Driving the news:
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, at the 2nd Conference on Family, Future, and Enduring Bonds, made the remarks to underscore the Islamic Revolution’s transformative role in restoring women’s dignity and their authority to shape civilization.
Why it matters:
Ghalibaf’s remarks address a key debate at the core of Iran’s political and cultural vision: the rejection of Western consumerist models of womanhood and the affirmation of an Islamic framework that places women at the center of both family life and the nation’s enduring development.
What he is saying:
Speaking at the event, Ghalibaf stated that Imam Khomeini 'opened the doors of the Revolution to Iranian women' at a time when the Pahlavi regime had 'thrown open windows of decadence' upon them. He emphasized that the Late Founder of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA), recognized women as decisive social actors rather than objects of consumption.
Ghalibaf stated, 'Iran learned from Imam Khomeini and his successor that for the nation to achieve genuine progress, the family must remain the foundation of society, with women as its conscious, free-acting center, fully preserving their human rights and feminine dignity.
If governance ever drifts from these principles, he warned, it signals a “departure from Islamic standards” and results in shortcomings that “sacrifice justice.”
He added that in the Islamic Revolution’s view, women are not merely rights-seekers but civilization architects and pillars of education.
According to Ghalibaf, Iranian women, empowered by the Islamic Revolution, have 'shattered both Eastern and Western grand narratives' regarding femininity. Despite external pressures and internal challenges, he emphasized, 'Iranian women have demonstrated that they can anchor the household while simultaneously fulfilling pivotal roles in public life, without compromising their human depth or being reduced to marketable objects.
Between the lines:
Ghalibaf’s remarks resonate with long-standing Iranian critiques of both Eastern and Western narratives about women, which Tehran sees as reducing women to commodities or political instruments. His framing also reflects the state’s emphasis on cultural independence and resistance to Western soft power.
Go deeper:
Iranian Women Honoured in The Voice of Empowered Women Exhibition in Pakistan
Zohre Khazaee - Hossein Vaez
