Mohammad Khatami: The Positive Spirit of Women Should Be Strengthened in Society

Mohammad Khatami, former President of Iran, has linked the increase in violence in society to the 'excessively masculine' nature of the community and called for the strengthening of the 'positive spirit of women' in society. According to a report on Tuesday, November 26, by ILNA, Khatami made this statement during a meeting with members of the Central Council of Cultural Educators. He stated that our society needs a 'positive spirit of women,' adding, 'Isn't violence the problem of countries and the world today? We must inject the spirit of gentleness, kindness, and being together into the government and the international arena.' He continued, 'When society becomes excessively masculine, we should expect more violence and hardship in it... One of the ways to treat the problems that exist today in society, the region, and the international community is to strengthen the positive spirit that is abundant in women.' Khatami then questioned, 'Is our most important issue today really bad hijab?' He added, 'Of course, no one approves of bad hijab, but politicizing hijab causes the emergence of bad hijab to be presented as a political protest.' He noted, 'If inappropriate sensitivities are removed, these issues will also be resolved; what is important to us is the rights that are denied to women in villages, cities, and families.' Khatami stated that if women feel that the Islamic Republic and 'cultural figures' are defending them against the injustices they face, many 'issues' in society will be resolved. This comes as discussions about hijab have increased alongside the approval of a bill in the Iranian parliament for 'enjoining good and forbidding wrong.' Previously, Ali Akbar Nategh Nouri, a member of the Expediency Discernment Council, had stated that 'bad hijab' is a sign of people's protest against the government. The former president also referred to the series of acid attacks in Isfahan as 'a wake-up call for everyone' and called for action on it as 'an important issue.' He added, 'Unfortunately, in the region, the worst forms of violence are being committed in the name of Islam. If they are proposing an Islamic caliphate, the Imam proposed the Islamic Republic, a model in which the people are central.' These remarks come at a time when officials of the Islamic Republic emphasize that these acid attacks have no connection to the Islamic principles of hijab and 'enjoining good and forbidding wrong.' Khatami also emphasized the importance of holding a 'healthy, good, and vibrant' election and called for a reduction in 'strictness and narrow-mindedness' regarding the approval of candidates for elections. He stressed that the reformist movement is ongoing in Iranian society. Khatami had previously spoken about the presence of reformists in the upcoming parliamentary elections. In reaction to his earlier remarks, Mohammad Reza Bahonar, Deputy Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, stated that protesters against the results of the 2009 presidential election must 'acknowledge and repent'; otherwise, they cannot participate in the elections. The tenth parliamentary elections in Iran are set to take place in the last months of 2015, amid comments about the disqualification of potential reformist candidates in these elections. Nejatollah Ebrahimi, spokesman for the Guardian Council, stated that protests against the results of the 2009 presidential election are a 'red line' for granting positions to individuals in the Islamic Republic and said that 'repentance' from the 2009 protesters is not sufficient for 'great trusts' like parliamentary representation.