Deputy of Rouhani Defends Reform of Law Requiring Husband's Permission for Women to Leave the Country

The Deputy of the Iranian President stated that her proposal to amend the law requiring a husband's permission for women to leave the country was not intended to apply to all women, but rather to specific groups such as athletes and university professors. Shahindokht Molaverdi, the Deputy for Women and Family Affairs under President Hassan Rouhani, announced on October 8 that her office is 'seriously' pursuing the amendment of the current passport law, which mandates that women need their husband's permission to travel abroad. The day after this statement, Ayatollah Jafar Subhani, a Shiite cleric from Qom, strongly reacted to Molaverdi's comments, asserting that 'Islamic jurists, both Shiite and Sunni, believe that a woman cannot travel without her husband's consent.' This cleric also threatened to address the issue at the 'Grand Mosque' in Qom if Molaverdi repeated her statements. In response to these criticisms, Molaverdi clarified on October 15 that her intention was not to allow all women to leave the country without their husband's permission. She noted that the passport law was enacted in 1973 and suggested that provisions could be added to it, similar to those for women performing obligatory Hajj or those in political positions, to amend the law for female athletes and academic women. She emphasized that Shiite jurisprudence allows individuals to utilize conditions within marriage contracts, which many young couples are currently doing. According to the passport law in the Islamic Republic, married women need written consent from their husbands to leave the country and, in emergencies, permission from the prosecutor. Consequently, if a woman's husband prevents her from traveling, her passport will be confiscated until the issue is resolved. The necessity of a husband's permission for Iranian women to leave the country gained attention after the husband of Niloufar Ardalan, captain of the Iranian women's futsal team, prevented her from traveling to participate in the Asian Championship. Molaverdi reported receiving 1,040 emails and letters with 11,000 signatures requesting action from the Women's Affairs Office regarding the law requiring a husband's permission for women to leave the country. Molaverdi's comments come at a time when Rouhani's government had previously refrained from pursuing the issue of women's access to sports venues due to the stances of some Shiite clerics in Qom.