The comparison between modern British girls and modern Iranian girls living less than 3, miles apart could hardly be more stark. In Britain , a young woman can wear pretty clothes and makeup in public, talk on her mobile, smoke, go for a drink and have a boyfriend. If she gets pregnant, the state will look after her. If she commits a crime, the worst that can happen to her is imprisonment in a humanely run prison. In Iran , she must cover her head at all times and may not wear makeup or do anything to display her femininity in public.
She may not drink alcohol or associate with boys and if she gets caught, she will be flogged. If she gets caught having sex or gets pregnant outside marriage, she can be sentenced to death for adultery or moral crimes. It is claimed by feminist and human rights groups that Iran is one big prison for women.
Under the rule of the former Shah, a small number of women were hanged, mostly for murder. The Shah was deposed in and replaced by a fundamentalist Muslim regime led by Ayatollah Khomeini.
He won a huge democratic majority for the formation of an Islamic Republic, on April the 1st, Under the new government, women were required to wear the veil, western music and alcohol were banned, and the punishments prescribed by Sharia law came into force. Male and female executions became frequent β often for refusing to convert to or recognise Islam or for being a member of an anti-regime political group.
There are no accurate records of just how many men, women and girls were executed in the first years of the Revolution. There is a credible list of 14, names available and some sources claim figures of several tens of thousands, although these are not substantiated with names.
