Gender Apartheid in the Islamic Republic of Iran: The Intersection of Religion and Human Rights

Islam, gender, and politics are interwoven within the confines of the Islamic Republic of Iran, where women’s bodies and social standings have become synonymous not only with freedom, serving as both a yardstick of liberty and a foundation for democratic aspirations, but also as fiercely contested battlefields for political chess. Guided by the principles of intersectionality, care ethics, living law, and legal pluralism, this thesis evaluates the political exploitation and manipulation of women’s bodies for political gain. It examines the historical, social, and political context of Iran, charting the course of the nation from the monarchal reign of Reza Shah Pahlavi to the present regime headed by Ali Khamenei, scrutinising the Iranian Constitution and Civil Code to draw attention to the violations of women's rights brought on by these legal frameworks. A particular emphasis is placed on the intersections of Islamic feminism and its role in both challenging and maintaining gender-based discrimination. The study analyses how women are expected to behave in Iranian society and how morality is used as a weapon to impose gender inequality while claiming to uphold Islamic law. It also discusses the factors that led to the women-led revolution that began in late 2022 and its destabilising impact on the regime. The study amplifies the voices that the Iranian government aspires to silence by conducting 25 semi-structured interviews with Iranian women of varying ages and backgrounds. Adding to the existing body of academic literature on gender, religion, and power dynamics in the Islamic Republic of Iran, this thesis places the voices of Iranian women at the centre of the discussion, thus highlighting their capacity to act as catalysts for social change. Women in Iran have consistently resisted the discriminatory system in place, despite harsh retaliation. Following the ‘morality police’ murder of Jina (Mahsa) Amini in September 2022, both the country and the diaspora saw large-scale protests calling for justice and an end to oppressive laws. The 'Woman, Life, Freedom' revolution poses a serious threat to the authority of the regime and is proving to be a pivotal point in Iranian history. This thesis postulates that the state's deliberate effort to conceal any trace of femininity to keep it from propagating upholds patriarchal power structures and bolsters authoritarian rule. The study looks into the effects of these behaviours on Iranian women's human rights and efforts at resistance, shedding light on the deliberate strategies used to erase women from the public sphere in Iran to foster a deeper understanding of the complexities that work together to sustain the Islamic Republic’s reign through gender apartheid.