…It is true that in the 1970s Shah Reza Pahlavi alternated between rather ambiguous instances of modernization, requiring women to remove their veils without granting them the right to vote, and admitting them to the University of Tehran without abolishing male privileges in marriage and family law.
In short, modernization that is barely sketched, superficial and, above all, limited to a very small segment of the population.
…But are you really convinced that “revolutions” dictated by religious fundamentalism (not only Islamic, the same argument can be made for any other religious ideology, including Catholicism) really always lead to progress ?
On March 30, a referendum approved the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran with 98 percent of the vote.
Alcoholic beverages, gambling, and prostitution were banned; persecution of homosexuals began (the offense was punishable by execution for the fourth offense as far as the role of the active party was concerned); the death penalty was imposed for rape and adultery and for anyone who engaged in behavior not in accordance with Sharia law ; and women were required to cover their arms and legs with black clothing, and to cover their heads with a veil, strictly hiding their hair.
This was Iran before the “Islamic Revolution” of 1979.
Now it is this one, as it is in all Islamic countries where hardliners have come to power.
Is this really the world you want to live in, even in the West ?
