Mohammad Khatami: The Islamic Republic must be implemented

The former Iranian president criticized what he called the "pumping of despair and hopelessness" aimed at disillusioning young people from reforms, emphasizing that "reforms are anti-subversion."

In a meeting with members of the Nawandish Muslim Women's Association, Mohammad Khatami, referring to the January protests, said: "Outsiders feel that as long as there is a reform movement that is in favor of stability and against foreign interference, there will be no way for subversives, so they are hitting hard. And inside, there are groups who say that these reforms are a hair on our nose and we should hit them."

According to a report on Mr. Khatami's website, he added: "While there are flaws in the reformists, understand where the reforms are being hit. Reforms are against subversion."

The former Iranian president also said that "the Islamic Republic must be implemented, meaning that we must both understand Islam in a way that is consistent with the standards of the republic and understand the republic in a way that is consistent with the fundamental values ​​of Islam."

He also called on young people not to succumb to the "pumping of despair and hopelessness" that has "targeted" them.

Although the nationwide protests in more than 100 cities in Iran began with slogans against Hassan Rouhani at a rally in Mashhad on January 27, some protesters began chanting slogans against all officials of the Islamic Republic that same day, and in the following days, a number of protesters called for a change of government in their slogans.

Meanwhile, the protesters' slogan, "Reformists, fundamentalists, the story is over," was among the slogans that received widespread coverage in the media and social networks.

Hossein Zolfaghari, the Interior Minister's deputy for security, acknowledged at the time that the January protests "crossed all political currents in the country."

Also, in recent months, a campaign titled "Overthrow Me" has emerged on social media.

Talking about changing the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran is considered a red line, and none of the political groups and figures within the government are talking about overthrowing the existing system.

In another part of his speech, Mr. Khatami said: "What Iranian women have achieved is not small; of course, we must demand that women's rights, which have been doubly violated, be realized, but women's rights cannot be advanced by fighting."

He added: "During our time, we were able to bring several women into the government, who, although they did not become ministers, were deputies; Mr. Ahmadinejad took a step forward and appointed a female minister, and Mr. Rouhani took a step back."

He also said that in Hassan Rouhani's government, several women were appointed as deputy ministers, general managers, governors, and prefects.

After the establishment of the Islamic Republic in 1979, only in the government of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi was the only woman to receive a vote of confidence from the Iranian parliament for the Ministry of Health.

Despite numerous requests, no women were appointed as ministers in Hassan Rouhani's government.

In Mr. Rouhani's first administration, for the first time, a number of women were appointed as deputy governors, governors, and prefects in various provinces.

This government also appointed four women as deputy ministers, including Marzieh Shahdai, who was the first woman to be appointed as CEO of the National Petrochemical Company and Deputy Minister of Oil after the 1979 revolution.

Hassan Rouhani's government was also the first to appoint a woman as Iran's ambassador to another country, sending Marzieh Afkham, a former spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to Malaysia for this purpose.

At the same time, the number of female representatives in the 10th Parliament has also increased to 17, which is the largest number of female representatives in the parliaments of the Islamic Republic.

However, Leila Falahati, Director General of International Affairs at the Presidential Vice President for Women and Family Affairs, announced on January 13 last year that Iran's rank in the 2017 Gender Gap Index was 140 out of 144.

Source: Radio Farda