Iran to crack down on protests during fire festival
The Guardian
09-Mar-2012 (one comment)

...for many Iranians, this prehistoric Persian event goes far beyond being just a cultural celebration. Especially for the young, it provides an opportunity to vent frustrations at the government.

Ever since the revolution of 1979, the Islamic republic has stood firm in opposing popular festivals, including those from Iran's pre-Islamic period, seeing them as superstitious, illogical and anti-Islamic.

The restrictions on social and cultural events were eased slightly under reformist President Khatami – but since Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took office in 2005, the crackdown has grown stronger than ever, with many being arrested and hospitalised.

In the last few years, Chaharshanbe Suri has been used as an excuse for people to pour onto the streets en masse and voice their opinions on issues ranging from the dire economic situation to social freedom.

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Discrimination in Iran's temporary marriage law goes unchecked

by FG on Fri Mar 09, 2012 07:47 AM PST

EXCERPTS:

 This week, Iran's parliament approved a new amendment to a controversial law in the civil code that allows men to have as many sexual partners as they want – all sanctioned by sharia law under the term "temporary marriage"....

 An opposing MP, Sattar Hedayatkhah, was quoted in the reformist newspaper Etemaad as saying: "From tomorrow, no woman can be sure that her husband is not in a sexual relationship with another woman. Therefore, there is now no difference between here [Iran] and the west. Anyone can have a sexual relationship with someone without the need to prove that there has been a 'temporary marriage' agreement."

COMMENT: In essence, men can have all the affairs they want outside marriage.   Any woman who has even one sexual liason not with her husband can be put to death.  So goes Sharia law in the IRI.  

Darn!  Aren't most readers glad they weren't born a woman in Iran.  Of course the wealthies men, especially wealthy clerics, make out the best under this law since they've got tons of stolen money to finance temporary marriages.

//www.guardian.co.uk/world/iran-blog/2012/mar/06/iran-temporary-marriage-law-sigheh 


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