What are the explanations for banning Iranian ladies from the presidential elections?

Al Jazeera Web Correspondents

Tehran – After Iranian ladies had been completely happy that 4 political activists submitted nomination papers to run within the presidential race on June 28, their hopes of attaining their proper to the presidency had been dashed. – once more. None of their names had been on the record of ultimate candidates authorised by the Guardian Council.

The dearth of ladies on the record of candidates was not a shock to the general public, as some feminine politicians had beforehand utilized for the job prior to now election cycles, however the end result was it was, and the council has at all times been there. an impediment dealing with Iranian ladies who need the presidency.

In defiance of Article 115 of the Iranian Structure, which “requires that the president be elected from among the many clergy and politicians,” each the conservative activist and former Member of Parliament within the Eighth and Eleventh Parliaments, Zahra Elahian, and the previous reformist Member of Parliament within the Tenth Parliament, Hamideh Zarabadi, has beforehand come ahead.

Governor Zahra Elahian submitted her software papers for the presidential elections and her eligibility was rejected by the Guardian Council (Iranian press)

Avenue views

Hajar Janarani, a member of parliament in his tenth and eleventh session, and Rifaat Bayat, a consultant of parliament within the seventh session, had been additionally working for the presidency of the nation.

As Iran entered the election marketing campaign interval, Al Jazeera Web surveyed the views of a number of Iranian ladies within the “Tehran Noh” district, east of the capital, Tehran.

Opinions differed between Maryam (43 years previous), who accused feminine politicians of upholding masculine beliefs within the nation on the expense of ladies’s rights, and Frozan (29 years previous ), who appeared optimistic concerning the capability of Iranian ladies to interrupt down. taboo and fulfill their rights, similar to coming into parliament.

As for Hajja Masoumeh (59 years previous), she believes that Iranian ladies will not be prepared to simply accept the mission, to not point out the patriarchal society that doesn’t settle for this, saying that there isn’t a legislation which prevents ladies from taking excessive positions within the nation. . That is an opinion that was opposed by the younger girl, “Awa” (19 years previous), who says that the Iranian legislation is “unfair to ladies.”

To search out out the views of males on the difficulty of an Iranian girl main the nation, Al Jazeera Web counted the views of three of them who unanimously agreed that they might not comply with this if their capability to handle and settle for Iranian affairs. to security.

Relating to whether or not the structure prohibits the election of the president amongst feminine candidates, the previous spokesman for the Guardian Council, Abbas Kadkhodai, beforehand confirmed – forward of the 2021 presidential elections – “There is no such thing as a authorized ban, however there are cultural attitudes. He stated that they might see ladies on the head of the presidency sooner or later, as occurred within the authorities of former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the place ladies took one of many ministerial portfolios for the primary time. hour.

Disagreement in interpretation

Persian media quoted the well-known cleric Fadel Mebdi, a member of the Seminary’s Academy of Examiners and Academics within the metropolis of Qom, as saying, “There are some gents within the Guardian Council, based mostly on the concept conventional, believes {that a} girl can not settle for the management of the nation, similar to stopping her from taking the management of the nation.”

Between the permission of the legislation and the views of the non secular establishment, observers in Tehran specific the true motive for the refusal of all ladies to run prior to now periods to the dispute between the authorized and non secular circles concerning the definition of the phrase “political. man” talked about in Article 115 of the Structure.

On account of the disagreement between those that imagine that this time period denotes the male gender and others who derive from it the that means of “good individuals, women and men,” Al Jazeera Web requested worldwide lawyer and authorized skilled Abdul Samad Khorramshahi about it. meant that means.

Khorramshahi factors out the shortage of a authorized and authorized definition of the time period within the nation, and provides {that a} part of the clergy opposes ladies accepting this place due to its vulnerability they’re, as a result of the place of the president is second solely to the Supreme. A pacesetter within the nation’s energy hierarchy.

Chatting with Al Jazeera Web, he explains that regardless of the existence of various definitions of the time period “man” and its linguistic that means, there’s a part that believes solely the that means of the Arabic phrases ” man and males” and never the meanings given. to them metaphorically. He stated that the Iranian Structure is the same as women and men, however evidently the meant that means of Article 115 is the obvious that means, that means “man” means male, not it is feminine.

The non secular perception

Relating to the non secular group, the professor of the non secular seminary within the metropolis of Qom, Sheikh Mahdi Masali, says that regardless of the opposition of a piece of conservative clergy to ladies who to simply accept the management, that they don’t see any motive to boost their voices for thus lengthy. as a result of they see the habits of the Guardian Council in denying the eligibility of feminine candidates as applicable.

In his assertion to Al Jazeera Web, Masaili believes that the non secular group in Iran is reserved in expressing its opinion about ladies working for the management of the nation as a result of b They like sure concepts in coping with delicate points. He stated that if the Council permits the eligibility of some feminine candidates, the nation will see clear opposition from some non secular circles.

He identified that the conservative non secular sector was placing “stress behind the scenes to not enable a girl’s software for the management of the republic. ” Sheikh Masali defined that there are unwritten legal guidelines which might be strictly enforced in official establishments with out the necessity to publish, approve or justify the explanation for his or her laws, and that the case of ladies working for a president to be amongst them.

For her half, reform activist Afifa Abedi describes the Guardian Council’s definition of the time period “politician” in Article 115 as “male”. She emphasised that the Council can not deny the eligibility of ladies who apply for nomination papers for the presidency of the nation “to place a cease to the battle of Iranian ladies to get their rights.”

Chatting with Al Jazeera Web, Abedi believes that various feminine activists are submitting registration papers for the elections as a part of the battle of Iranian ladies to realize their political and social rights and standing, explaining that Iranian ladies intend to proceed working till the present definition of the time period political man has modified.

Abedi says that patriarchal societies – together with Western ones – don’t belief ladies to carry strategic positions. inner challenges and administration of the nation’s international coverage.

The success of solely 14 ladies out of 1,700 candidates who certified for the Guardian Council throughout final March’s parliamentary elections and their entry into the 290-seat parliament raises a giant query mark about avenue confidence in ladies, and the alternatives to vary the road. legal guidelines that favor them and authorize them to carry strategic positions.