Islamic Revolution of Iran, Islamic Lifestyle and Strengthening the Family Foundation(2)

The Role of Women in Today's World

Given Imam Khomeini's statement that “women should be involved in the country’s major affairs”, which is a necessity for the preservation and institutionalization of the Revolution, the term “major affairs” should be clarified so that the role of women would be recognized. Owing to the noble views of Imam Khomeini (ra), the mission of today's women is the continuous and informed presence in political and social arenas as well as safeguarding the values of the sacred Islamic system. If a Muslim woman has, in the past, stood shoulder to shoulder with men in establishing divine values and has subsequently demonstrated courage, her mission today is to remain active in political and social arenas and raise the future generations who would safeguard and preserve the values and ideals of this sacred Islamic system. This reflects the role of contemporary women in strengthening the family foundation. Because the upbringing of such soldiers is only possible in families that are following the Islamic teachings. Ayatollah Khamenei states in this regard: “Another point that should be considered is the necessity of defending women, especially within the family, according to moral and legal perspectives. Defending them legally would take place when new laws are passed and the existing ones are being amended. Also, defending them based on moral values requires rejecting the idea that a woman is a servant in the house, oppressed by men, and cannot attain spiritual growth. We should strongly take a position against such views yet in a logical and rational way”. Therefore, the culture of a nation will not flourish without the participation of women. That's why Ayatollah Khamenei has repeatedly emphasized the prominent role of women and introduced the relevant issues as among the primary concerns of the Islamic Republic of Iran:

“One of the biggest dangers that threatens all people -especially the young generation- is the inability to recognize the truth and distinguish right from wrong in the face of various incidents, events and phenomena. A stagnant life which lacks activeness and determination is not ideal and would not lead to the realization of human and Islamic ideals. The youths should refrain from egos and temptations. If a nation wants to step into the path of growth, perfection and progress, it must rely on faith and pure intellect. The enemies seek to mislead the youths and make them feel despair. Therefore, the youths should not blindly follow foreigners because the enemies seek to deviate our youths. They try to make a generation that became the example of the world's most dedicated young people turn into a characterless generation”.

Given the significance of women in Islamic culture of which the “Muslim Iranian women” became a practical exemplification during the Islamic Revolution, any action towards strengthening the family foundation and the development of society should be revolved around women.

The Role of Women in Strengthening the Family Foundation

According to the great founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran who stated that “the first stage of a righteous man and woman begins from the lap of women”, the position of women in society in terms of strengthening the family foundation is of tremendous importance due to the prominent role they play in upbringing and nurturing. This view highlights the importance of the role of women in the prosperity or corruption of society. “The woman is the single being who can nurture individuals for the future of the society, from whose blessings a society and even societies can prosper and attain human lofty goals or move in the opposite direction”.

Imam Khomeini's approach to the role of mothers as saviors of the nation is such that he stated: “Mothers are the origins of good and if, God forbid, a mother fails to bring up a good child, she would become the origin of evil… For women, there is a more important subject. And that subject is the rearing of children… It is possible that an upright human being trains a universe while a corrupted person could corrupt the whole universe. Corruption and good begin from your rearing and training and from the schools where you are teaching”.

Playing a fundamental and important role in upbringing the children, the mothers and teachers should guide them towards the right path since the prosperity and corruption of society depend on this role. Referring to the position of motherhood among other factors involved in the upbringing of the children, Imam Khomeini (ra) said: “You women have the honor of motherhood, and in this respect, you are ahead of men; you have the responsibility of rearing a child. The foremost classroom that a child has is the bosom of the mother. A good mother rears a good child”. Thus, the mother plays a key role in strengthening the family and its role in the happiness or misery of the child and as a result the society for two reasons. First, the child spends the first years of childhood which are most crucial for personality development with his mother. This period is a golden opportunity to acquire habits, traits and other behavioral characteristics from the mother. Secondly, the sincere emotions of the mother serve as a safe shelter for children, and whenever a child feels insecure, he first takes refuge and seeks security in his mother. Therefore, honoring the position of the mothers the Holy Prophet (pbuh) stated: “The people who are most deserving of your good treatment are your mother, again your mother, again your mother, then your father, and then your nearest relatives according to the order of nearness”. Likewise, Lady Fatima Zahra (sa) said: “Be at the service of your mother, for paradise lies under the feet of mothers”. Also, Imam Khomeini (ra) said: “The rights of a mother cannot be enumerated and truly acknowledged. One night a mother spends for his child is more valuable than years of the life of a committed father. The visualization of affection and mercy in the brilliant eyes of the mother is the radiance of the mercy and compassion of the ever-gracious God. The Almighty Allah has adorned the hearts and souls of mothers with the light of His Mercy in a way that no one can truly describe it. No one can perceive this state except mothers. It is this eternal mercy that has granted mothers endless patience in the face of pains and afflictions from the embryonic state in the womb, throughout the course of pregnancy and giving birth and from infancy to the end (death). The saying that goes, ‘paradise lies under the feet of the mothers’ is a fact. This elegant diction shows the greatness of mothers and urges the children to seek happiness under the blessed feet of mothers and respect them since the God’s gratification is in mother’s satisfaction”.

These remarkable statements of Imam Khomeini (ra) honoring and expressing the dignity of the mothers before God indicate the importance of the responsibility and educational position of mothers in strengthening the family foundation. The Islamic Revolution of Iran, in addition to creating great developments both domestically and internationally, brought new changes in the attitudes towards men, women and family thereby rectifying and correcting the improper image of women that had been portrayed in the minds of people. Addressing the role of the mothers as educational factors, Imam Khomeini (ra) stated: “Children are brought up better in the lap of their mothers than with the teacher. The attachment that a child has for the mother, has for no one else. The things that a child hears or sees in infancy from the mother form images that are etched in his heart and will live with him to the very end. Mothers must take care of the upbringing of their children and ensure that they are brought up as purified souls; she should be a spiritual-cum-academic institution and this is a very important matter that only the mothers can accomplish. The amount that a child hears from the mother, does not hear from the father. The amount of influence that the behavior of the mother has on the small infant and which she transmits to the infant child, the others do not pass on”.

Therefore, since the morals and characters of the mother influence the children to such an extent, our mothers and women should be diligent in self-purification and acquire moral virtues. As Imam Khomeini (ra) said in this regard: “You the ladies are so respected before God; educate your children based on Islamic teachings…If the ladies bring up enlightened children, both our religion and world will be safeguarded. Mothers have the most important role, as it is they who give the initial upbringing to their children. The most honorable job in the world is imparting the best upbringing to children and presenting a decent person to society. It was for this very reason that the Almighty God sent different prophets ever since the creation to the time of His last Prophet (pbuh). These prophets were all assigned to give humanity to the people. You are capable of rearing such children who can safeguard the teachings and aspirations of the prophets. You too must be on your guard and train guards. The guards are your children; educate them…. The service that a mother offers to society is more valuable than the services of a teacher or anyone else. This is what all the divine prophets had called for”. Accordingly, today's women and mothers can bring up well-mannered children and teach them the profound religious teachings to be a supporter and guardians of the divine values promoted by the divine messengers.

Conclusion

The role of women in the victory of the Islamic Revolution is so important that it is considered one of the features of the Revolution. The most important point in the victory of the Islamic Revolution of Iran is the tremendous transformation that took place with respect to the attitude towards the position of women in society, which was achieved in the light of the noble and enlightening teachings of pure Islam. Also, after the Revolution and during the eight-year war, women remained active and provided spiritual support to the soldiers who were deployed to the frontlines. For this reason, one may describe those women as the anonymous soldiers of the war. Engaging in all these fields brought various achievements in favor of women, the most important of which was attaining the highest levels of spiritual growth. However, the enemy has realized that the main factor of the Muslim nation's victories in various fields is following the noble teachings of Islam and therefore it seeks to target the rich culture of Islam. That is why girls and young women should act more cautiously and by gaining a comprehensive understanding of the Islamic teachings and implementing them make efforts to preserve the family and strengthen its foundations which bring happiness and prosperity to individuals, societies and nations.

Reference: Proceedings of the Second Conference on Islamic-Iranian Model of Progress