Ms Laleh Eftekhari was a member of Iran’s Majlis during its seventh Term between the years 2004 and 2008. She ‎spoke to Rooz about the work of the women’s faction on its work on women’s issues. “Non-Muslim women from ‎other countries have shown an interest to use the provisions of the seventh Majlis regarding women,” she said. Read ‎on for the details.‎

Rooz (R): What in your opinion was the most import accomplishment of women representatives in the sixth Majlis?‎

Laleh Eftekhari (LE): The most import one was the bill which committed the government to look at women’s rights ‎from a completely Islamic perspective. Increasing the length breast-feeding, lengthening maternity leave for women, ‎requiring judges to use women counselors which can strengthen the family foundation, allocating a special budget ‎for the head of a family to be covered, and, increasing the minimum monthly financial assistance to women with low ‎incomes are among the other measures that were passed into law through the efforts of women representatives and ‎the government.‎

R: What key differences existed between women representatives in the sixth and seventh Majlis?‎

LE: The care of women representatives in the seventh Majlis to consider what was important to Iranian society and ‎their efforts to ensure that what they did was not contrary to the constitution was a key difference. Another ‎difference was that the focus of women representatives in the seventh Majlis was on Islamic rules and sources, ‎rather than international conventions and foreign legislature. It is these rules that are the source of the pride of our ‎women and for the salvation of the human race, and can be useful to other women as well. We have shown this even ‎to non-Muslim women from other countries. These women had worked a lot on similar issues and had differences, ‎but they invited us to help them in these projects. In general, whenever we presented our own views about the ‎position of women we noticed that there was enthusiasm and interest, even among non-Muslim women who worked ‎on women’s issues.‎

R: What is your opinion about the One Million Signature Campaign to Change Discriminatory Laws in Iran?‎

LE: I do not think that the efforts that have been launched are by individuals who are sympathetic to women’s ‎issues. They are primarily slogans with the purpose of sensationalism that are used by specific individuals. What is ‎better is that if they can engage in efforts that are genuinely in the interest of women without being sensational . ‎

R: What is the most important challenge facing women today?‎

LE: I think even our less educated women are very capable and confident. Our authorities must strive to solve ‎women’s problems through the use of religious values. In that perspective, even non-Muslim women have a ‎dignified position. We do not accept the methods and views that were used in the past in which some people wanted ‎to solve women’s issues using European models.‎