Women's Role in Sacred Defense-- NEWS & VIEWS
September 22, 1998 - 0:0
TEHRAN A gathering on epic-making women will be held here during the Sacred Defense Week. The gathering is sponsored by the Center for Women Participation Affairs (CWPA) affiliated to the President Office. The Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Rahim Safavi will open the gathering on September 26. Also Vice President for Women Affairs will deliver a speech in the inaugural ceremonies.
It is a crucial move, for the gathering will highlight the direct and indirect role of the women in the Iraqi-imposed war, an editorialist told the TEHRAN TIMES. Ironically, almost a decade after the end of the Iraqi-imposed war the Iranians do not know how many women prisoners of war (POWs) did we have, he said adding, there are also a number of disabled women who were rendered handicapped during the imposed war.
We welcome the move as it is the first time after the end of the Iraqi imposed war that a gathering is convened to praise the role of the Iranian women who contributed a great share in both the Islamic Revolution and the sacred defense, Moazam Hosseini, a Ph.D. scholar said. The CWPA announced yesterday that there are at least ten women ex-POWs in Iran. Besides those who either were disabled or captured during the imposed-war, majority of Iranian women played an indirect role during the war, a woman activist said.
Not only this, the role of women in backing the soldiers was tremendous during the war, she said, adding, all of us witnessed how a great number of women participated in stitching the uniforms of the soldiers, preparing food for them and rendering all kind of services in the cities which were transferred to the battle fronts. A woman journalist commenting on the gathering said, after all women constitute half of Iran's population.
A number of mothers lost their dear ones during the war. In certain cases a mother lost more than one son in the war but did not prevent other sons from going to the battle field. This in fact enhanced the morale of our soldiers the role of which was not less than fighting itself. Hence the gathering is welcome. According to a press release issued by CWPA, the objectives of the three-day seminar are: admiring the role of the women during the sacred defense; strengthening national will to prevent disappointment; better utilization of women potentials in order to meet the cultural demands of the society during the reconstruction period; and presenting role models for the young girls to strengthen their personalities.
It is a crucial move, for the gathering will highlight the direct and indirect role of the women in the Iraqi-imposed war, an editorialist told the TEHRAN TIMES. Ironically, almost a decade after the end of the Iraqi-imposed war the Iranians do not know how many women prisoners of war (POWs) did we have, he said adding, there are also a number of disabled women who were rendered handicapped during the imposed war.
We welcome the move as it is the first time after the end of the Iraqi imposed war that a gathering is convened to praise the role of the Iranian women who contributed a great share in both the Islamic Revolution and the sacred defense, Moazam Hosseini, a Ph.D. scholar said. The CWPA announced yesterday that there are at least ten women ex-POWs in Iran. Besides those who either were disabled or captured during the imposed-war, majority of Iranian women played an indirect role during the war, a woman activist said.
Not only this, the role of women in backing the soldiers was tremendous during the war, she said, adding, all of us witnessed how a great number of women participated in stitching the uniforms of the soldiers, preparing food for them and rendering all kind of services in the cities which were transferred to the battle fronts. A woman journalist commenting on the gathering said, after all women constitute half of Iran's population.
A number of mothers lost their dear ones during the war. In certain cases a mother lost more than one son in the war but did not prevent other sons from going to the battle field. This in fact enhanced the morale of our soldiers the role of which was not less than fighting itself. Hence the gathering is welcome. According to a press release issued by CWPA, the objectives of the three-day seminar are: admiring the role of the women during the sacred defense; strengthening national will to prevent disappointment; better utilization of women potentials in order to meet the cultural demands of the society during the reconstruction period; and presenting role models for the young girls to strengthen their personalities.