Gender in Iran and the Middle East

Iraq:
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Minority groups:
Turkomen Sunni; 1/3rd Shii
Yazidis: Kurdish speaking minority; famers in the Sinjar province;
Christians: 4-8% of country are Christian

Position of women in Iraq:

- Before war Scholars praised the achievements of Iraqi women
- Iraqi men promoted womens rights as well - slide has quote: Jameel
Zawahi asked for Turkish school to be opened
- Religious provinces veil was more prominent
- Zawahi desired to empower women through removal of the veil
- 1 school opened secular sciences but also domestic sciences
- within ten years 1923 more schools opened
- Mirza Husain Na`eem opposed this mentality through religion
- Sabeeha first Iraqi lawya father encouraged her to seek education;
very religious; 1931 first Muslim and Iraqi to study at the college of law
- Education was gradual progression
- Veiling embedded in Iraqi culture
- Numerous male activists
Women in magazines
- Laila: 1923
- 1937 The Arab Girl Mariam Nerma
- 1958 Communist womens magazines
Criticizing the application of Islam the interpretation of the time
Baath Party
- Initially called for the emancipation of women in 70s then he went
mental
- After 2003 female writers speaking about the war.
1980-1980
- Iraq invaded Iran
- Ayatollah Khomeini was very anti-Saddam
- Many Arab and Western countries supported Iraq in the war despite
Hussains use of chemical weapons.
- 500 thousand to a million dead
- 88 used chemical weapons against the Kurds
- Crushed Shia uprising killing tens of thousands of Iraqi Shia
- Affected the progress women made in Iraq
- He encouraged women to work only under the context of war..
- Requested women to increase the birth rate

Iraqi Cinema
- many female actresses in 1950s
- Film industry collapsed following international embargo against Iraq
- Many film directors went into exile
- Female directors: Khayriyya al-Mansoor; Radhia al-Tamimi; Khadijah
Mandil
Psychological and emotional battles Iraqi women went through

2) Tutorial discussion.
a) Iraqi women are victims of war and conflict. Discuss the challenges
women face in Iraq in the face of growing violence today.
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extremely unstable with the rise of IS

women now living in fear those who do not adopt the extreme
conservatism espoused by IS

frightened to empower themselves especially with the rise of ISIS

b) Iraqi womens associations are unable to lobby for the

empowerment in Iraq. Is this true? If yes, why?
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stability and improving the quality of life is regarded as greater

importance

fear due to IS\

c) Discuss the agency of Iraqi women through literature, music and

activism.
IRAQ ISNT IN EXAM