Taboos- III

Religion- II

Whatever the religion was before the Revolution, when the Islamic rulers came to power and shaped a new system which they called Islamic Republic of Iran, showed us new features of Islam- at least the Shiaa part of it.
Trying even to name what we have been through all these years, would be an attempt in vain.
Just hence this: Right after the Revolution, when the religious atmosphere heated up, nobody even dared to oppose it. Being religious and proving it through the stupid series of stupid religious questions (such as: 'When a Muslim is dead, in how many pieces of clothes should he/she be wrapped?') was a strict precondition for being employed by governmental offices. And after the employment, the employees had to take part in ideological classes teaching them about the government's interpretation of everything; it might be for politics or the methods to practice holy Sharia in life. Even now, after years of Islmists in power, the employees have to go under the same brainwashing procedure and have to pass the stupid exams.
To find a job, the links worked very well. And needless to say, the link could be some cleric working as the ideological teacher in an office, some Haji agha* who might know you, a member of Baseej** or so. And of course, before even trying it, you had to prove that you were a good and practicing Muslim.

Despite the promises of Khomeini for liberty and democracy and 'Everybody is free to express his ideas- even Marxists', what we saw in practice was totally different.
Take hijab for instance: A couple of years ago when visiting an Arab country, I was shocked to see everybody who got to know I was Iranian was surprised by me not wearing hijab. I could see that they thought hijab was something we women liked and we observed it even we didn't have to.
Less than three years after the Revolution, they began to tell the women that it was 'better' to have hijab. Right after, they began to stop hijab-less women to enter governmental offices even for doing a follow up. Later, they issued statements that for preserving the Islamic values (I don't know for what else reason) it was mandatory to wear it. In Tehran, thousands of women protested the decision through a rally, but as usual the government-backed thugs attacked it and the protest was suffocated easily.
For years, wearing make up was strictly forbidden. Can you imagine that not long ago, there was a female guard at the entrance of the offices checking if you wore make up or not? In some offices (I have seen this by my own eyes so repeatedly), they rubbed a white klinex on your face or around your eyes to see whether there is any blusher or mascara over there.

I think that's not so strange to tell you that Islam – at least what's practiced here- is a male-centric ideology. The stupid criteria of man being the head of the family, the decision maker and decision taker, the wiser and the tougher (aha, toughness is a invaluable characteristic of course) and so and so, is something persistently injected into our heads. One of the first reflections of it, has been the changes they made in Law in the country. Just take the family law. According Islamic family law, the father is the 'owner' of the kids. Can you imagine? The OWNER. So, when divorce happens the children should go to their dad. If the father dies, they go to the near relatives of their dad whether it is their uncle or their grandfather. To tell more accurate, the girls stay with their mom until they are seven and the boys until two years old. Of the terrible consequences of this 'ownership' is the murder cases. Can you believe that in third millennium a man can kill his children without anybody having a right to object him? So, in media we hear horrible news about a sick minded man killing his kid(s) or torturing them, when the activists and the mother just have to object and nobody bothers to listen to them? For this reason, one of the challenges our women face is this very issue; they have to bend their heads before their men and compromise just because they want to keep their kids.
Another point: In courts, a female witness has the half value of a male witness. It means one man equals two women as the witness.
The third point: According Islamic shariaa, people and their limbs have a price (don't get shocked, yes, 'price'). For instance, if you hurt somebody's hand (in an accident for instance) you should pay a certain amount of money to him/her. Now, you won't be surprised if I tell you that the value of a woman is half of a man's, will you?

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*Those that have done the pilgrimage to Mecca.
** Meaning 'mobilization' literally. It is a branch of Revolutionary Guard consisting the employees of governmental administration- the religious militia.