IRAN: WOMEN TO STAGE MAJOR RALLY IN TEHRAN

[democratic]

http://www.adnki.com/index_2Level_English.php?cat=Security&loid=8.0.307846451&par=

Tehran, 7 June (AKI) - Iranian women will stage an unauthorised rally on Monday in Tehran to demand more rights. Organizers said on Wednesday that 400 activists including men have already signed up to take part in the demonstration which will group for the first time Iran's leading feminists and intellectuals in favour of a secular state, including Nobel Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi. Demonstrators want among other things the abolition of polygamy, of men's right to repudiate their wives, the joint custody of children and a law raising the minimum age required to get married to 18 from today's 13.

The activists are also demanding that women be allowed to pass on their Iranian nationality to chidlren fathered by a foreigner and to testify in court - something they are not currently allowed to do - as well as other reforms banning the social and professional discrimination of women.

Among the intellectuals supporting the rally, which will be staged in one of the capital's main squares, are uman rights activist Mehranghiz Kar and leading poet Simin Behbahani, along with writers, journalists, painters, teachers, professionals and intellectuals.

[BrklynLiberal]

1. I hope there aren't any lives lost.

[shadowknows69]

9. Not until we roll in to liberate them probably

n/t

[justice1]

2. I wish them luck.

[Bassic]

3. I wish them luck and success.

I also wish Macho Man Amadinedjan (I can't spell his name I know) doesen't order the army to open fire on them.

[mallard]

5. Re: what a great time to ...

...start kicking up trouble with this Iranian government, demanding reform.

This will play great with the Western press in the lead-up to calls for regime change - especially if they get nailed for demonstrating without a permit.

The organizers have picked a ripe cause, too, and while women do certainly deserve more rights in Iran, it's also true that Iran deserves soveriengty and not to be bombed over successfully coordinated propaganda ploys.

Many writers here who made the case against the 'evil dictator' Saddam didn't anticipate quite the level of social breakdown his overthrow has since entailed - including things like politcal purges, house-to-house searches and of course, American torture of the invaded country's captives.

Now that we've been subject to this new version of American nation building, might it not be wise to consider easing up on the regime change thing?

[Bassic]

6. Well, yes, I never advocated otherwise.

But I still think Iranian women have the right to fight for what they want.

[Abathar]

4. I wish them all the luck

but I think what you are going to see is about 10k men with sticks come running out and beat them back into submission. There is no way the hard liners are going to allow this to happen without reprisals, lets just hope they show some restraint on these brave women.

[lonestarnot]

7. WOW, I hope they all keep their heads after it's over.

[donsu]

8. wishing them much love and stamina. if possible I would stand with

them.

[morgan2]

10. I wonder which cia agent

rialed the women up to do this, in hopes of something bad happening to them to justify our atack.

[BayCityProgressive]

11. I cannot believe

some of these posts!! Is this really what we as liberals have come to? These people have a RIGHT to demand progressive change...it sounds like poeple here are using the same lines as conservatives. Conservatives here say that protests strengthen the enemy. We here are now saying that Iranian democracy protests will create war?? I think this is ridiculous. We can stand AGAINST war and with these women at the same time.

[geek tragedy]

12. I hope that was sarcasm.

Otherwise it was pure foolishness.

[Posteritatis]

16. Yeah, 'cause foreign civil libertarians are all American spies. (n/t)

[Terran1212]

13. THESE are the Iranian democrats we should support

Not the pseudo-communist militants or the International Republican Institute or other militarists with ulterior motives and that want Iran to be invaded.

[Disturbed]

14. Why isn't the Bush Regime supporting these women?

One wuld think that Laura, Condi and Karen would be on this big time.

[geek tragedy]

15. The last thing those women want is to be

stained with the support of the Bush administration.

[JI7]

17. anyone know whether any of the news networks will cover this ?

iw ould be very interested in seeing it.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

19. you jest! right?

they're much too busy with missing blond girls and dead terrorists.

[meow2u3]

18. Bush wants to invade Iran for the wrong reasons

Screw the oil! We need to get in there to liberate the women--and give those theocratic mullahs a taste of their own medicine!

Freeing women from oppression is the only legitimate reason to intervene in Iran--and the sexists in the White House don't want to do that. They secretly (or not so secretly) like to see women oppressed.