In her first-ever interview with a U.S. media outlet, Jamileh Alamolhoda, the wife of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, told Newsweek Senior Foreign Policy Writer and Deputy Editor of National Security and Foreign Policy Tom O’Connor that Western-style feminism was a mismatch for the Islamic Republic. She derided attempts by the United States and other powers to try to export their values to a nation in which she argued women already enjoyed all of the rights they would ever need.
The remarks come almost exactly one year after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in police custody for allegedly failing to adhere to conservative clothing protocols for women set off a firestorm of protests that the Raisi administration has largely blamed on the U.S. To this day, demonstrations, many led by women, continue to emerge in Iran in defiance of security forces.
But Alamolhoda has sought to use her rising platform to shift the narrative.
Prior to her husband taking office in August 2021, Alamolhoda obtained her doctorate in the philosophy of education from Tarbiat Modares University and went on to serve in a number of academic positions before founding the Institute of Fundamental Studies of Science and Technology at Shahid Beheshti University in 2013. In 2020, she was appointed secretary of the Council for the Transformation and Renovation of the Educational System by the powerful Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution.
As the wife of the Iranian president, which was described to Newsweek as her preferred title, Alamolhoda has adopted a more visible presence than her predecessors, even accompanying Raisi on a trip to Latin America in June. She has taken advantage of this spotlight to defend Iran’s record on women’s rights amid ongoing condemnation from the U.S. and other Western nations.
Speaking to Newsweek, Alamolhoda acknowledges that there are indeed rules and regulations that govern the lives of women in Iran. But she argues that this code constitutes a superior system to that which exists in the West, where she equates feminism to violence. And, alleging attacks from Western culture, she calls for unity among Iranian women and men alike to rally behind the Islamic Republic’s way of life.
The following interview, conducted via an interpreter, has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Jamileh Alamolhoda, wife of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, sits for an interview with Newsweek Senior Foreign Policy Writer and Deputy Editor of National Security and Foreign Policy Tom O’Connor (not pictured) at the Millennium Hilton New York hotel located near the United Nations Headquarters on September 19.
Islamic Republic of Iran
Newsweek: In addition to being the wife of the Iranian president, you are also an accomplished scholar and an active figure in various fields within the Islamic Republic of Iran. For some of my readers who are perhaps not quite as familiar with some of those initiatives, could you explain some of the things you’ve been most active on back home?
Alamolhoda: In the name of God, the most compassionate and merciful…I’m actually not a political person. I have not had that much political activity prior to the election of President Raisi. Due to new circumstances, I am undertaking new activities in the political spheres.
Prior to the president’s election, I was engaged in academic activities, specifically in the science of upbringing for children. After the election, I took on the responsibility of more political activities. After what happened subsequent to the presidential election, and lots of meetings being held with the president, I gathered that there are lots of misunderstandings and room for clarification, so I engaged with the endeavor of undertaking responsibilities and to clarify and enlighten on things that pertain to women, their activities and the role they play in society.
Prior to that, I managed to compose two articles on women, but after that, we started engaging with the introduction of Iranian women and the role they play. So, we held the Conference of Women of Influence, during which at least 400 women of influence participated, and we also held an exhibition to elaborate on the abilities of women and what they have for society.
Because of your recent marriage [Alamolhoda is referring here to the Newsweek reporter’s wedding on September 16, 2023], I have to tell you that women in Iran are supported by the family, by the father, by all the members of the family, and they play a crucial role in the society owing to the support they received from the family. And that is absolutely due to the fact that the core of the family plays a significant role. Women in Iran, or anywhere in the world, play a crucial role in maintaining the very core of the family, so they play a very crucial role in society.
Men in Iran prefer not to ask their spouses to work or bring money home. Women are regarded as persons sharing love with men in the position of mother, spouse or daughter.
You might find it very exciting and interesting that women in Iran have not fought for their rights because they already enjoy their rights. And that is due to the preservation of their dignity in society by men. The values to which women are entitled in the country, concerning the moral aspects, they have indeed morphed into rules and regulations. We can share with you these rules and regulations, the supported ones, which are dedicated to supporting women in society, so that you can share it with other parts of the world to see how we deal with it.
The feminist movement from other parts of the world has also not found its way in Iran, and that is primarily due to the fact that it is inclined toward violence. As opposed to that, women in Iran prefer tranquility rather than being exposed to violence through the feminist approach. That is the striking difference between the two elements.
With the decree preferred by the Holy Quran regarding the relationship of women and men, I have to emphasize that, as per the Quran, it is interconnected. Men have to support women and, in return, women offer calm and tranquility for men. That is also applicable to the relationship between the father and the daughter and the son and the mother, because the two groups support each other and, in turn, they guarantee calm and tranquility.
You mentioned misunderstandings about the women’s rights situation in Iran. Can you speak to the criticisms that have been voiced by Western countries and the United States, especially, regarding the situation in Iran and accusations that women in Iran are not free and are in need of greater rights?
Well, I have to admit that they do not know much about Iran. That is the cause of the misunderstanding. They’ve not dove into the vast depth of the relation between women and the populace. That is why they regard women with a Western lens. I have to admit that not all of the people live up to the standards of the society, but what the West is trying to say about women in Iran is very much a politicized matter.
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