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Vendaval -> The role of Iranian women in the current protests (6/25/2009 4:38:55 PM)
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One major difference between the Iranian Revolution in the late '70s and now is the number of women out on the streets actively protesting. Is this a sign of modernization, open rebellion, freedom?
"Iranian women stand up in defiance, flout rules"
updated 2:37 p.m. EDT, Tue June 23, 2009
"But it's the woman known as Neda who has become the symbol of women on the front line that has galvanized opponents of the Iranian regime. In a widely circulated video, Neda is seen in the middle of protests over the weekend. She is shot and drops to the ground. Blood runs from the side of her mouth as a few people, including her music professor traveling with her, press on her chest and shout her name. One pleads, "Do not be afraid." The camera closes in on her face as her eyes roll back and are still.
Karim Sadjadpour, an associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said the image of Neda and other women at the protests showed the difference from the 1979 revolution. "The iconic pictures from the revolution 30 years ago were bearded men. This shows the new face of Iran -- the young women who are the vanguards of Iran."
Abbas Milani, the director of Iranian Studies at Stanford University, agreed that Neda was becoming a symbol for all the women who have become involved in the turmoil that has followed the disputed election. "She will become the image of this brutality and the role -- the truly significant role -- that women have played in fighting this regime. I think that women are the unsung heroes of the last few years. They are the ones who began chipping away the absolute authority of the mullahs.""
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/06/23/iran.women/index.html
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