The Shan

The Shah is a title for the king of Iran. Among all the Shah of Iran in history, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi was probably one of the most well known king of Iran.

Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, king of Iran between 1941-1979, was born in Tehran. He replaced his father Reza Shah whom has been forced to abdicate by the USSR and Britain during WWII due to his friendly relationship with Germany. Mohammad Reza took over the throne on September 16, 1941(History of Iran).

Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi was indispensable ally of the West, his reform policy, known as the White Revolution provoked Western ideas and democratic reforms. He encourage nationalism and modernization in Iran. His reform included land reform, the extension of voting rights to women and the elimination of illiteracy. The Shah's goals was to bring social reform and economic development in Iran. In 1967, he crowned himself as King of the Kings and his wife Farah Diba as Shahbanoo (Eperess), which cause discontentment among the society. In 1976, he replaced the Islamic calendar with an imperial Persian calendar, this actions was view as anti-Islamic and caused strong religious opposition. The Shan's polices had increasing become unpopular. His actions had been view as a threat to the traditional Islamic society. Islamic fundamentalist Ayatollah Khomeini, called for a revolution and overthrow the Shah in 1979. The Shah was exiled, and an Islamic Republic was formed. On July 27,1980, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi died from lymphatic cancer in Cairo, Egypt(History of Iran)(Mohammad Reza Shah).

Photograph of the Shan and his wife:

The Vital Role of Iranian Women in new democracy movement

Women In Hell

Islam

Islam is a monotheistic religion based on revelations received by the Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century, which were later recorded in the Qur'an (Koran), Islam's sacred text.

Purpose of life- submit to the will of Allah and attain paradise after death
How to live- follow the Qur'an, Hadith and the Five Pillars of Faith
Human nature- born in purity, imperfect but capable of seeking God to do good

(Islam: religion facts.com)

• The faith spread rapidly and today Islam is the second largest religion in the world.
  
• The Arabic word Islam means "submission," reflecting the religion's central tenet of submitting to the will of God.
• Islamic practices are defined by the Five Pillars of Islam: faith, prayer, fasting, pilgrimage and alms.

• The Islamization of Iran was to yield deep transformations within the cultural, scientific,and political structure of Iran's society: The blossoming of Persian literature, philosophy, art and medicine.
  
• Arabic and Persian differences have made a big impact in their society.

• The Koran stresses filial piety and "love and mercy" between husband and wife. Men and women are declared equal, "except that men are a degree higher" because they are charged with the household expenditure. Sexual fidelity is sternly demanded, and proven adultery is punishable by 100 lashes.

• fundamentalists are suspicious of democracy because they do not trust the moral sense of the masses

They believe that the emancipation of women, as conceived by the West, is responsible for the disintegration of the family and for permissive sexual morality

These are some of the things that are struggles of Iran. Many people including women want a democratic government. But a democratic government does not fit all of the standards of Islam. Therefore many people are against it and say it would bring chaos to their country.

(Facts On File:Issues & Controversies)

Iran Revolution 1979

The Folly of Attacking Iran

Persepolis Trailer

Iran Flag

Slide Show Of Iran History posted by Anthony Tudisco

The Islamic Revolution Of 1979

Due to rapid growth of the petroleum industry across Iran in 1960-1970 chaos was cause by Reza Shah’s formation of a single-party system. The Shiite Clergy showed widespread opposition towards the Reza Shah. In order to quiet the clergy to stop the rioting, he ordered the secret police called the Savak. Ayatollah Khomeini is one of the most modern era's influential leaders. During the Islamic revolution he put together a crusade that help end the 37 year old reign of Reza Shah. Although he had his best interest for the Islamic Republic, once news broke out that the United States took in the exiled Reza Shah for medical treatment, the Iranian Military took over the U.S Embassy in Tehran in November of that year and took 66 American Hostages. The hostages were let go in 1981 which was two years after their capture.

(ABC CLIO World History/modern Era)

Recent Events

Abuse kills prisoner
The iranian news paper Mehr News Agency august 31 reported that a prisoner arrested in the eletetion protest had dies of abuse in jail. The victim,Moshen Ruholamini 25, reportedly died of physical stress conditions of imprisonment, repeated harsh physical treatment, acording to informed sources. Ruholamini's father was an adviser to mohsen rezai, a conservative candidate in the presidential election, and his death had outraged many iranian conservatives.

.at least 69 people had been killed in the post-election crackdown
.government claimed the death tool was 30
.ruholamini's death was due to abuse

Election
.The Iranian parliament September 3 confirmed 18 of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's 21 nominees for his cabinet.
.Two female nominees--Fatemeh Ajorlou, for welfare minister, and Sousan Keshavarz, for education minister--were rejected
.Ahmadinejad cast the rejections in a positive light, as a sign that parliament was an effective check on the government's power.(World news digest)

History Of Iran by Anthony Tudisco

Previously know as Persia up until 1935 Iran is a nation located in a Desert and very religious. From 1906-1979 Iran was governed from a constitutional monarchy. A constitutional monarchy is a government controlled by absolute monarchs but with legislative bodies, so instead of being controlled by one guy, the government is separated into separate branches to lessen the power of that one person, in this case that person is know as the Shah. Iran is­ known for its wealth and oil, and there caviar is widely considered to be the best in the world. When foreign countries found out about the discovery of oil in Iran, a battle broke out between Russia and Great Britain. In 1901 Great Britain won a 60 year concession of oil in the Persian Gulf. Due to foreign influence on Iran and a corrupt leader, the public demanded a constitutional Government. In 1906 a liberal constitution was created by the first Majles (which was the Parliament of the Islamic Republic of Iran). But soon after in 1913 Russia took control of Iran.

(ABC CLIO World History/Modern Era)

Iranian Women's Struggles and Brutality in Iran

Maryam Ayoobi, an Iranian woman in her twenties and mother of three young children, was convicted of adultery in March, and is sentenced to death by stoning, a sentence that could be carried out any day now unless Iran's President Mohammed Khatami grants clemency.
Facts-

• Woman's gains in Iran have come very slowly and at the highest cost

• Today's feminized poverty, and feminized migration, their brave efforts to win back their liberation are an inspiration to the international movement demanding gender justice.
  

• Iran's torture, cruelty, inhumanity and degrading treatment and punishment of women bears testimony to the country's scant respect for the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.

• When women are sentenced to death by "stoning," men are wrapped in sheets, and buried in a ditch up to their waist before the stoning begins. Women are buried to their neck, precluding any escape. This shows how women are seen as lower than men in their country. They get the harsher punishment because they are women.
  

• Early marriage is a common fate, with nine-year-old girls married off to men as old as ninety.Women do not get a chance to make a future for themselves, a good job and independence. They are married off early.

• On a daily basis, there are newspaper reports of girls and women being burnt alive, tortured by male relatives, sexually abused by government officials, and left on the streets to die.

• Females fall prey to drug traffickers, organ traffickers, and prostitution.

• Punishments handed down by Iran's Islamic fundamentalist courts also discriminate against women.

....With woman's courageous efforts to win back their liberation are an inspiration to the international movement demanding gender justice. These horrible crimes against women must be stopped.

(Said It:The Struggles and Brutality In Iran:the Fundamentalist backlash against women's progress - article- Lynette J. Dumble)

Ancient Persepolis

Persepolis is locates at modern day southwest Iran and lies at the foot of Kuhi-i-Rahmat(Mountain of Mercy. Darius, emperor during the Achaemenid dynasty of Persia, created Persepolis as the seat of government, center of ceremonies and a royal residence. The construction of Persepolis took more than a century. The works of Persepolis began at around 518B.C and Darius himself can only see part of his plan to be completed. After Darius's death, his son Xerxes, carry out the rest of his father's plan and completed most of the construction of Persepolis. The final construction of Persepolis was completed by Artaxerxes I, son of Xerxes. However, the magnificent city did not live long, around 331-330B.C, Persepolis was looted and burned by Alexander the Great during his great conquer (World History: Ancient)(Oriental Institute Persepolis).

Persepolis is about 1,475ft and 985st wide, and it rose up to 60ft above the plain.The main constructions of the northern part of Persepolis include the Gate of Xerxes, the Apadana and the Throne Hall. The southern part consider the palaces of Persian emperors and the Council Hall (World History: Ancient)

-The Gate of Xerxes is the only entrance to the terrace and it was also named "The Gate of All Countries". It considers three doorways and lead to the other parts of the terrace(Oriental Institute Persepolis).

-Apadana is the largest building inside Persepolis and it was use for great reception by the kings.The sides of the platform that lead to the north and east stair are rows of reliefs that show the scenes of the New Year's festival and delegates from the subject nations of the Achaemenid Empire carrying tribute to the king(Oriental Institute Persepolis).

-The Throne Hall was located next to the Apadana, it was use for receptions for representatives of all subject nation of the empire. Later on, the Throne Hall was also served as a storehouse mainly displaying tribute and booty(Oriental Institute Persepolis).

-The Council Hall contain three beautiful stairway which provide access to the emperor's palaces(Oriental Institute Persepolis).

Photograph of the Persepolis:

Iran

Culture

The Flag
The Iranian flag consist of three colors.

.Green
.White
.Red

Appearance
.people dress very conservative
.hygiene is important
.most men have beards
.women are to be covered from head to foot

Language and Religion
.Iran's official language is Persian, or Farsi.
.Shi‘i Islam has been Iran's state religion since the 1500s.
.More than 10 percent of Iran's population is nomadic or semi nomadic.
.To show respect and maintain proper distance between genders, men and women do not always make eye contact during conversation.

Food
The midday meal is the most important meal of the day. Dinner usually is served after 8 p.m. Elaborate Persian meals are often prepared for guests, and a host may insist they eat several helpings. Hosts usually offer tea to guests. During Ramadan, Muslims abstain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk; in the evenings, families and friends get together to eat and visit.("culture")

Iranian Women Strive For Equal Rights

In 1979, Iran underwent an Islamic revolution which had a significant impact on the lives of its women. Women’s freedoms were limited and also their role in politics, education and everyday life. Women were required to wear certain clothing only exposing the face and hands. Makeup was forbidden because it was considered a threat to women’s purity and a dangerous distraction for men. Yet in recent years, an increasing number of women became rebellious against the dress code by wearing lipstick, painting their nails and wearing their veils loosely to expose their hair. The common risk was being caught by the police and conservatives if they did not follow the dress code.

There was a growing presence of women on Iran’s college campuses; the movement toward gender parity is more than cosmetic. According to a July 2000 report by the Feminist Majority Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based women's rights organization, between 1990 and 2000 the number of women attending universities tripled, and women students now outnumber men in fields such as medicine and the social sciences. Many politicians say the growth in the number of women educated will have a profound effect on Iran’s society in the future.

Women have also begun to make gains in Iran's political system. There are currently 11 women in Iran's 290-member parliament, and in the June 2001 election, two women registered to run for president. Women have also become an increasingly important voting bloc. Mohammed Javad Larijini, a former parliamentarian, says they are beginning to present a challenge to conservative officials who are against the expansion of women's freedoms.

However despite all the significant progress in women’s rights in Iran, many observers say that the struggle is far from over. There will still be a struggle for women’s rights in the future.
(Facts On File News Service)