What I found most interesting in this article was the factoid that the head scraf for females was "invented" in the 70's as a sign of faith...it's like Kwanza..it's made up...I, like probably many..thought it went back thousands of years...Ali Baba and the dervishes...
Islamic Iran Participation Front convenes party conference, set outs agenda
10/17/03
Payvand News
Secretary General of Islamic Iran Participation Front (IIPF) on Thursday rejected changing the Constitution as means to advance reforms, IRNA reported from Tehran.
Speaking at the Fifth IIPF Congress session in Tehran, Mohammad Reza Khatami also called for democratic interpretation of the Constitution. "We think that the current Constitution is adequate in incorporating a democratic system.
"The problem in our country is the absence of the rule of law and not absence or shortcomings in the law." "We also think the Constitution should be carried out in most democratic manner and 'there are no guarantees in its implementation in the present trend'."
He added that the principal duty of the reforms stipulates for the rulers to abide by the law. "Another reason for us to reject changing the Constitution 'is the ambiguous manner of its implementation', he pointed out.
"Iranian people are not in favor of aggressive and non-peaceful means or radical changes," he added.
Khatami said the most important point is a clear and transparent interpretation of those unclear parts of the Constitution. "We think that a most important challenge in ruling the country is the lack of connection between responsibilities and accountability." Another point which is not clear is the explanation of people rights versus Islamic teachings, he added.
"What we are witnessing today is that Constitution is used for political purposes and personal and factional interest, and the Constitution is interpreted in the manner which reminds of past class-based systems," the IIPF secretary general underlined. "Every Iranian, irrespective of personal belief and thought should have equal rights with other compatriots."
He also alluded to freedom of thought as another tenet of the constitution pointing out that the late Imam Khomeini when in Paris alluded to the right of all to be free to express their opinions 'even the communists'.
IIPF believes that all opposition including those that oppose the Islamic system 'if they abide by the law and respect peaceful means can be active in the society'.
The front is in favor of strict separation of people's personal and social life except in cases when rights of others have been violated and this should be clearly spelled out in the law.
http://www.payvand.com/news/03/oct/1105.html