Iran-Tehran The Meca Where Iranian Women are Looking For Equality and Democracy

Iran-Tehran The Mecca Where Iranian Women are Looking For Equality and Democracy, where women are regarded as second-class citizens under Iranian law. Thousands of Iranian women demonstrated Thursday, June 18th, 2009, in the streets of Tehran, the capital city. They wore green for solidarity.

No more are they complacent or fearful of being heard. These women have become stronger and  they are out front. They are noticeably front and center of the massive demonstrations that have unfolded since the presidential election a week ago. They are the ones who will be most affected by the Iranian election.

Iran-Tehran The Meca Where Iranian Women are Looking For Equality and Democracy, where Iranians are protesting what they consider a fraudulent vote count favoring hard line incumbent Mahmound Ahmadinejad. The demonstrations are also about taking Iran one step closer to democracy.

“Women have become primary agents of change in Iran,” said Nayereh Tohidi, chairwoman of the Gender and Women’s Studies Department at California State University, Northridge. The remarkable images show women with uncovered heads who are unafraid to speak their minds and crowds that are not segregated…both the opposite of the norm in Iran, Tohidi stated.

She said a long-brewing women’s movement may finally be manifesting itself on the streets and empowering.

Increasingly, women’s voices are gaining power as their numbers rise and their demands grow louder. “This regime is against all humanity, more specifically against all women,” cry the Iranian women.

For the full story of “The Meca Where Iranian Women are Looking For Equality and Democracy,” go to CNN News.