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Iran’s Parliament Approves Bill Granting Women Equal Inheritance Rights

Iran’s current reformist parliament, which will be replaced with conservatives this month, approved a bill that grants women equal inheritance rights to men. The proposed law states that a woman is entitled to all of her husband’s estate if there are no other heirs.

Under the current law in Iran, a widow receives only one-eighth to one-fourth of her husband’s possessions. According to BBC News, the reformist parliament will not have much success persuading the hard-line Guardian Council to approve the bill because the Council has rejected most of the reforms proposed in the past.

Meanwhile, Iranian women’s rights activists staged a large protest against a state-run mini-series airing on national television entitled “Another Woman.” According to Women’s eNews, the protesters are accusing the program of conveying a false and degrading representation of Iranian women. The protestors are asserting that the program is sending a message that polygamy is a normal and acceptable Iranian practice and that women are second-class citizens.

The protestors are calling for supervision and accountability at the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting organization and for the establishment of private television outlets that can offer shows from a different perspective, reports Women’s eNews.

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Sources:

Payvand 4/30/04; WomenÕs eNews 5/20/04; BBC News 5/10/04; Associated Press 5/1//04

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