Were there more intellectual women during the Pahlavi era or during the Islamic Revolution?
We did not have so many outstanding women during an era of taghut [in this case, the Pahlavi era]. This is my claim and I’m sticking to it. Today, the absolute and relative number of female researchers, professors, scientists, intellectuals--who work in different areas and who are experts in those areas--poets and artists, such as fictional writers, poets and painters, is far larger than the number of such women during the time of taghut. The time of taghut [Pahlavi era] was a period of time when they had destroyed hijab and the belief in the necessity of distance between men and women, and they used to promote decadence on a daily basis. Additionally, in certain cases, their actions were more excessive and worse than European countries.
Today, in the Islamic Republic, we have such a large number of scientific and political personalities, and cultural and artistic experts, who wear hijab, chador, or headscarves. At that time [taghut], we did not even have a small number of such great women. There were very few women who practiced this way of life. This proves a theory, which is the exact opposite of one they were trying to establish. This theory reveals that not only does promotion of such decadence not help women strengthen their spirituality and develop their capacities, but it also keeps them so occupied with such matters as outward appearances and the trouble this brings about. This prevents women from moving towards perfection and transcendence.
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