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Women’s Oral History Is Underworked
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Little work has been done in reviewing the role of women as the projects of oral history and composing the memories.
“The women’s campaigns especially their cultural efforts have been neglected in Islamic Revolution historiography, chiefly when you consider that Islamic Hijab ,as a symbol of Islamic identity, was an important challenge to Pahlavi regime. Moreover women’s activities in armed and revolutionary campaigns are remarkable”, said cultural issues expert and history researcher, Mojtaba Soltani Ahmadi, in an interview with Fars News Agency history reporter.
“Imam Khomeini, the late leader of Islamic Revolution, was fully aware of the vital role of women in progress and victory of Islamic movement”, said the writer of Research Book of Islamic Revolution.
“The late Habibollah Askar-oladi narrated that after Imam Khomeini’s return to Iran one of his first decisions was having regular visits with women. During one of the meetings a religious scholar asked Imam ‘Is it not better to stop visiting with the women because of some problems arising through the visits?’ Imam stared at him and replied, ‘Do you suppose the declarations of mine and yours ousted Shah? It was these very women who ousted Shah’ ”, this writer added.
“The late Ayatollah Mohiadin Anvari recalled, once I asked Imam Khomeini that women should request their husbands’ or fathers’ permission for taking part in demonstrations, and some of them are not allowed. What is the decree? Imam answered, ‘the demonstrations asked by the religious scholars to be held are considered as the Islamic decree of ordering good deeds and forbidding bad ones and are mandatory as praying and fasting. Nobody is allowed to prohibit them’. Through this decree, Imam Khomeini practically paved the way for the presence of women in demonstrations as the key to victory”, he added.
“Recently some of the most prominent figures of women society of Iran have passed away. Figures like Sedigheh Amani; the mothers of the present, former and previous presidents; the wife of Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati; the eldest sister of supreme leader of Iran; and the wife of martyr Teyyeb Haj Rezaie. And no oral history interview has been done with them as far as I have inquired”, the writer of Half-Khordad book said.
“Oral history can be a good complement of historical documents, because it is intrinsically meticulous”, he added. “Interview with combatant women or the women who have been counterpart and along with revolutionary combatants can render useful information about combatants’ internal and family relations and social issues”.
Translated by: Asghar Abutorabi
Source: Fars News Agency
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