Strong Reaction to Efforts to Reform Law Requiring Husband's Permission for Women to Leave the Country

Ayatollah Jafar Subhani, a Shia cleric from Qom, reacted strongly to the efforts of the Vice Presidency for Women and Family Affairs to reform the law requiring a husband's permission for women to leave the country, stating that "the irreligious will not be satisfied with this issue, and such matters are a precursor to other topics." Shahindokht Molaverdi, the Vice President for Women and Family Affairs under President Hassan Rouhani, announced on October 1 that her office is "seriously" pursuing reforms to the current passport law, which mandates that women need their husband's permission to travel abroad. In response to Molaverdi's statement, the Fars News Agency quoted Ayatollah Subhani as saying that "Islamic jurists, both Shia and Sunni, believe that a woman cannot travel without her husband's consent." He emphasized that Molaverdi's position "is not in line with the dignity of the Islamic Republic" and added that "it was incorrect to choose such a person; someone with an Islamic mindset should be selected." According to reports from the Rasa News Agency, Subhani stated, "the irreligious will not be satisfied with this issue, and such matters are a precursor to other topics." This cleric also threatened that if Molaverdi repeats her statements, he would address the issue at the "Grand Mosque" in Qom. The necessity of a husband's permission for Iranian women to leave the country gained attention again after the husband of Niloufar Ardalan, captain of the Iranian women's futsal team, prevented her from traveling to participate in the Asian Championship. Following the news, Molaverdi, without mentioning Ardalan's name, stated that she had received hundreds of emails from citizens protesting against husbands preventing women from leaving for various reasons. 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. Accordingly, if a woman's husband prevents her from leaving the country, her passport will be confiscated until the obstacle is removed. Ayatollah Subhani's opposition to reforming the law regarding a husband's permission for women to leave the country comes at a time when, according to government officials, the Rouhani administration previously refrained from pursuing the issue of women's entry into sports arenas due to the positions of some Shia clerics in Qom.