Fatemeh Karroubi
Encyclopedia
Fatemeh Karroubi is an Iran
ian politician
and activist. She is the wife of Mehdi Karroubi
, a politician
, Shia cleric, chairman of the National Trust Party
and a candidate for President of Iran
during the 2005
and 2009 presidential elections
. Fatemeh Karroubi campaigned openly with her husband during the 2009 presidential campaign, drawing comparisons to another high profile political spouse, Zahra Rahnavard
, the wife of Mir Hossein Mousavi. Candidates campaigning openly with their wives had previously been a rare occurrence within the Islamic Republic of Iran since the 1979 Iranian Revolution
.
family in Aligoudarz, a city located in the western portion of Lorestan province. She first met and married her husband, Mehdi Karroubi, in Aligoudarz when she was 14 years old. Mehdi Karroubi hailed from a Shia clerical family. In a 2009 interview with AFP
, Karroubi recalled that the marriage was ultimately successful, "It was strange for me to get married into a clerical family. I honestly didn't know him well. But I was a lucky girl as he was always there for me."
Her husband entered the political sphere, which brought him into opposition with the government of then Shah of Iran
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
. Mehdi Karroubi was imprisoned on several different occasions during the 1970s. At one point, Fatemeh Karroubi brought the couple's second son, Taghi Karroubi, who was six months old at the time, to the Qasr Prison
in Tehran
to meet his father for the first time.
.
Karroubi served as an advisor to her husband on social affairs and social issues
when he served as the chairman of the Majlis of Iran
from 2000 until 2004.
She also served as the deputy minister for social affairs in the government of former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami
during his time in office.
During the 2009 Iranian presidential campaign
openly campaigned with her husband, a previously unusual move for the wife of a male politician in Iran. She actively participated in all aspects of her husband's presidential bid, "I give speeches and do as much as I can to support him. We think about victory. We want the current situation to change." Additionally, Karroubi served as the head of the Karroubi campaign in Tehran Province
. The couple's second son, Taghi Karroubi, worked with his parents as one of his father's campaign manager
s.
She openly criticized the policies of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during the campaign saying, "We have a very rocky economic situation... there is a lack of economic, political, individual and social security."
.
Fatemeh Karroubi publishes a magazine
for Iranian women called, Irandokht
(Daughter of Iran). Karroubi is also the head of an Iranian woman's group.
Karroubi has been critical of government policies towards women in Iran
. She is particularly harsh toward the "unequal status" of women's employment
opportunities in the country, especially for high paying positions saying, "They think only men are the bread winners and hence they don't hire women in senior positions."
She also criticized the lack of female candidates for political office in the run-up to the 2009 Iranian elections. The Guardian Council, which approves all candidates for office in Iran, approved only four male candidates from a list of 476 men and women who registered to run for President of Iran
. She told the AFP before the election that, "Women's rights are widely being breached...One of my objections is that they (the Guardian Council) did not qualify even one woman.
Her husband, Mehdi Karroubi, had promised to expand women's rights, expand social and economic opportunities and eliminate the moral police patrols, which enforce women's dress codes, if he had successfully been elected president.
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and activist. She is the wife of Mehdi Karroubi
Mehdi Karroubi
Mehdi Karroubi is an influential Iranian reformist politician, democracy activist, mojtahed, and chairman of the National Trust Party. He was Chairman of the parliament from 1989 to 1992 and 2000 to 2004, and a presidential candidate in the 2005 and 2009 presidential elections.He is a founding...
, a politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, Shia cleric, chairman of the National Trust Party
National Trust Party (Iran)
National Trust Party , also translated as National Confidence Party, is an Iranian political party based on reformist and populist message. NTP was established in 2005 by former Parliament speaker Mehdi Karroubi following his controversial defeat in 2005 presidential election...
and a candidate for President of Iran
President of Iran
The President of Iran is the highest popularly elected official in, and the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Iran; although subordinate to the Supreme Leader of Iran, who functions as the country's head of state...
during the 2005
Iranian presidential election, 2005
Iran's ninth presidential election took place in two rounds, the first on June 17, 2005, the run-off on June 24. Mohammad Khatami, the previous President of Iran, stepped down on August 2, 2005, after serving his maximum two consecutive four-year terms according to the Islamic Republic's constitution...
and 2009 presidential elections
Iranian presidential election, 2009
Iran's tenth presidential election was held on 12 June 2009, with incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad running against three challengers. The next morning the Islamic Republic News Agency, Iran's official news agency, announced that with two-thirds of the votes counted, Ahmadinejad had won the election...
. Fatemeh Karroubi campaigned openly with her husband during the 2009 presidential campaign, drawing comparisons to another high profile political spouse, Zahra Rahnavard
Zahra Rahnavard
Zahra Rahnavard is an Iranian artist and politician.-Early life:Rahnavard was born in Borujerd, Iran. Her father Haj-Fathali was a Fundamentalist Sh'ia and anti-Communist. After hearing of a gathering of Sh'ia clerics in Iran, Haj-Fathali emigrated to Khomein, Markazi Province where Zahra was born...
, the wife of Mir Hossein Mousavi. Candidates campaigning openly with their wives had previously been a rare occurrence within the Islamic Republic of Iran since the 1979 Iranian Revolution
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the...
.
Biography
Fatemeh Karroubi was born into a merchantMerchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
family in Aligoudarz, a city located in the western portion of Lorestan province. She first met and married her husband, Mehdi Karroubi, in Aligoudarz when she was 14 years old. Mehdi Karroubi hailed from a Shia clerical family. In a 2009 interview with AFP
Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse is a French news agency, the oldest one in the world, and one of the three largest with Associated Press and Reuters. It is also the largest French news agency. Currently, its CEO is Emmanuel Hoog and its news director Philippe Massonnet...
, Karroubi recalled that the marriage was ultimately successful, "It was strange for me to get married into a clerical family. I honestly didn't know him well. But I was a lucky girl as he was always there for me."
Her husband entered the political sphere, which brought him into opposition with the government of then Shah of Iran
Pahlavi dynasty
The Pahlavi dynasty consisted of two Iranian/Persian monarchs, father and son Reza Shah Pahlavi and Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi The Pahlavi dynasty consisted of two Iranian/Persian monarchs, father and son Reza Shah Pahlavi (reg. 1925–1941) and Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi The Pahlavi dynasty ...
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
Mohammad Rezā Shāh Pahlavi, Shah of Iran, Shah of Persia , ruled Iran from 16 September 1941 until his overthrow by the Iranian Revolution on 11 February 1979...
. Mehdi Karroubi was imprisoned on several different occasions during the 1970s. At one point, Fatemeh Karroubi brought the couple's second son, Taghi Karroubi, who was six months old at the time, to the Qasr Prison
Qasr Prison
Qasr Prison is a prison in Tehran. It is one of the oldest Iranian political prisons.-History:It was built by the order of Fat′h Ali Shah of the Qajar dynasty in 1790 in the form of a palace. It was the first prison in Iran in which the prisoners got their legal advantages.-References:...
in Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
to meet his father for the first time.
Political career
Fatemeh Karroubi and her husband have been noted in the media for their shared interest in politicsPolitics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
.
Karroubi served as an advisor to her husband on social affairs and social issues
Social issues
Social issues are controversial issues which relate to people's personal lives and interactions. Social issues are distinguished from economic issues...
when he served as the chairman of the Majlis of Iran
Majlis of Iran
The National Consultative Assembly of Iran , also called The Iranian Parliament or People's House, is the national legislative body of Iran...
from 2000 until 2004.
She also served as the deputy minister for social affairs in the government of former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami
Mohammad Khatami
Sayyid Mohammad Khātamī is an Iranian scholar, philosopher, Shiite theologian and Reformist politician. He served as the fifth President of Iran from August 2, 1997 to August 3, 2005. He also served as Iran's Minister of Culture in both the 1980s and 1990s...
during his time in office.
During the 2009 Iranian presidential campaign
Iranian presidential election, 2009
Iran's tenth presidential election was held on 12 June 2009, with incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad running against three challengers. The next morning the Islamic Republic News Agency, Iran's official news agency, announced that with two-thirds of the votes counted, Ahmadinejad had won the election...
openly campaigned with her husband, a previously unusual move for the wife of a male politician in Iran. She actively participated in all aspects of her husband's presidential bid, "I give speeches and do as much as I can to support him. We think about victory. We want the current situation to change." Additionally, Karroubi served as the head of the Karroubi campaign in Tehran Province
Tehran Province
Tehran Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It covers on area of 18,909 square kilometers and is located to the north of the central plateau of Iran....
. The couple's second son, Taghi Karroubi, worked with his parents as one of his father's campaign manager
Campaign manager
A campaign manager is a paid or volunteer individual, whose role is to coordinate the campaign's operations such as fundraising, advertising, polling, getting out the vote , and other activities supporting the effort, directly.Apart from the candidate, they are often a campaign's most visible leader...
s.
She openly criticized the policies of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during the campaign saying, "We have a very rocky economic situation... there is a lack of economic, political, individual and social security."
Activism
During the 1980s, Karroubi played a significant role in the construction and management of hospitals and other medical clinics for the Martyr Foundation. The foundation worked with families who had lost members during the Iran-Iraq WarIran-Iraq War
The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between the armed forces of Iraq and Iran, lasting from September 1980 to August 1988, making it the longest conventional war of the twentieth century...
.
Fatemeh Karroubi publishes a magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
for Iranian women called, Irandokht
IranDokht
IranDokht is an online media platform that connects the global community to Iranian women. It serves as a kaleidoscope of lifestyles, identities, art, and culture, reflecting the tensions between modernity and tradition....
(Daughter of Iran). Karroubi is also the head of an Iranian woman's group.
Karroubi has been critical of government policies towards women in Iran
Women in Iran
Iranian women in this article refers to women of, or from, traditional Persian or modern Iranian culture.-Depictions and appearance:...
. She is particularly harsh toward the "unequal status" of women's employment
Employment
Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. An employee may be defined as:- Employee :...
opportunities in the country, especially for high paying positions saying, "They think only men are the bread winners and hence they don't hire women in senior positions."
She also criticized the lack of female candidates for political office in the run-up to the 2009 Iranian elections. The Guardian Council, which approves all candidates for office in Iran, approved only four male candidates from a list of 476 men and women who registered to run for President of Iran
President of Iran
The President of Iran is the highest popularly elected official in, and the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Iran; although subordinate to the Supreme Leader of Iran, who functions as the country's head of state...
. She told the AFP before the election that, "Women's rights are widely being breached...One of my objections is that they (the Guardian Council) did not qualify even one woman.
Her husband, Mehdi Karroubi, had promised to expand women's rights, expand social and economic opportunities and eliminate the moral police patrols, which enforce women's dress codes, if he had successfully been elected president.