Monday, June 12, 2006 Women to march in Tehran for equal rights Read this, and then let's all send some good thoughts and well wishes to support our Iranian sisters (and some men) as they hold a peaceful march in Tehran to demand equal rights in Iran. Challenging these laws takes great courage since a critique of the constitution is perceived by the clerical establishment as a criticism of Islam and its ayatollahs. Here are just some of the shocking facts, that as a mother to a beautiful 3 yr old daughter, I am horrified to learn: "Under current Iranian law, women are assigned half the value of a man. For example, 4 women must appear in crt to fulfill the requirement of 2 witnesses. Even a female's age is defined in terms favorable to men: girls are considered adults at age 9, at which time they can be married off. Activists would like to raise the legal age of adulthood to 18 yrs." Can you honestly imagine having your 9 yr old daughter ripped away from you so she could be married off? They should be wearing pigtails and squealing incessantly with their friends--NOT getting married at age 9! |