"Iran's Second Sex"

Speaking of worldwide feminism (which, in case you haven't noticed, is the big topic on WMG's mind these days), Roger Cohen recently wrote a great op-ed for the New York Times about the role of women in Iran, and in this particular election (/revolution):

"Yes, it’s simple. From the outset, the regime targeted women, calculating that the patriarchal culture of the country would embrace the idea of an Islamic diktat that 'put women in their place.'

But then again nothing in Iran is simple. One benefit of the massive show of resistance to a stolen vote, and future, has been to awaken Americans to the civic vitality of Iranian society — a real country with real people rather than a bunch of zealous clerics posing a nuclear problem."

Cohen gracefully dissects the complexities of the war between tradition and modernity among Iranian women, and leaves us with some good old-fashioned ambiguity.  Read the full article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/27/opinion/27cohen.html?scp=4&sq=roger%20cohen&st=Search