TEHRAN Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday the Iranian women should rely on their own Islamic identity and serve as a model for the world's women in terms of morality, family values and social, cultural and political obligations.
Speaking to thousands of Iranian women on the occasion of birth anniversary of Hazrat Fatemeh (SA), the beloved daughter of Prophet Mohammad (S), the Leader said Islam broke the myth of men's superiority over women, thus opening the way for promotion of women in every field.
The Leader said the Western civilization has offered a commonplace outlook toward women and the Western mass media are exploiting women for financial objectives which misleads the humanity and the human community.
"The Iranian women are expected to rely on their own Islamic values and offer a model to the world on the status of women in Islam versus the temptations of the Western mass media," the Leader said.
The Leader cited verses from the holy Qoran and said there is no difference between men and women before God and they tread the path of progress shoulder to shoulder.
Elaborating on the social and political rights Islam provides for women, the Leader said Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) has insisted that women embrace Islam independently, a fact which indicates that 1,400 years ago Islam recognized women's social and political rights.
The Western women were deprived of the rights of ownership and voting in elections until the early years of the 20th century which indicated that the Western community was at least 1,300 years behind Islam in recognition of women's rights, Ayatollah Khamenei said.
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution added that it is surprising that the Western civilization sees itself as an advocate of women's rights while in fact Westerners should ba accountable to the humanity responsible for their treason against women's rights and for offering a false image of women.
The Leader said a woman is the flower of a family and Prophet Mohammad (S) has rejected the idea that women should be at the service of men within a family. In Islam man is required to avoid doing women injustice but rather should protect his wife as a delicate flower.
Ayatollah Khamenei lauded women for undertaking great responsibilities in different stages of the Islamic Revolution and during the sacred defence (1980-1988) and said if the Iranian women did not exercise patience and if they did not take part in the sacred defense and elections over the past 20 years, the Islamic Revolution could not attain its objectives.
Speaking on the same subject, President Mohammad Khatami in a ceremony held here yesterday to mark the birth anniversary of Hazrat Fatemeh Zahra (SA) (daughter of the Prophet Mohammad) praised the personality of the lady, saying that she is an eternal model of faith, knowledge, behavior, and fighting for God and justice.
Addressing a ceremony for participation of young girls, Khatami said, "According to the Prophet Mohammad (S), Fatemeh (SA) was one whose anger was the anger of God, whose satisfaction was the satisfaction of God." Referring to the birth anniversary of the late Founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini, the president praised the late Imam as the Founder of the revolution.
He said Iranian young girls who are longing for spirituality can and should set a model for other women in the world to follow.
He added that the youth should augment their knowledge and wisdom as well as their qualifications. In this juncture of history, one should not allow ill-wishers and those trying to block the Islamic-revolutionary movement of the Iranian nation toward freedom, to distort realities,'' said the president.
Elaborating on the meaning of freedom, the president said Freedom does not mean leading a loose life but rather means having freedom of thought, expression and ideology as well as the right to decide one's own destiny.
He said that both men and women should contribute to the establishment of a noble society.
The active presence of the youth on various scenes has disappointed those who are hostile to the Islamic system.
They (the ill-wishers) want to discourage the youth so as prepare the ground for presence of anti-religious, anti-nationalist, anti-independence and anti-freedom forces,'' IRNA quoted Khatami as saying.
President Khatami expressed satisfaction with the growth in the number of women studying at universities over recent years and said this shows that if women are provided with the same chance that men are, they can keep pace with men and even surpass them.
Efforts should be made to fight any kind of wrong thoughts and ideologies, the president said in conclusion.
(IRNA)