Part I: Scott MacLeod, Part II: Lindsey Hilsum

The authors of the following two-part viewpoint argue that a growing women’s movement is challenging the restrictive policies of Iran’s Islamic fundamentalist government. In Part I, freelance writer Scott MacLeod reports that Iranian women are contesting discriminatory laws and voting in large numbers for moderate political candidates. In Part II, broadcast journalist Lindsey Hilsum maintains that a growing population of literate, educated women are widening the rift in Iran between the conservative religious forces and a liberalized, urbane culture.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. According to MacLeod, what percentage of Iranian women approved of moderate candidate Mohammed Khatami in Iran’s 1997 presidential election?
2. What new legislation have Islamic clerics proposed to help curb Iranian feminism, according to MacLeod?
3. In Hilsum&rsquo...