Mutahhari, Natural Rights, and Women's Exclusion from Public Life

Abstract

Gender-based violence is a phenomenon that takes place in almost all societies around the world. It is violence directed against men or women due to their gender in various physical, sexual, psychological, and socio-political forms. However, the majority of victims are women. Undoubtedly, gender inequality is one of the root causes of many forms of violence against women, including their exclusion from social activities. Nonetheless, misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the primary religious sources play a significant role in gender inequality in both domestic and public realms and create wounded memories for women within different communities in the name of religion. This research does not aim to investigate different forms of violence against women; rather, it intends to probe the theoretical basis of the exclusion of women from social realms. The main focus is the thought of Ayatollah Murtada Mutahhari, a 20th-century philosopher, theologian, and traditional reformer in Iran. This study demonstrates how Mutahhari, with reference to the philosophy of natural rights, deals with unfair attitudes toward women's social activities and paves the way for their active participation in society. This study is based on library research and textual analysis.