U.S. Student Faces Iran Propaganda Charges

American-Iranian Arrested In Tehran Is Involved In Campaign To Reform Laws In Women's Favor

(CBS)  By CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Palmer in London

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Esha Momeni, an American-Iranian student who was arrested while visiting her family in Tehran, will be arraigned in Iranian court, says a spokesman for the judiciary. Meanwhile she is free to leave the country.

Momeni, a graduate student at California State University, was initially arrested for a traffic offence on October 15. Then police confiscated her passport, her computer and materials relating to a film she was making about Iranian women and locked her up in Evin prison.

Three weeks later Momeni was released on bail, but still faces charges of "acting against state security" and "propaganda against the system."

It’s widely believed this charge relates to Momeni’s work with the “Campaign for One Million Signatures.” It is a grassroots movement to collect a million signatures on a petition demanding changes to laws that discriminate against women in Iran.

It is seeking fundamental changes, including an end to polygamy for men; stricter punishments for men convicted of honor killings or violence against women; and a guarantee of equal rights for women in marriage and their entitlement to inherit.

Campaign strategists argue the changes are solidly grounded in Islamic principles.

Shrin Ebadi, the Nobel laureate and human rights lawyer says the Campaign for One Million Signatures “is a powerful and popular movement because of its reliance on all people who believe in equal rights for men and women. It is for this reason that they government is unable to suppress it.”

The government is trying though.

Since its launch two years ago, leaders of the Campaign have been attacked, jailed and harassed by the government.

Last year, Parvin Ardalan, one of the Campaign’s founders, was on her way to Sweden to receive the prestigious 2007 Olaf Palme Prize when authorities removed her from the flight at Tehran airport and confiscated her passport.

In spite of the harassment, arrests and abuse, the movement is nevertheless gaining strength.

Although no prominent religious figures can overtly support the campaign, some influential voices have spoken out publicly in favor of equal rights for women.

Grand Ayatollah Sanei, a senior cleric in the holy city of Qom, has engaged in the discussion against polygamy on his website.

“Second marriage without consent of the first wife is unlawful and Haram (forbidden in Islam)," he writes. "I hope the Islamic Parliament does not approve this law. God forbids the Parliament from passing such a bill which would impose many problems - especially for women.”

Observers think the publicity around issues raised by the campaign has already derailed one government initiative that would have further undermined Iranian women.

Earlier this year, the cabinet of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad proposed making polygamy easier for men. They would also have taxed the obligatory payment a man gives to his wife when they marry.

In Iran, this "bridal money" acts as a financial safety net for millions of women who do not get alimony or support if they're divorced.

The proposed changes were opposed by an unusual coalition of women's rights activists from both conservative and reform camps. In the end, Iranian judges helped defeat the new laws, saying they would promote polygamy and erode women’s s financial independence.

But the battle to reform laws in women’s favor continues.

Esha Momeni, the American Iranian student, is now free on bail and has permission to leave Iran. Chances are she will fly home to California, but the Campaign for One Million Signatures lives on in countless committed Iranian hands.

[fush2]

no woman dont have there own special status...yea god all men but did they mistreat their woman??no!!!! and yes divorce is everywhere... HAS ANYONE HERE CLAIMED TO BE AN EXPERT ON SOCIAL SCIENCE???ANYONE?? yes there are many out there who study this field..whats your point?
men and woman are equal in rights!!!!! some people dont agree with this...oh well woman arent little female dogs who should listen to men because o no we dont have the same equal rights... we are all created equal rite??? the only difference is that one has a *** and one a ***..one menstruates one doesnt...other than that...im sorry to burst your bubble women and men are both equal!!!! and for the record i aced biology!!!

[omnipresent2]

Are we supposed to say what our rights are or is God supposed to say what men and women should do ?

Do you have the slightest idea of the divorce rate in the United States and its relation to our man-made regulations for men and women ?

Where in the Torah or the Bible or in the Quran do you hear about collecting signatures to tell a man or a woman what to do in life ?

A herd of sheep could collect more signatures for a rebellion against the humans as in the "Animal Farm" story .

I think that the philosophers and the the religious leaders approved by the people should decide what regulations should be set for men and women and these regulations would be a function of the specific society.

I don''t know why some men or women "think" they are experts in social science, we have one million experts in Social Science and we don''t know it ?

The women who speak of equality should study biology and then they would understand that their brain is
lighter than men''s not necessarily meaning not functioning better but a clue to understand : " Men and women are not equal in everything including rights " .

If there are any objections please refer to God''s prophets and see how many of them were men and how many prophets were women.

Women have their own special status in life and their rights have been outlined by " GOD " not themselves or else we will end up in an " Animal Farm " !

[omnipresent2]

Are we supposed to say what our rights are or is God supposed to say what men and women should do ?

Do you have the slightest idea of the divorce rate in the United States and its relation to our man-made regulations for men and women ?

Where in the Torah or the Bible or in the Quran do you hear about collecting signatures to tell a man or a woman what to do in life ?

A herd of sheep could collect more signatures for a rebellion against the humans as in the "Animal Farm" story .

I think that the philosophers and the the religious leaders approved by the people should decide what regulations should be set for men and women and these regulations would be a function of the specific society.

I don''t know why some men or women "think" they are experts in social science, we have one million experts in Social Science and we don''t know it ?

The women who speak of equality should study biology and then they would understand that their brain is
lighter than men''s not necessarily meaning not functioning better but a clue to understand : " Men and women are not equal in everything including rights " .

If there are any objections please refer to God''s prophets and see how many of them were men and how many prophets were women.

Women have their own special status in life and their rights have been outlined by " GOD " not themselves or else we will end up in an " Animal Farm " !

[omnipresent2]

Are we supposed to say what our rights are or is God supposed to say what men and women should do ?

Do you have the slightest idea of the divorce rate in the United States and its relation to our man-made regulations for men and women ?

Where in the Torah or the Bible or in the Quran do you hear about collecting signatures to tell a man or a woman what to do in life ?

A herd of sheep could collect more signatures for a rebellion against the humans as in the "Animal Farm" story .

I think that the philosophers and the the religious leaders approved by the people should decide what regulations should be set for men and women and these regulations would be a function of the specific society.

I don''t know why some men or women "think" they are experts in social science, we have one million experts in Social Science and we don''t know it ?

The women who speak of equality should study biology and then they would understand that their brain is
lighter than men''s not necessarily meaning not functioning better but a clue to understand : " Men and women are not equal in everything including rights " .

If there are any objections please refer to God''s prophets and see how many of them were men and how many prophets were women.

Women have their own special status in life and their rights have been outlined by " GOD " not themselves or else we will end up in an " Animal Farm " !

[omnipresent2]

Are we supposed to say what our rights are or is God supposed to say what men and women should do ?

Do you have the slightest idea of the divorce rate in the United States and its relation to our man-made regulations for men and women ?

Where in the Torah or the Bible or in the Quran do you hear about collecting signatures to tell a man or a woman what to do in life ?

A herd of sheep could collect more signatures for a rebellion against the humans as in the "Animal Farm" story .

I think that the philosophers and the the religious leaders approved by the people should decide what regulations should be set for men and women and these regulations would be a function of the specific society.

I don''t know why some men or women "think" they are experts in social science, we have one million experts in Social Science and we don''t know it ?

The women who speak of equality should study biology and then they would understand that their brain is
lighter than men''s not necessarily meaning not functioning better but a clue to understand : " Men and women are not equal in everything including rights " .

If there are any objections please refer to God''s prophets and see how many of them were men and how many prophets were women.

Women have their own special status in life and their rights have been outlined by " GOD " not themselves or else we will end up in an " Animal Farm " !

[fush2]

did i say muslim women??? i meant to say women all over the world...we rule...

[fush2]

muslim women need to stop being so scared of their men...they need to stand up and fight for their rites...these muslim men think that they can do as they please theyre just a bunch of nobodies (like some other men) who cant do jack for themselves and dont appreciate the one good thing god has created. US WOMEN..OH YEA LOL

[kk217]

Like most of Islam''s intolerance...if they can''t control something or someone they outlaw it or jail it. Who would want to be a member of a religion that is so backward and hasn''t improved over thousands of years. Of course I know most of them have no choice in the matter. And people wonder why we fight for our freedoms!

[cbs_oliver]

Posted by clathrate at 05:24 PM : Nov 19, 2008

Your alias is interesting. Are you the cage? Or the caged?

[yongamerica]

There are women in the USA, in "Christian" churches with Christian values that face the same fate as fundamentalist Muslim women. How quickly we forget the FLDS Mormon church in Texas escapades. And what about the more recent Glory Roller in Arkansas charged with multiple child rape charges?

America this is a wake up call. It is time time to clean our own house. Tolerance allowing religious entities to operate isolated compounds using their interpretation of righteousness as law outside federal and state laws must be stopped.

Afterward, we can then launch a woman''s rights cleansing in the middle east. Starting with Iran and working towards the equally suppressive and equally religious radical Saudis.

[downsteamjim]

CBS Oliver: You probably complained about the Taliban not broadcasting in HD when they stoned women to death.

[clathrate]

Why is our interest and sympathy always directed to those women in countries where we have designs to kill their sons and husbands and take their oil or gold or diamands or whatever.
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Posted by CBS_Oliver

Because it''s usually not the women beheading captives or shooting up the neighborhood in the name of Allah or whatever.

Frankly, the world would be a heck of a lot better off if the male:female ratio was drastically lowered. Males commit 95% of the serious crimes, and create most of the problems in society.

I think that is why we have more sympathy for women. Yes, they give birth to the jihadists, but most of them know they''ll just take a fatal beating if they try to prevent their sons from getting involved in the homicidal jihad madness. Islam brings out the worst in a male-dominated society.

[cbs_oliver]

"Esha Momeni, the American Iranian student, is now free on bail and has permission to leave Iran. Chances are she will fly home to California, but the Campaign for One Million Signatures lives on in countless committed Iranian hands."

The propaganda intent of this article is revealed in this enthusiastic sentence.

Actually, I think they are looking not for "countless hands" but for a million hands and million signatures.

This is a topic of some minor concern. But not as severe a concern as say the plight of the "unclean" in India or woman in some poverty stricken African countries.

What about all these other women''s problems in the world?

Why is our interest and sympathy always directed to those women in countries where we have designs to kill their sons and husbands and take their oil or gold or diamands or whatever.