How Iran’s regime weaponised religion

Behind the language of morality and law, the Iranian theocracy has spent decades protecting abusers and punishing their victims.

Content warning: This article discusses child sexual abuse.

I AM ABOUT FIVE YEARS OLD. I still remember your face. His eyes. He was touching my breasts with one hand and himself with the other.

I was too young to understand what was happening to me. A few months later he did it again, this time to both my cousin and me. There were only six of us! I didn’t realize it was sexual abuse until my mid-20s.

We have not been properly educated about sexual abuse or anything related to sexuality other than that we must remain virgins until marriage and that it is only acceptable to sleep with your husband. We were told that not covering our bodies adequately would lead to rape and that we would be guilty.

If we are chaste and honest, we will never be abused.

Think you’ve heard the worst? No. Not yet.

founder of the Republic of Iran, KhomeiniHe wrote a book in which he answers people’s questions on a variety of topics based on Islamic law and, more generally, what is and is not morally acceptable. This book covers a wide range of topics.

book name Tahrir al-Wasila and lists approximately 4,400 problems with their answers. This book has been influential in many areas of Islamic law, especially Islamic law. Islamic Republic‘s judicial system.

In the twelfth problem, Wedding (marriage) sectionsays:

Whether the marriage is permanent or temporary, sexual intercourse with a woman is not permissible unless she is over nine years old. However, even with a breastfeeding baby, there is no harm in other pleasures such as touching lustfully, hugging, rubbing the buttocks. Anyone who has sexual intercourse with a girl before she reaches the age of nine and this does not result in chastity is not subject to any punishment other than being considered to have committed a sin.

(Khomeini, 2007, p. 229)

Simply put, if a girl is under the age of nine, touching and engaging in sexual activities are acceptable as long as actual intercourse does not occur. The content clearly normalizes child abuse and sexual harassment.

How crazy does all this seem to you? Welcome to the world of all women in their 30s and 40s who grew up during the Islamic Republic. I know this is happening Negative Islam and every moderate Muslim agree with me.

Iranians, especially women, are among the most Islamophobic individuals you can find. I cannot dispute how these comments were made, but I do know that they have been used in Iran for the last 47 years to allow abusive criminals to escape. Throughout history, states founded on religion have always caused bloodshed and deaths.

This is why the revolution in Iran started with women. The regulations that normalize these issues under the name of “Islam” have worn us out, we are tired of being a target. Once again, I aim not to debate whether Islam is good or bad; Essentially, I aim to clarify what has been going on in Iran under this name for nearly fifty years.

When Khomeini includes these allegations in his book, people who have never thought about being a pedophile may start to think about it. Children are innocent and easy targets. Therefore, children from more religious families are automatically prone to these behaviors.

To my friends in the West who support the Islamic Republic simply because the government is against Israel, please be aware of what you are protecting.

At the time of writing this article, Iranians are dying in the streets protesting against a dictatorial regime that has imprisoned them for nearly 50 years and failed them socially, economically and environmentally. The West remains silent while the regime responds to peaceful marches with live ammunition. The UN, Amnesty International and many other human rights organizations are silent.

Accordingly, so far BBC:

‘…at least 34 protesters, including five children, and eight security personnel were killed, and another 2,270 protesters were arrested.’

It was difficult for me to write this article, but I want all human rights institutions, organizations and activists to know what their silence means. You definitely are Negative supporting people and even Islam.

You support misogyny, sexual child abuse, sexual harassment, victim blaming; The list could go even longer.

If you or someone you know needs help with child abuse, get in touch 1800RESPECT.