Iranian women call for equality in election aftermath

Left: Parisa, an Iranian woman who is protesting the presidential election's results and asking for more democracy in Iran. (Getty Images)

Women, regarded as second-class citizens under Iranian law, have taken to the streets to participate in the massive demonstrations that have unfolded since in the aftermath of the presidential election a week ago, protesting not only the election results but demanding an end to discrimination.

The 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.

Iranians are protesting what they consider a fraudulent vote count favoring hardline incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

"This regime is against all humanity, more specifically against all women," said protester Parisa, whom CNN is not fully identifying for security reasons.

"I see lots of girls and women in these demonstrations," she said. "They are all angry, ready to explode, scream out and let the world hear their voice. I want the world to know that as a woman in this country, I have no freedom."

Though 63% of all Iranian college students are women, the law of the land does not see men and women as equal. In cases of divorce, child custody, inheritance and crime, women do not have the same legal rights as men.

In this year's presidential campaign, Iranian women pressured candidates to agree to ratify the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. The 1979 treaty has been ratified by 186 nations, including several Islamic states.

Some women in Iran looked to Mir Hossein Moussavi, who promised to appoint women as cabinet ministers if he won, to carry their banner.

The weight of discrimination against women is felt most profoundly through Iran's legal system, but Ahmadinejad added to the hardship by clamping down on women's lifestyles, CNN reported. He mandated the way women dress and even censored websites that dealt with women's health. A woman would be

"Today, we were wearing black," Parisa said, referring to the day of mourning to remember those who have died in post-election violence. "We were holding signs. We said, 'We are not sheep. We are human beings,'" she said.

"Today," she said, "I had this feeling of hope that things will finally change."

I applaud Iranian women's courage to speak up and fight for their rights. However, I can't forget that, like the men, women also have chanted "Death to the U.S!" during anti-American demonstrations in Iran.

just sayin'...

Sources: CNN
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