In line with its other actions to impose medieval and obsolete views on the society, and parallel to introducing and passing articles 35 and 23 of the so called “Family Protection Bill” in the parliament, the coup government of Iran has laid down in its agenda the plan for gender segregation in universities and promoting marriage and re-marriage of girls in schools. Following the reaction of the Supreme Leader’s representative in universities to the presence of boys and girls beside each other in classrooms without observing Islamic norms, and demanding gender separation in higher education institutes, the anti-national government of Ahmadinejad announced that it is drafting a plan for “gender-specific national university”. According to this plan, and through enormous spending, gender specific – men and women -universities will be formed and exams will be held separately for men and women. Iranian Labour News Agency (ILNA) reflected the opposition of the majority of social organizations, and women’s movement in particular, with this reactionary plan and reported in December that “a trend and school of thought is emerging that does not believe in and recognize the awareness and intelligence of thousands of boy and girl students, and proposes the gender segregation plan. Those who set such views forward are somehow trying to get revenge from the students and universities for being vibrant.” This report stresses that “the thought of gender-specific national university defies the human dignity and decency.”

Women’s activists firmly believe that gender segregation in universities will certainly be defeated. The purpose of this plan is to put pressure on students and to hinder the active presence of the youth, and particularly female university students, in the social scene. Anyways, such plans will face strong resistance in the society. Any kind of gender separation and the so called gender specific universities will lead to cultural and scientific degradation of the nation. At the same time that gender segregation in universities was announced and instigated a widespread opposition to it, the Ministry of Education of the coup government announced that it was drafting a program to make provisions for marriage of female schoolgirls. Emphasizing on the need to “set right the culture of society”, Zakaria Yazerloo, the head of Tehran’s Board of Education, stated that “if conditions are ready for schoolgirls, they should get married. We recommend the marriage of schoolgirls.”

 Last December ILNA reported the Minister of Education response to the question of ILNA’s reporter regarding the program being developed for the schoolgirls to get married: “there is no problem with the schoolgirls getting married and we will be glad and welcome their marriage.” Shortly after these words that met with a strong reaction by students and their parents, the superintendent of Family and Women Affair Center of President’s Office published a part of government’s plan to promote marriage and provisional marriage (concubine) in schools and high schools. ILNA reported last December that “the acting superintendent of Family and Women Affair Center of President’s Office is in favor of marriage of schoolgirls and deems it as the solution to prevent the spread of immorality in the society…This authority is of the opinion that the provisional marriage of schoolgirls is acceptable, if the girls’ father gives permission, and must be encouraged.”

This anti-human and reactionary plan has been rejected and regarded unacceptable by families and popular organizations. The Scientific Society of Medical Group viewed such plans as deeply taking the society backward. One of the members of this society told ILNA that “on the basis of which logic they are talking about provisional (temporary) marriage of high school girls? Are they trying to upset the society and its norms? Would those authorities who talk about such issues in the country be willing to have their own child get provisionally married and put her in misery with their own hands?”

Also, the head of Scientific Society of Iranian Social Workers stressed that “there is a close connection between the economical and earning matters on one hand, and marriage and provisional (temporary) marriage on the other hand, particularly among the low income families. Considering that the living of society is facing hardship, some are following their own interests by promoting provisional marriages.”

By introducing and promoting outdated thoughts, the ruling reaction tries to bolster and strengthen its own position and the position of well-off and rich layers of society who are its backbone. The women’s movement and all the national and progressive parties and organizations of the country have decisively fought and will continue to fight the strongly reactionary views and policies of the coup government and its main supporter, i.e. the Supreme Leader. The Iranian society, and particularly its well-informed, vibrant, young generation, will never submit to such dark and outdated views. Gender separation and segregation, and any kind of discrimination against women, have been and will be challenged with resistance and militant reaction of women across the nation. Undoubtedly, the reaction will once again meet the power and might of women’s movement to discard class and gender discrimination.