American Morning
Iran's Michelle Obama
From CNN's Carol Costello and Bob Ruff
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/06/17/rahnavard.getty.art.jpg caption="Zahra Rahnavard, wife of Iranian presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, waves to supporters during a pro-reform campaign rally at Haydarniya Stadium in Tehran on June 9, 2009."]
Her name is Zahra Rahnavard. There are Iranian women who say she is their nation’s Michelle Obama.
Rahnavard is smart (2 Ph.D’s), well-written (15 books), and a trend setter (the first Iranian woman to head a university since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
In a nation that separates and carefully monitors women, Rahnavard has been an inspiration to women seeking to modernize Iran, end discrimination, and give women many of the rights taken for granted in the West.
It’s not an easy task.
Under President Mahmoud Ahmedinjad's regime, activists say dozens of women have been jailed for participating in a grass-roots women’s rights campaign called, One Million Signatures.
Rahnavard also is the wife of defeated Iranian presidential candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi, who is seeking to overturn the June 12 presidential election that he and his supporters say was rigged to re-elect President Ahmedinejad to a second term.
During the campaign, Rahnavard did some very un-Iranian things that seem commonplace in the West.
She held her husband’s hand in public. And she campaigned for him. Alone. Rahnavard drew huge crowds at rallies in which she urged voters to vote for change and vote for her husband.
Iranian women looking for inspiration to change their world loved it.
Azar Nafisi, author of “Reading Lolita in Tehran”, a best selling book about the erosion of women’s rights in Iran, says that Rahnavard has given women there a voice to protest their second class citizenship. Nafisi says Iranian women “see in her the potential of what they want.”
Perhaps most revealing of Rahnavard’s influence, during one of the televised presidential debates, Ahmedinejad turned her into a campaign issue by (falsely) accused her of not being qualified to teach. The President said “...she got PhD without attending the university entrance exam and now she is an assistant professor without having qualifications...this is lawlessness.”
Rahnavard shot right back the next day, holding a news conference to accuse Ahmadinejad of humiliating women, betraying the Iranian revolution, and seeking “to destroy his rival through lies.”
Ahmedinejad may never have heard the lyrics to Helen Reddy’s 1972 song, “I am woman, hear me roar,” but with Zahra Rahnavard on the scene he pretty much gets the gist of it.
What’s on Tap – Wednesday June 17, 2009
Here are the big stories on the agenda today:
- A clampdown in Iran. All foreign journalists – now banned from covering demonstrations on the streets, told to stay in their hotel rooms. But we have the pictures the Iranian government doesn't want you to see. Our Christiane Amanpour, who was a victim of the crackdown first-hand is live on Iran’s attempt to control the message.
- President Obama is ready to grant health care and other benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees. But is it enough to win over gay and lesbian groups, who say they're disappointed by the president's policies. We’re live at the White House.
- New developments on the fate of two American reporters, sentenced to hard time in North Korea. That country now claiming Laura Ling and Euna Lee admit committing the crimes with which they were charged. This morning we have an exclusive interview with Laura’s sister, Lisa Ling.
- Senator John McCain, live. He's been harshly critical of the way President Obama's handling the Iran uprising. You'll get to hear specifically why.
We Listen!
Editor's note: Tuesday’s American Morning audience remained divided regarding the Palin-Letterman ‘joke’ story, as Letterman apologized to the governor. Some felt his joke was in very poor taste and that he had a long history of such; others saw this as an opportunity for Governor Palin to use her family as a public relations tool.
- Ginger: Whether you are a liberal or a conservative women should not be subject to derogatory remarks. I am glad David Letterman apologized and even happier that the national organization for women came out to protest. All women no matter their party affiliation, race or religion must stand together and protest derogatory comments made towards any woman. It must stop for women to meet their full potentials. Otherwise we will never see a woman breaking that glass ceiling.
- Anonymous: I was raped at 5 years old, my sister was date-raped at 22, and my niece was date-raped AT 20. i applaud CNN for reporting the insensitive and crude jokes of David Letterman. I have enjoyed watching his show for many years, but will not again.
- Barbara: I just wish you would bring Letterman's long history of overt Bias that may have caused this flap to be the 'straw that broke the camel’s back '! When Hillary C. was running for NY senator, he covertly gave her the difficult statistic / facts questions in advance to make her look 'smart and knowledgeable ' about the state. It was discovered, but the parties shrugged it off, and, that thanks to 'news people' with the same bias, the unfairness never surfaced !! I think we all know, there is NO 'SORRY' on Letterman's part except he is starting to sweat the backlash against him !!! And the complaints to his sponsors !!
- Andre: Palin scores a victory over letterman. That is another three weeks of news attention for the dope.
- Al: Letterman – Palin. Don't you get it? Nobody cares.... This is just a gimmick to get Palin more media coverage.
What do you think of David Letterman’s apology to Governor Palin? Do you believe that he, as a comedian, needed to apologize for the joke, or was the governor using this as an opportunity to gain public attention? Comment here or follow the story at this link.
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