THE GUARDIAN
BY FARZIN VAHDAT FOR TEHRAN BUREAU
It is often thought that what is currently taking place in Iran, the continuation of what has unfolded there over the past three decades - violation of human rights, systematic discrimination against women, and belligerence toward the west - constitutes a rejection of modernity and its fruits. There are many reasons to find this view plausible. Soon after the victory of the Islamists in the revolution of 1979, most of the modernising efforts and institutions of the 55-year-old Pahlavi dynasty were either abandoned or completely reversed. Some of the most visible of these institutions pertained to women. During the rule of Mohammad Reza Shah, the state had taken some positive steps regarding the status and welfare of women. Some of the most flagrant institutionalised forms of discrimination and abuse were curbed, if not abolished, through the curtailing of arbitrary divorce by men, the institution of more women-friendly custody laws, and the restriction of polygyny.
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