Iran Bars State Funds For Unmarried Women To Study Abroad
TEHRAN (News Agencies) - A conservative Iranian oversight body overruled parliament's repeal of a 15-year-old law barring unmarried women from getting state scholarships to study in foreign universities, press reports said Thursday.
The Guardians Council, which has final say on all laws passed by parliament to ensure they conform to the constitution and Islam, said parliament's decision to delete the word "male" from an annex to the law was out of order.
In September, deputies voted almost two-to-one to end the restrictions over opposition from some conservative MPs who argued the move was a blow to Islam and women's dignity.
Reformist President Mohammad Khatami, who came to power with close to 70% of the vote, mostly from women and young people, has pushed to give women a greater role in Iran's social and political life.
Late last year he said the Iranian nation needed to allow women to "enjoy freedom and the right to be active and advance in society" without losing their "purity and dignity."
