Ayatollah Khamenei the Leader of the Islamic Revolution met this morning with hundreds of prominent Iranian women. Speaking at the meeting, which was held on the eve of the birthday anniversary of Hazrat Fatima al-Zahra (s.a.), Ayatollah Khamenei said that clear opposition to hijab in the west is one of the consequences of the western view of women, further adding: "Westerners claim that hijab is a religious issue and that it should not appear in secular communities, but the real reason behind the opposition of the west to hijab is that hijab challenges and thwarts the fundamental policy of the west regarding women - namely, exploiting women and promoting moral corruption among them."
His Eminence said that women enjoy a very high position in the family environment from an Islamic point of view.
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution said that there is a crisis regarding the issue of women in western communities. He referred to the current position of Iranian women in society and added: "Many things have been done in the Islamic Republic in order to restore the genuine position of women, but there are still many problems - especially problems regarding how women are treated in the family environment - and it is necessary to resolve these problems by laying the legal and executive groundwork."
Ayatollah Khamenei said that the Islamic Republic of Iran has reached a peak in terms of training scholarly women who are experts on the most subtle and sensitive issues of society.
His Eminence stated that the root of the problems regarding women is the wrong western view of women and the serious misunderstanding about the family. He stressed that these two problems have caused a crisis regarding the issue of women.
Explaining the oppressive western view of women, His Eminence said that the west has been promoting the idea that human beings are divided into men and women "with women being exploited, and men being the beneficiary."
Ayatollah Khamenei added: "On the basis of this wrong view, if women in western communities want to have an identity, they must definitely act the way men want them to act. And this insult is the biggest kind of oppression to women."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution said that policy-makers of the west are making organized efforts to gradually promote this wrong cultural norm among nations of the world. He reiterated: "For this reason, today if somebody rejects behaviors in society which are based on feminine attractions, he becomes the target of the attacks of western political and propaganda machines."
Citing reports prepared by official global centers, Ayatollah Khamenei said that the fast growth of the trafficking of women and the issue of illegitimate children are the evil consequences of the western view of women. He added: "The Islamic Republic must clearly, seriously and relentlessly attack the wrong western view of women. The Islamic Republic should fulfill its duty of defending the genuine position of women."
His Eminence said that the wrong view of the family is the second problem that has caused a crisis regarding women in western communities. Ayatollah Khamenei added: "Unlike the west, the Islamic view of the family and women's position is absolutely clear, and the Holy Prophet of Islam (s.w.a.) and the infallible Imams (a.s.) have stressed the high position of women."
Ayatollah Khamenei stated that practicing the Islamic view of women and the family requires legal and executive groundwork. "In spite of all the things that have been done after the Revolution, there are still a lot of shortcomings regarding women and the way they are treated in the family environment. It is necessary to eliminate these shortcomings."
His Eminence stressed: "The family environment must be a secure, dignified and peaceful environment for women so that they can fulfill their main responsibility in the best possible way - namely, keeping the family together."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution said that the position of women has been improving in Iran during the past three decades. Referring to the praiseworthy advances of women in different political, social, cultural and scientific areas, he added: "Of course this optimism should not make us blind to the shortcomings. Rather, we should try to accelerate the success of the Islamic Republic regarding the issue of women and to overcome the wrong western norms by identifying and eliminating the shortcomings."