Message to the Seminar on the Role of Women from the Perspective of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified)

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

I am grateful for your initiative, you faithful and revolutionary youth, in organizing this gathering, and I hope and expect that its outcome will be effective and beneficial in correcting and accelerating the movement towards the rightful position and status of the revolutionary and Muslim woman.

The great teacher of the revolution, Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified), greatly valued the role of women in the revolution—both in its inception and its continuation—and also their place in the perfection of the Islamic society and its Islamic and revolutionary maturity. This is indeed correct, and it necessitates that Iranian and Muslim women continue their struggle with firm resolve to free themselves from the traps laid by the destructive Western culture and not succumb to the seduction of those who wish to use women as tools for advancing destructive and enslaving policies. A wise discernment is required to distinguish between the scientific, cultural, social, artistic, and political dignity and status of women, and their degradation to the level of a tool for political and personal purposes, and this should not be confused with what is desired and beloved by every free and aware human being.

Islam considers that high rank as the definite position of women and deems the journey towards it necessary, and has paved the way with values, regulations, and decrees. The Western culture and the perspective that underpins it, even if it grants that status to women—which, of course, the materialistic view lacks the breadth of spiritual horizons—cannot separate the detachment from trivial pleasures and entertainments from the character of women; rather, it considers this as a principle and bases its judgment of societies and beliefs on it.

The propaganda of global arrogance and Zionism, in recent years, which tries to portray Islamic Iran as anti-women, has no other pretext than the fact that in today's Iran, the compulsory and imposed corruption created by the West's puppet regime has ceased, and the custom of nudity and unhealthy mingling of men and women has been abolished.

Today's Iranian woman is much more active and prominent in the fields of science, politics, art, and various social activities than in the past; however, these are secondary to the Western mindset and the customs and rituals crafted by Zionism and colonialism. Primarily, what is important is what Islamic Iran decisively rejects; namely, the breaking of boundaries in the relations between men and women and the violation of women's human dignity, turning them into objects for pleasure or devices for consuming flashy products.

Indeed, today, thanks to the revolution, the Iranian nation has been able to present a new perspective on women and their values and create a new standard of distinguished and noble women. This is a great success and a lasting and imitable movement. Despite the clamor of refusal and resistance from Western circles and media, the signs of the impact and influence of this movement can be observed worldwide.

The thoughtful and aware women of Islamic Iran must continue their clear path and take firm and steady steps. Let it not be, as seen in superficial and heedless individuals, that the revolutionary generation and faithful women turn again to empty consumerism and non-revolutionary tendencies or revive the ignorant custom of reckless mingling...

In such seminars and gatherings, you must formulate the correct methods for continuing the path of Imam and the revolution regarding women and ensure the continuity of this path.

May God grant success to all of you.

Seyyed Ali Khamenei

1989/8/3