Silver Blaze <pintaguinness@yourlocal.com> wrote in message news:<1093563523.229768@nnrp2.phx1.gblx.net>...
CIA + FBI Must Connect Dots on muslims' Sexist Terrorist Psychopathology
"A coincidence is a scientific anomaly."
-- Gil Grissom CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Season 3, Episode 12
Political correctness is only hampering intelligence and law enforcement
work. A brave, female FBI Special Agent knew that there was something
wrong with an unemployed dirty arab taking flight schools in Minnesota.
Iran: No Longer A No-Woman's Land.
Business Week, May 24, 2004
Byline: Stanley Reed in Tehran, with Babak Pirouz
It was Iran's biggest-ever stock market transaction. At the Tehran
Stock Exchange in late January, a frenzied bidding war broke out as
the government auctioned off a 35% stake in its state-owned SADRA
shipping group. In the middle of the two-hour auction, the exchange's
computer crashed, stopping the proceedings for 15 minutes. But the
sale went on to fetch $500 million. And it wasn't just the size of the
deal that drew attention: Female brokers Mahnaz Sadegh-Nobari and
Simindokht Mirdamadi landed the lucrative business.
Women are playing increasingly prominent roles in Iran, and business
and industry are no exceptions. A sizable female contingent populates
the trading desks at the Tehran exchange. Women are big players in
information-technology companies. Some are even penetrating the most
traditional male bastions, such as heavy industry. "Women are a gold
mine because of their honesty, their hard work, and the care they take
in their work," says Shahin Khalili, chairman of Butane Industrial
Group, a large family conglomerate.
The rise of women in Iranian business could have profound social
implications. Women, who have faced harsh restrictions in the Islamic
Republic, are key supporters of reform. As they gain power and money,
they are bound to push for greater civil liberties and more
accountability. They are also likely to bring new ideas and energy to
the economy.
Businesswomen say that over the past few years attitudes toward their
presence in factories and offices have changed dramatically as more
women have taken jobs and proved their worth. Nazila Noebashari says
that 20 years ago, when she was drafted at the age of 18 to take over
the management of the family shipping firm, Traf Co., from her ailing
father, she was a great curiosity. "Everyone knew where I went," she
says, and she was barred from entering Iran's main port, Bandar Abbas.
Now, she says, the industry is full of women.
Worklife has also improved for Simin Rezaeifar, who supervises paint
quality at Saipa Corp., Iran's second-largest auto maker. In the early
days on the job, she says, she used to hear snide comments. But
recently her career got a boost when she was sent on two foreign
training courses. "These are good omens," she says.
Iranian women are a determined group, outperforming men on the
entrance exams to Iran's universities. In 2002-03, some 53% of the
students admitted to universities were women. The Islamic regime has
inadvertently aided the feminist cause by requiring women to wear
Islamic dress. The practice has helped convince traditionalist parents
to permit their daughters to attend universities, which used to be
perceived as centers of hedonism.
Successful women are trying to help their less fortunate sisters learn
business skills. For instance, the Mehr Foundation, founded by
Khalili's sister, Mansoureh, provides small loans and counseling to
would-be entrepreneurs such as Motahreh Fathi, who prepares herbs and
candied fruit for sale in Tehran shops. "Nothing can stop the women's
movement now," says Parto Vatamahadi, a foundation staffer. That's
certainly how things look in today's Iran.
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