Just a quick note as I’m about to board the plane for Portland. As the Guardian reports, Minoo Khaleghi, a newly-elected member of Iran’s parliament, has been refused seating in the legislature because—horrors!—she’s reported to have shaken hands with an unrelated man, and on a trip to China. But apparently there’s no proof she did this, just unconfirmed reports, and Khaleghi denies that it happened. Regardless, she still can’t be seated:
Khaleghi was elected in February as a new member of the Iranian parliament, the Majlis, from the constituency of Isfahan, the country’s top tourist destination.
She had been qualified to run, meaning that the powerful guardian council, which vets all candidates, had approved her candidacy. But the controversial body of clerics and jurists has changed its mind, nullifying her votes even though election officials endorsed the results in Isfahan and found no major discrepancy in the counting process.
. . . Shaking the hand of an unrelated person of the opposite sex is illegal under Iran’s Islamic law, and a number of high-profile politicians and artists, including the Oscar-winning film director Asghar Farhadi, have fallen foul of it.
Khaleghi, shown below, is one of 14 women elected to the 290-person legislature in February, though that number is expected to rise with a new round of elections in the offing.
Actually, I’m surprised that any women are allowed to join the Iranian legislature. Given that, it’s bizarre that they can be unseated by merely shaking hands with an unrelated man. That’s because of Islam, of course, but I suppose apologists like Karen Armstrong and Reza Aslan can somehow pin it on something else.
And one more harangue: those liberal organizations who endorse Muslim groups that support this kind of misogyny—including Britain’s student unions and many feminist and LGBT groups—are not only reprehensible, but hypocritical. Their identity politics have led them to place sexist bigotry, in the guise of “opposing oppression”, over individual rights. In reality, they’re favoring oppression.
I worked with someone who, at a previous job, had a man refuse to shake her hand because she was a woman. I find this awful when that behaviour is tolerated in Canadian companies. I find the overall behaviour awful period.
I recommend “Reading Lolita in Tehran” for anyone interested in the evolution of this stupidity.
It should be illegal to defame her in this way. Such is the patriarchy that is Islam. (Get out!)
Possibly the new name to replace apologists such as Armstrong and Aslan will be the oppressive left?
This is disgusting, and all religions are complicit in their own way. Even to those churches that now treat women and LGBT people equally I would say, “Why was it ever a question that you wouldn’t?”
These great books that are supposed to unite humanity are actually about ways to divide us. The only reason some women are even running is because they have been “allowed” to by the rules of their religion as interpreted by the men who have power, and it is petty rules like this that they use like a tug on the reins.
This has nothing to do with Islam. It is based on the ancient cootie code.
Reminds me of young boys being afraid they’d get cooties if they touched or were touched by a girl. Except, in this case, it’s the woman who gets cooties if the male isn’t her spouse. Perhaps, all men everywhere should wear gloves to prevent the spread of contagion if they should shake hands with women. I assume fist bumps and all other forms of touching is verboten.
Reminds me also of the men in extremely conservative Jewish and Muslim sects that can’t sit next to women on airplanes and expect their idiocies to be catered to by airlines. What about other modes of public transportation, or do they always take taxis?
Actually I think the no touching rule is so that the RELATED OWNERS of the women don’t have to think about someone else touching their BELONGINGS. (emphasis to highlight THEIR thinking not my thinking)
It’s like someone at your work going through the stuff on your desk.
You’d say “Hey!! Hands off my stuff!”
It’s a way of enforcing and emphasizing ownership.
Your take may hold some truth, but in the case of the Muslim boys in Switzerland (see my comment below), it was the boys who objected to shaking hands with their female teacher.
Well, “bigotry begins at home”.
It’s a bit unclear where the boys got the idea to stage their refusal. Some reports say that they were influenced by an Islamic website; others implicate the father, who is an Imam. In any case, a tempest in a teacup that has nonetheless wider repercusions!
Let’s see…what would Aslan say?
“Look, I have degrees in religion and history and women’s studies, and you only have, whatever. Therefor you’re wrong. It only happens once in a while in the most conservative states. Look, there are plenty of places in the Middle East where I could shake every woman’s hand who wouldn’t be repelled by my egotistic and brash personality. I am pretty good looking though, you have to admit.
Look, I’ve been to the Middle East many times and I’ve always noticed how progressive they are. Misogyny is a thing of the past. But, you haven’t been there. You haven’t been in the trenches like me. I’m super well qualified with a PhD and I’m good looking.
LOL.
He is a gorgeous man though, no use in denying that.
👫
Its awful, but I also suspect it’s just a convenient excuse. IMO she never would’ve been allowed a place in government no matter how theologically pristine her public conduct.
Some years ago my husband invited a group of visiting agricultural scientists from Iraq home for lunch. I went to some trouble to prepare platters of vegetarian foods to avoid breeching any halal food restrictions. Before lunch, their minder came into the kitchen and asked me not to try to shake hands with them when introduced. I complied, but seriously considered up-ending the platters on their heads! It seemed from the way that they tucked into the food, that eating food touched by an un-related, non-Islamic woman was okay!
Should have licked all the food first and told your husband not to eat it.
Has it occurred to you that the scientists (or some of them) may have been far more liberal than their ‘minder’ was? You may have been doing them an injustice.
cr
“Shaking the hand of an unrelated person of the opposite sex is illegal under Iran’s Islamic law”
I take it that it is the same in Saudi Arabia, which doesn’t get along with Iran.
Your comment “those liberal organizations who endorse Muslim groups that support this kind of misogyny—including… many LGBT groups—are not only reprehensible, but hypocritical.” just makes me sad. Not because you’re wrong, but because that position is so contrary to everything I valued and fought for as a queer activist.
Perhaps some readers are familiar with a recent controversy in Switzerland, where two Muslim teenaged boys refused to shake hands with their female teacher. Shaking hands between students and teachers is customary (though not obligatory) in Switzerland. The school and the teacher agreed to their request, but the story has unleashed a storm of protest, with both defenders and critics, as you can imagine. Interestingly enough, a Swiss Islamic organisation declared that such handshaking is not forbidden according to Islamic law. The family of the teenagers, who came to Switzerland as refugees, had begun the process to become Swiss citizens; this process has now been suspended indefintely.
I am heartily sick of these misogynistic medieval brain dead bastards.