Shahrdad Khabir

Nearly ninety years ago, on the 8th of January 1936, Reza Shah Pahlavi along with the queen and his two daughters, Shams and Ashraf, after making a historic move (ordering the removal of the hijab), appeared at the teacher’s training institute and addressed the women. He said: “The happiness of the country and the future of the nation is in the hands of you women of Iran, because you are the educators of the future generation of this land.”

With this action, he planted the seed of freedom in the history of Iran, which we witnessed the crystallization of in 24 years later and in the fifth principle of the White Revolution or the Revolution of the King and the Nation.

According to Article 10 of the election law, before the Shah and the People’s Revolution, women were in the ranks of the insane and bankrupt, and beggars and convicts, and were deprived of any political rights. But on 9th of January1963, the election law was changed, and one of the achievements was women’s participation in elections under equal legal conditions with men. Women, like men, were able to play an important role in determining their own destiny for the first time and gained the right to vote and be elected.

Mrs. Mahsa Mohiti Asli, Dokhtare Shayesteh 2582 , Miss Iran 2023

In pursuit of the right to be elected and entering into the National Assembly, on 1967, the Family Protection Law was approved. This law abolished unilateral divorce. Women got the right to request a divorce and the mother was considered to be the guardian of the child, and the child was left to the mother after the divorce or the death of the father.

Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, referring to the 8th principle of the constitutional law, which says: The people of Iran will have equal rights under the government law, has made reforms for equal rights of men and women socially and politically, and removed limitations for women in all elections at any level. He also removed the condition of being a Muslim. The king of Iran gave permission to all Iranians, male and female, of any religion and belief, to participate in their social and political life and participate in elections with equal rights for all.

In the meantime, Ruhollah Khomeini called the approval of the election law, which removed the two conditions of being a man and being a Muslim, a dangerous conspiracy to harm Islam and the clergy. The petrified thoughts of the robed mullahs could not understand the progress of Iran and Iranians, and sent all the demonic forces to make days of mourning for our growing society.

Once again, with the approval of this law, women reached positions in embassies, ministries, parliament representatives, judges, university professors, attorneys at law, municipalities, company management, and served Iran in uniform and as officers.

It was during these days that the ceremony of choosing Iran’s most worthy girl, initiated by Zan Roz magazine and named Dokhtar Shayesteh & continued until 1978, but after the fateful events of that year, the “Miss Iran” competition was no longer held.

Nearly half a century later, Miss Iran was revived by Payam Javan on October 21, 2023 in San Jose, CA.

We believe that the end of dark days against women and their rights is now marked by the praise of woman, life, freedom.