MM - 4123
Depictions of Women and Minorities In Iran
All over the world, women and minorities are faced with scrutiny or humiliation. Whether it's because of their skin color, their religion or overall them just being a woman. Women in some countries are treated as second-class citizens. In some countries, women suffer the most cruel discrimination. One country in particular comes to mind. The country that has it out for women and minorities is Iran. Iran just about has so many restrictions and policies for women.
Women's rights in Iran are not all fair. Their rights are so controlled that women in Iran can't even attend men's sports in stadiums. Even though women are allowed to play sports, they can't attend to watch the men's sports. Iran does allow women to play sports, like football and volleyball. But none of these women are allowed to do something as simple as watch men play volleyball, even if their brothers, sons, or husbands are playing. In fact, Ghoncheh Ghavami, 25, a dual Iranian-British national, was arrested when she tried to attend a volleyball game in Tehran. Police are often posted around stadiums, in part to keep women out (Women's Rights). In most recent case, A young Iranian woman set herself on fire after disguising herself as a man and sneaking into the stadium. The reason for setting herself on fire is because of her jail sentence. The police say she was out of order because she was not wearing a hijab. Just recently a month after the incident, the Iranian government made moves to lift the ban on women attending men's sports.
Another restriction on women in Iran is how heavily covered they have to be from head to toe. In Iran, women have to wear loose fitting clothing fully clothed and hijabs all the time. If women are caught without a hijab, they will face serious jail time and consequences. Women' lives in Iran are heavily controlled by men. There is no type of gender equality in Iran. To see women as equal to men in Iran is not considered respectful to the Iranian community. They believed men should be rulers of everyone and everything. So far women portrayal in media in Iran is censored. Such as magazines and advertisements, women are seen with hijabs and clothing from top to bottom.
Women are placed on intense scrutiny on how they are exposed on social media. Women's involvement in politics is very limited. Any accusations about the government or any type of political activism could result in death or serious imprisonment charges for women. Iranian authorities continue to harass interrogate, detain, and imprison women’s rights activists, sometimes accusing them of national-security crimes like espionage and collaboration with foreign powers to overthrow the regime. In 2018, the regime detained at least 55 individuals for their advocacy for women’s rights. The regime arrested an additional 39 women for removing their head-scarves to protest legally mandated head-covering. The activists have faced charges that include “inciting prostitution and corruption.” One of the activists, Shaparak Shajarizadeh, was sentenced to two years in prison and an 18-year suspended sentence after a prolonged detention in which she was reportedly tortured and beaten and put in solitary confinement. Shajarizadeh, who fled Iran after her sentencing, claims she was told that she would serve her entire 20-year sentence if she engaged in further activism (Women's Political Rights In Iran).
Life is a struggle everyday in Iran as a woman. Iranian women whole life categorized by men. They decided how the women should dress, act, and live. Women in Iran don't have a voice in their country. They deal with being respected everyday as a woman and a human being in their community. Other groups like women that faced discrimination or scrutiny are minorities groups in Iran. Just like the women in Iran, the minorities in Iran are heavily persecuted. Also like the women, the minorities must follow the teachings of Muslim faith and the Quran. While these groups cannot follow this religion, they are ignored by the Iranian community and forgotten.
Minority groups included but not limited to are Ahwazis, Kurds, Turks, Balochis, Turkmen, Qashqais, Caspeans, and the Lor tribes—collectively account for around 50 percent of the population. Persian is the official language of Iran. With these groups being non-Persians, they are denied anything and everything that is applied to Persians. They are not taught education in their own language or are denied employment of jobs. Anything that is available to Persians is not granted to the non-Persian ethnic groups. Overall, the treatment of women and minorities in Iran is hugely disturbing. The amount of discrimination of women and minorities is very saddening. Iran needs to better job of taking care of women and minorities. Life is very difficult for a minority or a woman in Iran. These two groups are very courageous to stay in a country like Iran. No one should have to go through what these two groups face.
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