I would think that if women do not take part in the social movements of a nation, that movement will not reach effective results: it will not succeed. If women take part in a movement with awareness and insight, that movement will take off quickly. In the great wave of an Islamic Awakening, women play an unparalleled role, and it is necessary for them to continue this role. It is women who prepare and encourage their husbands and children to step into the most dangerous areas. We have clearly witnessed the significance of the role women played during the time we were fighting taghut [tyrannical monarchy] in Iran and after the victory of the Islamic Revolution. If our women had not fought in the battlefields during the eight-year war, which was imposed on us, if they had not been present in different national arenas, we would not have achieved victory during that difficult test. Women made us victorious. The mothers and wives of our martyrs and war veterans created an atmosphere with their unwavering patience, in which our youth and men were encouraged to have a determined presence. And this atmosphere spread to every part of the country. As a result, the general atmosphere of our country was filled with selflessness and self-sacrifice, and we achieved victory. This is the case today within the world of Islam--in Egypt, in Tunisia, in Libya, in Bahrain, in Yemen, and in every other place. If women strengthen and continue their presence on the front lines, they can achieve victories one after another: there is no doubt about it.
Imam Khamenei
Jul. 11, 2012
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