these women, with their attachments to both political activism and religion, opt for far-reaching changes in gender relations , this study will further analyzes the internal and external constraints these female activists encounter. This research further address one of the fiercely-debated gender discrimination issues that the Zeinab Society has countered. This controversial debate was concerning a bill in the Family Protection Law, which was revised by the Iranian parliament in 2008. The newly revised bill allowed husbands to take additional wives without the consent of their first spouse. Zeinab Society was one of the leading groups that opposed the Family Protection Law. Consequently, parliament dropped the controversial articles before approving the bill. This study has indicated that the Zeinab Society has shown resilience throughout three decades of struggle within and against the state by women loyal to the ideals of the Islamic Revolution. Women's activism has taken many forms in Iran- the most substantial sort bridging the gap between jurisprudence and theology, and engendering democracy. This research examines the extent to which these activists consider their religion a crucial resource for political mobilization in achieving gender equality. I examine this new trend among female activists, who by adopting the language of the religious and political leaders, are demanding that the state implement its promise of justice which they believe is mandated in Islam, while challenging a more secular, Western notion of gender equality. The findings of this research indicate that the new wave of religious activists, with their unconventional and female-centered interpretations of Islam, are challenging and reforming Islamic doctrine from within, rather than imposing or advocating a Western model of feminism.
Discipline
Sociology
Geographic Area
Iran
Sub Area
Gender/Women's Studies