The Big Picture
Iran's female minister was sacked, but not because of her gender

Iran's female minister was sacked, but not because of her gender

When it comes to the international media, they certainly want you to take home a distorted image of Iran.

Ovais Ahmed January 02, 2013

When it comes to the international media, they certainly want you to take home a distorted image of Iran. Consider the recent sacking of Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi, the Iranian health minister from Ahmadinejad’s cabinet.

This is how the incident has been reported by most global news organisations, including those who claim to be champions of objective journalism.

“Iran sacks sole female minister from health post.” – BBC

“Iran’s only female cabinet minister sacked.” – The Guardian

“Iran’s only female cabinet minister fired.” – New York Times

“Iran’s Ahmadinejad sacks only female minister.” – Al Jazeera

Anyone who goes through these headlines would link the story to the suppression of women’s rights in Iran under their current ruler. But anyone who reads the details of the story will see such a link is simply not there. The fairly straightforward reason is tucked in after the 'sole female minister' narrative at the top of the stories:

"...the dismissal is being linked to her call for drug price rises to fight shortages caused by international sanctions." – BBC

"Dastjerdi's dismissal was criticised in parliament, where Ahmadinejad has been accused of concentrating power in his own hands." – The Guardian

"Iran’s president on Thursday dismissed his health minister, the only woman to serve in the cabinet since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, after she publicly criticized the government’s response to acute shortages of medicine imports, an indirect consequence of the Western sanctions imposed on the country." – New York Times

"Dastjerdi allegedly pulled rank on her co-workers for failing to provide funds to import vital medicines." – Al Jazeera

The sacking of Dastjerdi was not on the basis of her gender or the fact that she was the only female minister in the cabinet.

It was a clear case of a difference of opinion between the president and the minister that resulted in her removal from the cabinet. Even a male minister would have faced similar consequences for disagreeing with the president.

Note, the international press did not credit Ahmedinejad for himself proposing the appointment of Dastjerdi. No one hailed him for bringing in a highly qualified female minister. In fact, numerous articles were published stating Dastjerdi, as a hard-liner, would do no good for Iran.

Incidents of ministers being removed from their portfolios are not uncommon. As far as the sacking of female ministers is concerned, David Cameron almost did the same thing when he sacked 60 per cent women ministers of his parliament in September this year. Three out of five female ministers, including the only Muslim woman Sayeeda Warsi, were treated in the same way as Iran’s Dastjerdi.

Iran is just one example of a country that is being vilified by the tactical use of the media. Every action of its leader is strategically presented in a way that misleads the general public.

This misleading information from ‘reliable’ sources creates a world view that favours a few and goes against 'the others'.

Those others were the Nazis and Soviets historically, but now range from the Cubans, Venezuelans and North Koreans to Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan today.

Read more by Ovais here.

Correction: This post earlier stated that Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi was the first female minister of Iran. The error is regretted.

WRITTEN BY:
Ovais Ahmed A producer for Express News.

The views expressed by the writer and the reader comments do not necassarily reflect the views and policies of the Express Tribune.

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COMMENTS (56)

Khan Bhai | 11 years ago | Reply @Pessimist: Most sensible people do, and sometimes I do not blame them. There are very few Muslim countries which are respected by the world. Off the top of my head, I can only think of Malaysia and Turkey. Anyone else have some examples? P.s: Money does not equal success & respect.. You are providing basis for hatred that didn't exist before 9/11? Yes, I am suppose to believe this explanation as reasonable. No hate of any kind is reasonable and you providing justification is just pathetic..

Irfan Ali | 11 years ago | Reply @ignorantways: My Dear, re read your comments on this topic. U started diverting from the topic and me just reacted to that. I have more information about active women politicians of Iran. You should enhance your knowledge of iranian women MNAs. They are directly elected instead of reserved seats. They lose too because it is elections and not selections!!! Read news, comments and books on Iranian women parliamentarians and other eminent figures. I don't have divine knowledge about Iran. But, I too get information through the sources u can get if u want so. Sometimes 14, women were elected to the Parliament and sometimes their numbers lessened. I would not name them for the reason I wrote that to ignorant say good bye. However, to other readers, Masoumeh Ebtikar was first woman vice president of Iran. Fatima Jawadi is still Vice President of Ahmedinejad government. Nasrin Sultankhwah is member of the cabinet. To ingorwantways: U started preaching false image so u must tolerate the right and correct answers. Please don't advise me where I should write. This is not the forum for u to misinform the readers. Should u stop cheating people I have no problem with u. Read Newton's every action has a reaction. So, don't act irresponsibly. What I wrote was a just reaction to the unjust actions of some including you. So, stop disseminating false things.

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ignorantways | 11 years ago | Reply @Irfan Ali: dear come to the topic plzz “Iran’s only female cabinet minister sacked.” plz try to eliminate this " only " word from this phrase . . . . why iran's too cruel towards freedom of women ?? now don't try to deny this because article is about that topic , where the author failed to show any other female politician name definitely :P 2ndly dont preach here , LUBP is the right forum , you will enjoy more at that platform.

Irfan Ali | 11 years ago | Reply @ignorantways. Had I been a good speaker before ignorants, u would have been convinced. U didn't and to ingorants Quran says Salam Salam. That means don't waste time on people such as u. As far as Benazir Bhutto and Imam Zamin is concerned, u should enhance your knowledge of Sunnis. Sunni loves and respect Shia infallible Imams (from Hazrat Ali to Imam Mahdi) in high esteem. Sunnis too wear Imam Zamin and it is tradition in all over Pakistan. If u don't know i invite u to come with me and I shall show u how many Sunnis follow Shia Islam during Moharram and other occasions. They cook haleem, install sabeels, wear black suits and at many places they also beat their chest (matam) to mourn the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (AS). There is no Sunni who hates Imam Ali (AS) or Imam Hassan and Imam Hussain. It is feelings of majority of Sunnis and they take pride in calling themselves as lovers of Ahlul Bait. So, u cannot declare somebody as Shia for wearing Imam Zamin.

Irfan Ali | 11 years ago | Reply @ ignrorantways..you should re-read what i have written. How u can say my Sunni Baloch friends as biased?? I have read Mukhtar Masood's book on Iran. he was there during the time of revolution. Nazeer Ahmed is less known person and Mukhtar Masood is a literary person. I want to enhance your knowledge and eliminate ignorance about Iran. Iranian Parliament and Majlis-e-Khobargan has Sunni members and on the basis of their Sunni identity. Not a single Shia can win any seat on their Shia identity in Pakistan, my dear. It doesn't mean that the Constitution of Pakistan disallows them but it is intolerance and bias that caused so. Iranian Sunnis have more mosques percentage wise, as compared to Shia mosques in Pakistan. Iranians support Sunni Hamas and Islamic Jihad and fund them with finance and weapons. So, Iran is friendly towards Sunnis. Even a Jew is Parliamentarian in Iran.

ignorantways | 11 years ago | Reply @Irfan Ali: you can be a good speaker in front of ignorant . . . nazeer ahmed spent 8 years in Pakistan embassy of Iran by the Gov of Pakistan. he was from FATA. He wrote a book " IRAN k ufkar o azaem " if you found must read it you will come to know even before so called revolution what were the situations and scenarios . . . well you can easily stamp that book a biased book , so we can also stamp your that friend, the killing of iranian baloch leaders in Pakistan is not mystery, officially whole world knows revolutionary guards and quds force killed them, not only in pakistan but also in US, france, Italy , Turkey . . . first you should try to prove Quad e Azam was sunni or shia ?? then you can give the reference of bhutto's book for themselves . . . why BB shaheed wear Imam e Zaman , at least i never seen any sunni who wear this. main point of my words is that where are Pakistani feminists , where are their shouts for rights of women in IRAN ?? Pakistan seen 2 times woman as leader , as ruler yet Pakistani secular and liberal and feminists blaming rightists ??

Marie | 11 years ago | Reply @Leila: You're up there trashing white men, and I'm the ignorant one? http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/182h4jpdfjpaijpg/original.jpg I guess it depends on your definition of white, but certainly only two of the 10 deadliest dictators in the 20th Century were Western. You do realize that more Muslims die at the hand of other Muslims than white men, right? And if you think about civilian casualties in wars initiated by the U.S., such as Vietnam and Iraq, they do not total to millions, at least not by any reputable resource, such as the WHO. Hiroshima and Nagasaki are tough cases, as the only other option on winning the war Japan started by bombing Hawaii would have been a land invasion leading to the much more populated Tokyo, which would probably have been even more deadly. The U.S. asked the Japanese to surrender after Hiroshima and they still declined, otherwise Nagasaki wouldn't have been bombed. I won't argue with Gitmo and Abu Ghraib though, there were no reasons for that. There have been several imprisonments of Americans in Iran, not the least of which began with the hostage crisis. Aside from the hikers in the Kurdish part of Iraq( it is still disputed they even drifted into Iran) there was also an Iranian-Japanese-American journalist who was legally there with her husband. Another American is there right now awaiting retrial. There was also Maziar Bahari, although he is Canadian. I don't flatter myself that important, but none of the hikers were either! Their education in liberal arts studies is not unlike my own. They did community service work for people in the Middle East. I do community service work here for refugees and immigrants. I am very familiar with Operation Ajax. I've read numerous books, completed coursework and listened to a semester's worth of lectures from Columbia University all focused on Iranian history and its relationship with the U.S. Marjane Satrapi wrote a memoir about her life in Iran, not propaganda. Some of her family was imprisoned by the Shah, so she had no reason to love the U.S. Being anti-Ayatollah is not the same as being pro-Western. But I'm sure a non-ignorant person like you knew all this already, right?

Marie | 11 years ago | Reply @Raza Jamali: I agree with a lot of what you're saying. I think Saudi Arabia is the worst when it comes to women's rights, much more so than Iran. I wish the U.S. would cut ties to the Saudis, but it isn't going to happen until a certain three-letter-word is no longer a factor. And I wish every foreign policy decision was made perfectly equally, but it just isn't, and probably will never be. Think about this--pretend you have a business that you need to buy supplies for. You have your choice of vendors--you could do business with those who have similar business practices as yours, but are more expensive; you could do business with those who have lousy business practices, but are very cheap; or, you could do business with those who have lousy business practices and really aren't that cheap. The families and employees that rely on the vendor have nothing or little to do with his business practices, but yet your decision on what vendor to choose will affect them as well as your own family. The middle choice is clearly the most favorable choice to you, but, as a human being, you probably hope to seek some kind of balance between getting the best deal so your business prospers and you can take care of your family, while also not being totally oblivious to how your decision affects the families and employees of the various vendors. It's not a perfect system, it's very much a cost-benefit decision. So, yeah, things aren't going to be perfectly fair. I'm not an apologetist for every American foreign policy decision but, the U.S. tries when it can to improve human rights. I see some hypocracy, but I don't think lack of perfection means you give up on trying to make things better for others. And as for the anti-Islam film, I just wanted to illustrate that, for as often as I hear that the West should just respect Eastern culture, even when taken to extremes such as forbidding women to leave the house without a male relative, shouldn't the East respect the West's value of free speech, even when taken to its extremes? I can't speak for Europe's laws, but U.S. law is very permissive. I've seen very offensive things said about my religion and sacred figures also protected by the Constitution. I wish the U.S. would call Israel out, but a politician with even the slightest critique of Israel is like a dead man walking.

Irfan Ali | 11 years ago | Reply To all critics with love. Fact has it that my Sunni Baloch friends of Iranian origin living in Pakistan confirm that there is not discrimination against Sunnis in Iran. Instead, their economic position is much more stronger, thanks to Iranian Shia government. Yes it is fact that Iran has Shia government but it doesn't mean that non-Shiites are facing hardships because of their non-Shia grouping. Iranians suffer due to illogical and unlawful sanctions by the U.S. and E.U. Percentage-wise, Sunni Muslims have more mosques in Iran as compared to Shia mosques in Pakistan. Iranian Parliament and even the Majlis-e-Khobargan (sort of Senate) has Sunni members and they are free to practice Sunni Islam. Not a single Shia can become member of Parliament in Pakistan on the basis of his or her Shia identity. It doesn't mean that the Constitution of Pakistan doesn't allow them to get elected. But it is fact. As far as Bhuttos are concerned, they are Sunnis and not Shias. Nusrat Bhutto was Shia and not Benazir Bhutto, read her last book in which she said she was a Sunni. Sunni Muslims freely offer prayers in Shia mosques in all over Iran but a Shia cannot perform prayers at most of the deobandis mosques in Pakistan due to their intolerance. I may clarify that Iranians love Sunnis and Supreme Leader Imam Khamenei has issued fatwa ordering Shiites to respect the sanctities (sacred persons) of Sunni Islam. It is Iran that supports Hamas and Islamic Jihad, Sunni national resistance groups of Palestine. But, ill-fated Hezbollah are not supported by the Arab regimes. We should not pay heed to incorrect and false news and approaches.

ignorantways | 11 years ago | Reply @Allama: what are you talking about ?? i said sunnis are suffering in IRAN since 1979 . . . not a single sunni was president and PM . . . but here in Pak we have Bhutto family 4 time ruled Pakistan , it means Pakistan's 90% are not biased . . . but IRAN's 70% SHIA are totally biased against Sunnis . . . well topic is that where are Iranian and Pakistani feminists , where are their shouts for equality in IRAN ??

Allama | 11 years ago | Reply @ignorantways: but Sunnis are a majority in Pakistan and they are not Momins too. So Iran is a better place as they do not persecute Shias which are a minority in Pakistan. in fact Pakistani Sunnis should take a lesson from Sunnis in iran

ignorantways | 11 years ago | Reply @Allama: have you ever read about sunnis of Baluchistan (iranian), Kirman , Talish etc genocide is still going on . . . who cares , no media there's

kazim | 11 years ago | Reply women in Iran has more privileged and respected face as compare to any other state.they work with men equally in every walk of life they work in offices,army,police, participate in politics and media as well.as far as fired of women concern so,it is not a rare incident it happens every where. in any of organization where worker either woman or man if they does not meet the expectation of organization,they would sack.

Parvez | 11 years ago | Reply @gp65: Madam you read tooooo much into a comment. Why couldn't you have read it as a flippant, off the cuff comment, that in fact it was. Thanks for the studied reply you gave, it was informative and factual. The issue of womens empowerment in Islamic countries is as it was a 100 some years ago in the western countries, dominated by the male chauvinistic mind. Except here religion has also been brought into play and is used ( by used I mean is a negative sense ) with devastating consequences.

Raza Jamali | 11 years ago | Reply Denying the Holocaust*

Raza Jamali | 11 years ago | Reply @Marie: The whole crux of your argument now is revolving around two issues, Marjane Satrapi and banning women from universities. Marjane Satrapi, who is she? a product of the westernized stratum of Iranian society who have never been able to accept or comprehend the new change brought in by the majority against those 'ideals' that were inherent to the pre-revolution system imposed upon the Iranians by the Shah, till he was overthrown by a populist revolution to rid themselves of those very same 'ideals'. And to instead adopt a different ideology that they felt inclined towards and to have those as the foundations of a new state? So please, spare me if I do not agree with the arguments or viewpoints of 'Marjane Satrapi' and others like her who felt deprived and robbed off their pre-revolution lifestyle after this change in their country and the collapse of the status-quo system like it used to be under the Shah. On banning women, a view from the other side of the spectrum, just to give an idea. This may be accurate to a good extent, if not all and vice versa; "http://ajammc.wordpress.com/2012/08/22/no-iran-didnt-just-ban-women-from-universities-2/" On the anti-Islam film. I generally object to anything that deliberately hurts the sentiments of another. Here, it was an attack on the intellect and emotions of around two billion people and their beliefs. It can never be justified under the garb of 'freedom of expression'. Freedom of expression has been used and abused in the West as a pretext of getting away with saying anything. However, when their interests are not aligned with the expressions given 'freely' by people opposed to their ideals/notions, they themselves put curbs and limitations on them. Take the example of England, where the Queen cannot be condemned, or Europe where in some countries, discussing the Holocaust is a crime under law. The 'upholders' of fundamental rights are holding and applying double standards when it comes to issues under their own domain or prerogative while these same rights can have no limitations when it suits their interests or is by and large, towards Muslims? Why is this so? Being a Muslim, I see double standards being applied more frequently in our case then any other. Why is it so? Similarly, why the bias towards media reporting on Iran? Why not highlight the abuses in Saudi Arabia? Why not impose sanctions on them for sending their troops to another country to quell a populist revolution- Bahrain, while other populist revolutions that may suit their interests are supported? Why does the focus waiver when it comes to the gross violations of rights, sovereignty, dignity and freedom of the Palestinians? Should sanctions be imposed as the self proclaimed champions / guardians of human rights, to curtail this barbarism and violations, time and time again despite international condemnation? Or should billions of dollars still be doled out annually to support such atrocities? Anyways, this 'rant' will keep going on and on as I see no positive outcome to come about on two divergent world views. Lets just call a spade a spade(and not a 'King of Hearts' !).

ali rizvi | 11 years ago | Reply and if anyone wants to see the power of iranian women just land on the tehran airport and read the prostitution ads veiled under the cover of "legal" muta

Leila | 11 years ago | Reply @Marie, Well, I usually do not like to use this phrase, but you are an ignorant person. The only American people who were imprisoned in Iran were those who claimed they were "hiking" from a hostile and enemy infested territory illegally into Iran. And consider the case of that French spy girl in Iran. Ever heard of color revolutions and operation Ajax? Your rants are just empty. Marjane Satrapi? who is she? the one who wanted to bring down Iranian government by a propaganda book? Are you serious? US dropped two nukes on women and children. Ever remember AbuGharib? Guantanamo? Dr. Allende? All the millions that have been killed by US invasions.

gp65 | 11 years ago | Reply @Parvez: "Frankly it would take nothing less than a ‘ bikini fashion contest ‘ in Tehran to change the the world view on female policy in Iran." You seem to imply that the West is judging Iranian women's empowerment using very shallow standards such as dressing in a flimsy manner. While there maybe some truth that some people may use lazy stereotypes, I am sure that is not the norm. I recognize that more than 50% of students in Iranian universities are women and also that they have a high labour participation rate. The following areas however can certainly be considered as barriers to empowerment. "Bad hijab" ― exposure of any part of the body other than hands and face – is subject to punishment of up to 70 lashes or 60 days imprisonment (A woman choosing hijaab of free will fine but caning her for not wering hijaab can hardly be considered very empowering). The government has set quotas for female pediatricians and gynecologists and has made it difficult for women to become civil engineers. During the Sixth Parliament, some of Iran's strongest advocates of women's rights emerged. Almost all of the 11 female lawmakers of the (at the time) 270-seat Majlis tried to change some of Iran's more conservative laws. However, during the elections for the Seventh Majlis, the all-male Council of Guardians banned the 11 women from running for office, and only conservative females were allowed to run. The Seventh Majlis reversed many of the laws passed by the reformist Sixth Majlis. In 1992, Shahla Sherkat founded Zanan magazine (Women magazine), which focused on the concerns of Iranian women and tested the political waters with its edgy coverage of reform politics, domestic abuse, and sex. However, at the end of January 2008 the Iranian regime closed the magazine down as a “threat to the psychological security of the society” claiming it showed women in a “black light.”[18] It had been the only Persian women's magazine

gp65 | 11 years ago | Reply @Usman: "@Pessimist: Don’t underestimate the power of Iranian women, they have more power than say, women in Texas" Can you please provide a basis on which you made that comparison and drew that conclusion? I live in Texas and women have the right to do all the things that men can. Certainly no restriction on them going to University as in Iran.

hass | 11 years ago | Reply @Marie: Lots of Americans go to Iran. Don't flatter yourself into thinking that for some reason you're important enough to be selected for imprisoning.

Usman | 11 years ago | Reply This author is on the same level as the great "abdullah ansari" http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/author/1124/abdullah-ansari/

Marie | 11 years ago | Reply @Raza Jamali: That's why I pointed to Marjane Satrapi. She is Iranian and she felt oppressed. People have left Iran for that very reason as well. People protest on the streets, but it falls on deaf ears. I'm not suggesting there aren't some cultural differences in the concept of liberty, but in whose world is banning women from universities not oppressive? What if the shoe was on the other foot? What was your opinion of how the anti-Islam film was handled and what the U.S. should have done about it?

p r sharma | 11 years ago | Reply @Ovais Ahmed Mangalwala: " The headlines of all major news organizations I have mentioned were shown to a sample of educated young men and women by me and all of them said that these headlines focus on gender of the minister. When they were shown the details, they realized that the gender was not of any concern in the news. So my analysis is based on the sample" So the article is based on the collective views of some persons you think as educated young men and women. till now I was under the impression that writers/ bloggers post their own views. ( the moment someone needs endorsement by others on something indicates that he/ she is not confident rather shaky in thoughts.) it is disappointing.

Pessimist | 11 years ago | Reply For Usman: Power is perceptive. You and I may have different views on what 'power' actually means. Plus why do you think that just because Irani women wear hijab they are not empowered? I never mentioned that anywhere. For the Author: Thank you for replying to my comment, it is a good gesture. please don’t generalize that I do not like women. I have a mother, sisters and a wife This is the classical line used by majority of Pakistan men when asked to explain their seemingly anti-women views. I have a mother. Newsflash! Everyone has a mother. Without one we wouldn't be here. Btw, I'm not saying that you have ill feelings towards your mother, sister and wife, it's just that I think that saying that line does not mean that you respect women. Just because a man has a mother/sister/wife doesn't mean that he automatically respects them! Moving on, you mentioned your mini survey. Please mention in detail about who the participants were and etc. It's very easy to manipulate statistics. You can stastically prove that many people support crime by taking a poll inside a prison. A crazy example yes, but it shows how some polls operate. To conclude, please don't say that the 'majority' does, unless you have a precise definition of what majority is. I still stand by my earlier accusation, you haven't done much to change it :) Have a nice day!

David_Smith | 11 years ago | Reply @pessimist; you could add Indonesia, the UAE and Morocco perhaps to the list of Muslim countries that are respected.

Tiger911 | 11 years ago | Reply ugh! would have been better had your reported zillion such news headlines about Pakistan!

Raza Jamali | 11 years ago | Reply @Marie: I wouldn't blame them considering the amount of intimidation Iran as a country faces at the hands of the self proclaimed global champion of freedom and human rights. At the outset, let me clarify that I am not charging you or anyone of being an ignorant in entirety, but rather that we all are (in some ways) ignorant on aspects which we do not understand or cannot comprehend, be it for whatever reasons respectively. "Much of the criticism of the status of women in Iran is not a critique of the women themselves, but rather how the government treats them", what you have just stated here is exactly the kind of contradiction with reality on the ground that I was trying to point out. Such opinions are formed reading from one side of the coin and not actually focussing - through direct interaction, with those on whom this opinion has been formed (for) in the first place. Instead of getting affirmations from your Professor(s), be it Turkish or Iranian, sitting thousands of miles away, I would suggest you to take into account the view of those being labelled as oppressed i.e the women themselves to understand the notion of liberty and freedom as they see,believe and understand it to be for themselves. On a final note, it should not only be the "Western media" (which you aptly pointed out from my comment and ignored the rest of it on the same) for one to get their material from for research and basing opinions on but rather to gather material from the other of the spectrum aswell. There are different interpretations to the same scenario. What might be oppression to one might be freedom/liberty to the other.

Marie | 11 years ago | Reply @Raza Jamali: I'd go, except they seem fond of imprisoning Americans on baseless charges they end up dropping after international pressure mounts. And try telling Marjane Satrapi, who is unable to return to Iran, that women in Iran are treated as equals. Much of the criticism of the status of women in Iran is not a critique of the women themselves, but rather how the government treats them. And, before I am charged with only being influenced by the Western media, I'm actually well-read on the topic of Iran, as affirmed by my Turkish ( aka, non-Western) professor of my World Politics and Politics of the Middle East courses, with a specific focus on Iran. Also, I read articles on this site, so, you know, I do attempt to get a different side of the story.

Raza Jamali | 11 years ago | Reply All I would like to say to these ignorant people sitting here commenting against Iran regarding things they have heard of or read from in the Western Media (only) or any other outlet that is propagating/writing against Iran is that, if possible they should go and experience these notions themselves before coming here or at any other public forum and sharing there "views" based upon disinformation or tempered/biased/one-sided information. First hand experience on lop-sided versions of facts are necessary if you are making a statement on a public forum based on those "facts", as those statements are being read by scores of people who's opinion(be it an iota even) might be wrongly influenced by such unfortunately. And lastly, women in Iran are very much independent, strong willed, educated, influential, pro-active and even dominant in their respective fields of expertise. Although they (a good majority who support the revolution and its ideology) may/do share a different understanding of life, liberty, morals, independence and societal roles then what these women critics "elsewhere" do.

Usman | 11 years ago | Reply @Pessimist: Don't underestimate the power of Iranian women, they have more power than say, women in Texas. Its a fact, just because they wear a hijab doesn't mean they're slaves. Ask any Irani and he will tell you women are powerful in Iran.

Marie | 11 years ago | Reply Wait...hold up now...are you basically defending Nazis and Soviets? Do you deny Hitler's plan to conquer Europe, his slaughter of millions Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals and the disabled, his and his inner circle's alligence to the occult? Do you deny that Stalin killed over 20 million people, possibly even his own wife? That Stalin was an atheist who persecuted religious people and deported Muslim Chechens? People fled Iran and Cuba in droves after the Ayatollah and Castro came to power. Cubans still risk their lives trying to paddle in makeshift rafts to Florida. North Koreans have been told for 60 years that the "dear leader" is a god. Afghanistan brutalized women, destroyed priceless artifacts and allowed terror groups to flourish, which were responsible for killing nearly 3,000 Americans in a single day and countless more Muslims. And, guess what? Parts of Pakistan aren't much better. I don't know that the Express Tribune should be giving you a platform, as their coverage is mostly fair, but you, apparently, think Nazis were unfairly criticized.

Irfan Ali | 11 years ago | Reply @Allama. That proved your umpteen ignorance about Iran. Read the western media that may inform you how many Shiites are behind the bars. Son and Daughter of former Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani are fracing trial. Faezeh Hashmi is seving 6-months jail and the son of Rafsanjani has been freed recently on bail. I had read about Aghajari who was also jailed. What can be said of Allama! U may understand it in Urdu that "bhaai tum tau Allama ho Allama." One can feel the depth of how much u are biased towards Shiites. I want to add one more thing that U too practices taqiyyah because u don't to be named so u uses pseudonym: Allama. It is natural and logical that Shia majority country has more Shias in jails asa compared to minorities. I make it clear that crimes occurred during the time of Khatam al Anbiya Hazrat Mohammad Mustafa (PBUH) and the Muslims of that time (that are called Sahaba) too were punished for crimes. Muslim jurisprudents may confirm it and u may read Quranic verses and traditions about the punishments of different crimes during that time. It is natural and understood. Take it easy.

Ali J | 11 years ago | Reply 200% agreed!

Domlurian | 11 years ago | Reply "This misleading information from ‘reliable’ sources creates a world view that favours a few and goes against ‘the others’. Those others were the Nazis and Soviets historically". Are you saying that everything that is known about the Nazis is mere propaganda by the West? Good gods man! which planet are you from?

Parvez | 11 years ago | Reply Frankly it would take nothing less than a ' bikini fashion contest ' in Tehran to change the the world view on female policy in Iran.

roadkashehzada | 11 years ago | Reply @Allama: dont know why we get impressed with other muslim countries. iran is worset invader in pakistani internal affairs. fighting proxy war against arabs and our country is the battle ground. remember shia sunni hardliners of 90s?

Leila | 11 years ago | Reply Thank God, Pakistan has nuclear weapons to protect it against those who engineered Bengal famines, massacres in Algeria and those who exterminated whole human genetic lineages in order to colonize whole continents. Now they want to go to war against Iran and are dehumanizing and demonizing Iranians in their press in preparation for their colonial expansionism. The truth is the white men are only second to bacteria and viruses when it comes to causes of human death. Iran is of course defenseless against the massive conventional power of the white men without nuclear weapons. RIP Iran. They are coming for you.

Ovais Ahmed Mangalwala | 11 years ago | Reply Dear PESSIMIST, First of all, I really like your nick name.... pessimist :) Secondly, please don't generalize that I do not like women. I have a mother, sisters and a wife. All of them are working women, contributing towards the betterment of the society and I like them very much. The headlines of all major news organizations I have mentioned were shown to a sample of educated young men and women by me and all of them said that these headlines focus on gender of the minister. When they were shown the details, they realized that the gender was not of any concern in the news. So my analysis is based on the sample. It is good that you don't think in that way but the majority does. Finally you say that I am a confused and angry man....no comments on that. I return a smile to you.

M Baloch | 11 years ago | Reply AhmadiNejad appointed three out of 21 female ministers but only one of them was approved by the parliament

Three women would become ministers for health, social welfare and education -- the Islamic Republic's first female ministers.

"Why shouldn't women be ministers? Has it been good that they haven't been for 30 years," Ahmadinejad said.

Blockquote link text Now check one of his vice presidents was a female link text but who cares about facts in the world of propaganda and lies...!

ahsan shah UK | 11 years ago | Reply So nicely written

Sonya | 11 years ago | Reply @Pessimist: yeh, thats why we should break the status quo and continue working for a better change.

hass | 11 years ago | Reply She was NOT the first female minister in post-revolutiinary Iran. The first one was Masoumeh Ebtekar, who had also served as the spokesperson for the US embassy hostage-takers during the revolution. There were several others after her including female Vice Presidents. http://www.iranaffairs.com/iran_affairs/2012/12/new-york-times-screws-up-iran-coverage-again.html Oh and as a general matter, Iranian women massively improved their status after the revolution. Female literacy rates in Iran before the revolution were about 44%. Today, over 98%.

Pessimist | 11 years ago | Reply Sonya The very reason why we do not believe the international media – we can count numerous occasions where countries such as Pakistan, Iran and Syria are targeted. Buying airtime on Pakistan’s TV and Radio channels and airing of foreign current affair content should be stopped immediately as it is potentially a threat to Pakistan’s security. We are the biggest threat to our own security. Not CIA, not RAW, not Mossad and not Big Macs, but us. Somebody International Media hates Muslim countries. Most sensible people do, and sometimes I do not blame them. There are very few Muslim countries which are respected by the world. Off the top of my head, I can only think of Malaysia and Turkey. Anyone else have some examples? P.s: Money does not equal success & respect..

Payman | 11 years ago | Reply A correction: Dastjerdi was not the first female minister in the history of Iran. The country had a female minister of education before the 1979 revolution- and possibly more that I can't remember.

Somebody | 11 years ago | Reply International Media hates Muslim countries.

Sonya | 11 years ago | Reply The very reason why we do not believe the international media - we can count numerous occasions where countries such as Pakistan, Iran and Syria are targeted. Buying airtime on Pakistan's TV and Radio channels and airing of foreign current affair content should be stopped immediately as it is potentially a threat to Pakistan's security.

roadkashehzada | 11 years ago | Reply another example of similar journalism about text when a woman enters or exits the kingdom: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4661353/Saudi-women-being-electronically-tracked.html and our own ET http://tribune.com.pk/story/470139/electronic-tracking-new-constraint-for-saudi-women/ this is already in place in UAE for more than 2 years but nobody questioned it

Allama | 11 years ago | Reply Ooops! But Iran has still the best record as it never persecuted Shias...

Pessimist | 11 years ago | Reply Allama Iran has the best record when it comes to protecting the rights of minorities, children, and women. The biggest evidence is the fact that Shias were never prosecuted in Iran. One word: Lol Btw, isn't Iran a Shia majority? Correct me if I am wrong.

Allama | 11 years ago | Reply Iran has the best record when it comes to protecting the rights of minorities, children, and women. The biggest evidence is the fact that Shias were never prosecuted in Iran.

Loneliberal PK | 11 years ago | Reply A fittingly inane sequel to the your previous article. For a country that just recently banned women from 70 university courses (including English literature and computer science), following an already endless list of restrictions imposed on women, it somehow surprises the author why the Western world is viewing Dastjerdi's dismissal with suspicion of misogyny. I'm certain it doesn't bother you at all, but some of us are concerned about the one and only female minister in Iranian history has being dismissed over vague accusations. She had said earlier: "Medicine is more essential than bread. I have heard that luxury cars have been imported with subsidised dollars but I don't know what happened to the dollars that were supposed to be allocated for importing medicine.". Knowing Iran's history with women, I say the international community should be grateful they just sacked her. Was the stoning squad unavailable that day?

GrimmJow | 11 years ago | Reply Firstly, please don't compare Iran's incident to Great Britain's. The quality & amount of freedom & space for women in these 2 countries is known to everyone. 'Iran sacks sole female minister from health post.' So this is what was reported by majority of the western media. But then how differently would you report about it anyways? The fact that she was the only female minister in the cabinet is a noticeable one. You've chosen a bad example to highlight Iran as a country being vilified by tactical use of media.

SK | 11 years ago | Reply Notwithstanding that there is a bias against Iran in international media. However, in this case, the media reports you have cited are certainly not saying that the minister was removed because of her gender. However, they do drive home the fact that in 30 years since the revolution, Iran has had just one female minister, and that is what they are trying to allude to: the unjust state of women's rights in Iran. What does that say about the Iranian state? That in over 30 years, there wasn't a single capable enough woman, to be appointed as a minister, save one? Even though Iran has had a history of accomplished, bright women, including Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi? I think the media is right in pointing this out. And as for lauding Mr. Ahmedinejad for appointing Ms. Dastjerdi: he should have done a lot more, than the token appointment of a single woman!

Pessimist | 11 years ago | Reply Good God, you really do not like women now do you? Either that or you do not like the Western media. Doesn't matter, you already showed your true colours in your previous blog. Anyone who goes through these headlines would link the story to the suppression of women’s rights in Iran under their current ruler. Does that mean women in Iran have rights? If they're so independent, why was there only one female minister? The sacking of Dastjerdi was not on the basis of her gender or the fact that she was the only female minister in the cabinet. Btw, I don't think anybody thought she was sacked because of her gender. What was shocking was that she was the only female minister. It surprised me as well. ....including the only Muslim woman Sayeeda Warsi.. To conclude, your articles make me think you're some kind of confused, angry frustrated man who can not fathom why the international media and the 'West' dislike Muslims. Am I correct?

Rashid | 11 years ago | Reply Bull's eye!

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Iran's female minister was sacked, but not because of her gender

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