Isfahan Friday Prayer Leader: Women's Employment in Offices Should Be Banned

Yousef Tabatabai-Nejad, the representative of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic in Isfahan Province, has stated that women's activities in shops, offices, and companies should be "banned" and that girls studying in industrial and mining fields is "against Islamic directives." According to a report on Wednesday (November 17) from the 'Entekhab' website, Mr. Tabatabai-Nejad made these remarks during a meeting with officials and coaches of the 'Shajareh Tayebeh Salehin' circles in Isfahan Province. In this meeting, he criticized the presence of women in industrial fields and stated that the publication of images of women as truck and lorry drivers signifies that "we still have an American mindset deep down and have not truly become Muslims." This cleric added, "Women's activities in shops, offices, and companies should be banned; instead, facilities and equipment for women's specialized work should be provided." The representative of Ali Khamenei in Isfahan also said, "It should not be the case that girls go into mining engineering; mining is not a suitable place for women to work, and their presence in these fields is against Islam." The Friday Prayer Leader of Isfahan expressed concern over the rising divorce rates in the country and warned women that "divorce leads to confusion and uncertainty for them and brings many problems in the future." According to this cleric, "In terms of divorce, men's problems after separation are less than those of women; therefore, divorce, especially for women, leads to corruption." Tabatabai-Nejad further stated that "a large portion of divorces" in Iran is related to street, student, and internet marriages, and addressed women by saying, "What Islam has prescribed is in favor of women." The Imam of Isfahan added that according to Islamic directives, "women can even receive money from their husbands for household chores and breastfeeding, and all expenses are the responsibility of men." He continued, "The Islamic government must ensure the financial interests of men so that they can serve women." Tabatabai-Nejad also stated, "It is not right for a woman to be employed while the man is unemployed; the man is humiliated when he has to ask his wife for money, while women enjoy the financial support from their husbands." He added, "A woman's right is not to work; it is for the government to financially support men so that they can marry women and serve them." The Imam of Isfahan also mentioned, "There are certain jobs that are specific to women, and it is religiously problematic for men to perform them; women should know that one of their primary and most important activities is homemaking." Hardline clerics in Iran have long criticized the social presence of women and have sought to limit women's activities to homemaking, being a wife, and childbearing.