Martyr Imam Khamenei’s selected statements regarding women and family

The issue of “women” is one of the strong areas of Islam. Some shouldn’t imagine that we must just sit around and answer for women’s issues. No, Islam has a strong logic and rationale for all matters relating to women. Whether in areas where it negates the idea that something is related to gender or in areas where it highlights that something depends on gender, there is logic in all these matters. (December 27, 2023) In some cases, Islam completely disregards a person’s gender. [That is,] the discussion is not about males and females. It is about honoring human beings, “We have honored the Children of Adam” [Quran 17:70]. Gender does not matter in this case. Human values are the same for men and women. Gender is not an issue at all when talking about the value of a woman compared to a man: “But the faithful, men and women, are comrades of one another; they bid what is right and forbid what is wrong …” [Quran 9:71]. [Or consider,] “Indeed, the Muslim men and the Muslim women, the faithful men and the faithful women, the obedient men and the obedient women” [Quran 33:35] until the end of the verse in Surah Al-Ahzab. All of these people [both men and women] are equal before the Almighty God in terms of their levels of spiritual ascension. So, neither is a man favored over a woman, nor is a woman favored over a man. Both genders have been placed on this path with similar capacities. It depends on their effort. There are women whom no man can match. Therefore, gender is not an issue. (December 27, 2023) Hijab gives women freedom and an identity. In spite of the dim-witted and superficial propaganda campaigns of materialistic people, hijab does not shackle women. By ignoring hijab and failing to cover what Allah the Exalted has asked them to cover, women undermine their own dignity and value. Hijab brings about dignity. It makes women more valuable. It increases women’s dignity and respect. Therefore, it is necessary to appreciate hijab and to be thankful to Islam for emphasizing hijab. Hijab is among the blessings of God. (May 12, 2012) Hijab doesn’t mean isolating women. If anyone interprets hijab in that way, it’s a completely wrong, misleading interpretation. The concept of hijab is about preventing the unrestricted mixing and intermingling of men and women in society, which is detrimental to society and to both men and women, particularly to women. (January 17, 1990) Islam is sensitive about this [the danger of sexual attraction]. Islam forbids us from preparing the environment and atmosphere in such a way that it will be a place for going astray due to sexual attraction — which is one of the most dangerous areas where one may go astray. Because this can lead to problems for both women and men. We need to be vigilant about this… . Therefore, these two concerns need to be taken into account: The issue of hijab should be observed in the true sense of the word, and the issue of the family, a woman’s presence in her home, and her role as a mother, which is the most important role, should be taken into account. (December 27, 2023) In Islam, a woman has independence and ability to move and progress. She has a title and her own identity. But that isn’t the case there [in the West]. A woman’s identity is subordinate to her husband’s identity [there]. You have a family name [in the West], but once you get married, that surname is cast aside and the husband’s family name replaces it. That’s a sign. It’s a symbol of being absorbed into the man and being overtaken by the male identity. [Other topics include:] the disparity in wages, failure to respect a woman’s honor and dignity, and looking at women as a means for material exploitation. They view women as instruments for material exploitation. A certain aristocrat may respect his wife personally, but that isn’t the point here. What we’re talking about is the general outlook where women are seen as objects of lust… . Women are viewed as objects of pleasure. She is a tool or an instrument. When this culture becomes prevalent, a woman herself fails to realize that she has been turned into a tool. She actually takes pride in this, and she is proud of it! (December 3, 2025) The topic of women Is an issue that various aspects of it are addressed throughout the world today. Every organization in every part of the world engages in discussions about women based on their own motives and biases. Global capitalists and global politicians …  intervene in the topic of women just as they do in all aspects of people’s lifestyle… The motive and reason for the involvement of capitalists and colonizers in the issue of women isn’t due to a theoretical or philosophical view…It’s not a humanitarian concern either. It’s not that they feel women are vulnerable in certain matters in the world and so they want to support them due to their stirring human emotions. That’s not the case either. Nor is it about carrying out a social or civic duty. These aren’t the motivations behind the interference of politicians and capitalists. What is their goal? Their true goal is political and colonial intrusion. They intervene to lay the groundwork and provide cover for further encroachment, greater interference, and the expansion of their sphere of influence. This motive, which is actually a criminal, corrupt motive, is hidden behind a philosophical guise, a theoretical guise, and a humanitarian appearance. This is the dishonesty of the West. It’s the dishonesty of the Western capitalists who dominate the world today. (December 17, 2024) A number of people had said that this free relationship between men and women in the West allows men to be satisfied and prevents sexual abuse and offences that were sometimes committed in different places. When men are satisfied, they will no longer commit those offences. This is what they had imagined! Now, does it seem like they are satisfied? Or have they become a hundred times greedier, [as can be seen] with the sexual assaults that are taking place? They are constantly reporting on this, about what’s happening in workplaces, in the streets, and in markets, everywhere. Harassment is even taking place in organized, ironclad organizations like the army, where women are also present. Harassment is different from consensual debauchery. Consensual debauchery is already a problem. On top of that, sexual assault is also taking place. So, not only have they not become satisfied, their greed and lust have increased a hundredfold. This is why when you look at the environment in the West today, you see there is a sex trade, sexual slavery, the transgression of all moral and conventional boundaries, and the legalization of things such as homosexuality, which is forbidden in all divine religions. Talk about homosexuality being forbidden and things like that is not just something found in Islam. These are major sins in all religions. They legalize these, and they really do not even feel ashamed about it! Therefore, one of the actions that is obligatory in our society is that we must strictly avoid the Western viewpoint on the issue of gender and sexuality. (January 4, 2023) In one word, I would like to summarize the outcome and basis of Western civilization’s policy and outlook with regard to the very important, vital issue of women. Their outlook can be summarized in the two factors of “seeking profit” and “seeking pleasure.” And each has its own definition. So, that is the West’s behavior with regard to the issue of “women.” (December 27, 2023) This is where the West’s shamelessness reveals itself. With all the harm that they have inflicted upon women – to a woman’s dignity and her honor – they pretend to be the flagbearers of women’s rights. That is, they are misusing the case of women’s rights in the world [for their own intentions]. This is truly the ultimate shamelessness. Now, sometimes someone may have secret information from somewhere, and at other times they may not. This is so obvious that I really do not want to talk about it anymore. One is shy to talk about what happened to women in the West last year, the sexual assaults and such things. Despite all that, they still say they support women and are in favor of women’s rights! This is what is called women’s freedom in the impious language of the West. When they say women’s freedom, what they mean is this type of freedom. These things are freedom [in their opinion]. This is not freedom. This is slavery. They are insulting women. (January 4, 2023) Western capitalism is a patriarchal system. So, what they attribute to Islam, which is incorrect and is the opposite of the truth, exists in their own system. Why? This viewpoint stems from the fact that in capitalism, capital is more important than humanity. Humanity is being used to serve capital. Whoever is able to generate and accumulate more capital is more valuable. Men are more aggressive. They are stronger. The extraction of gold, jewels, and diamonds, etc. from mines was carried out by men in Africa, in the US, and in South America. It is men who have been managing the economy, trade deals, and such. Therefore, men have priority over women in capitalism. Since capital is more in the hands of men, men have a higher priority. So, now that capital is supposed to determine the status of people, people are no longer the same. Naturally, they are different. As I have already mentioned, according to the capitalistic view, the male gender is naturally superior to the female gender. Therefore, you can see that women are abused in two ways in capitalism. One is in the workplace itself. This is an important point…You can also find out about this in books and in places where there is information on general subjects. In many Western countries right now, the wages women receive are lower than what men receive for the same type of work. So, they assign the same work that a man does to a woman and pay her less money, because she is weaker, because she is more vulnerable. That is how it is. This is a form of abuse. One of the reasons why the issue of women’s freedom was raised in the 19th century and later in the 20th century, but mostly in the 19th century, was to pull women out of their homes and push them into factories where they could be used and given lower wages. (January 4, 2023) Another important, fundamental woman’s right is her right to live in the home “free from violence.” Now, the decadent Western culture is filled with cases of violence by men against women. Women are killed by their husbands, and they are beaten by their husbands. These things are happening in the West. This is one of the gravest deviations. In a story — it is a story, of course, but it reflects a reality about the US — a man comes home and beats his wife very terribly. That’s how it is there. But if a [correct] culture becomes prevalent, this will be the outcome that if a woman does certain things, is stubborn, or acts defiantly to the point where he may even become angry and think of beating her, that won’t happen and he won’t beat her. When such a culture becomes prevalent, violence in all forms will be repudiated. (December 3, 2025) Regarding the issue of the family, if we look at the issues in the West, it is a disaster, a disaster! The West has broken up families. It has truly destroyed them. Although, when I say that they have destroyed families, I do not mean that families don’t exist in the West. They do. Some families are actually good families. They truly are families. Others appear to be a family, but on the inside they are not. I was reading in a Western, American text that in order to really see the children and be a so-called family, the husband and wife set a time to be together. So, you come from your office and your wife comes from her office at such and such time to have tea together in the afternoon, at a set time – for example from 4 to 6 pm. The children come from school too, and they all have a cup of tea together. That is what they call a family. One person goes off and does his own thing. The other stays up late and goes out with friends. This is not a family. It is the appearance of a family. The West has truly broken up families… . And this has led to the gradual collapse of families. It has even caused the Western scholars to raise their voices. They themselves – many of their well-wishers, reformists – are paying attention to this and are trying to call people’s attention to it. (January 4, 2023) Men and women have certain restrictions in their social interactions. This is a point that Islam emphasizes. Of course, the kind of unrestrained behavior that exists in the West today has not always existed. It’s a recent phenomenon, starting perhaps two or three centuries ago. When one reads certain books, especially some novels about the 18th and 19th centuries, and reads the descriptions of European women in them, one sees that there were many considerations that no longer exist in the West today. Islam emphasizes these considerations, including matters such as hijab, modesty, and where a person looks. (December 17, 2024) About a century ago, they raised the issue of women’s freedom and financial independence proclaiming that women should have financial independence and freedom. The idea looked good on the surface, but what was the underlying reality? The reality was that their factories needed workers. Since there weren’t enough male workers, they wanted to hire women to be their laborers and pay them less than men. This was the underlying reality. This was something that mainly took place in Europe and in Western societies. It wasn’t exclusive to America. They concealed it under the guise and cover of it being a humanitarian move and proclaimed that women should have financial independence, freedom, the ability to leave the house, and the opportunity to work. In other words, people also witnessed this dishonesty there as well. (December 17, 2024)