Message [The position and status of women in society]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
I greet and felicitate the noble Iranian nation and specially our honorable women on the occasion of the auspicious birth anniversary of Siddiqah Tahirah «1» which is the best day to be selected as the Woman's Day! Hadrat Fatimah was born during an age and place in which women were not even considered as human and the birth of a girl brought shame to the family in the eyes of the various communities of the period of jahiliyyah [ignorance]. It was in such a corrupt and dreadful environment that the Prophet of Islam (s) salvaged womankind from the mires of ignorant customs. The history of Islam is witness to the boundless respect that the Prophet (s) showed toward this noble lady in order to demonstrate the special status held by women in society, which if not superior is no less than that of men. So, this day is the day that established honor for women and her great role in society. I am proud of the most honorable women of Iran who, with their transformation, thwarted the over fifty years of satanic plans of the foreign hands and their wretched agents including lewd poets and writers as well as mercenary propaganda machines. Our women succeeded in proving that the worthy Muslim woman cannot be led astray and will not fall prey to the evil plots of the West and its infatuated followers. It is worth mentioning that despite all the propaganda during the usurper Pahlavi rule, except for a handful of wealthy taghouti women, the families of SAVAK agents, and the mercenaries of that regime, the remaining millions of committed Iranian women that constitute the foundation of this Muslim nation refused to fall prey to the ploys of the Western agents, and with their brave resistance during the last fifty years of darkness, they emerged honorable in the eyes of God and the nation. However, through this last divinely-inspired transformation, our women have firmly and finally, severed the hopes of all the worshippers of the West.
Victory and honor upon the Islamic movement of the honorable Iranian women! We are proud of this great stratum of our nation that steered this revolution to victory through its brave and invaluable participation in defending its Islamic country and the Holy Qur'an and even today our women are readily supporting the country and are active at the warfronts and behind them. May God's mercy be upon the mothers who send their brave youth to defend truth against falsehood and are proud of their martyrdom! How despicable are the lives of those" dolls" who think of nothing but corrupt, beastly, appalling, and gloomy lives in those disgraceful palaces within the country and abroad! May God sever the crooked tongues and hands of those who with their words and pens wish to thwart the efforts of the Islamic Republic and to drag our beloved country into the arms of the right or left blocs! Countless blessings be showered upon our committed women who are involved throughout the country in educating our children and the illiterate and are engaged in the fields of humanities and the rich Qur'anic culture! And blessings be upon the women who have attained the lofty status of martyrdom for this revolution and in the sacred defense of their land! And blessings be upon all those ladies who are actively serving the disabled and the sick in the hospitals and medical centers! And blessings be upon the mothers who have proudly offered young martyrs! Felicitations to the committed women of the Muslim countries on the occasion of Woman's Day! I am hopeful that all women awaken from the slumber and ignorance that had been imposed upon them by the plunderers and that they all join hands and salvage the deceived ones and guide all women to an awareness of their exalted status. And it is hoped that the women of all the other Muslim countries, too, take a lesson from the miraculous transformation that came about for the Iranian women through the great Islamic Revolution and that they, too, strive to rectify the conditions of their own societies and lead their countries to freedom and self-reliance. Mercy and divine blessings be upon the dignified women of Islam and beloved Iran! And may God's peace be upon His righteous servants and upon all believing men and women!
Rouhullah al-Mousawi al-Khomeini