Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei: West’s View of Women Is ‘Zionist Plot’ to Destroy Humanity

TEL AVIV – In a tweet on Sunday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called the Western perception of women a “Zionists’ plot to destroy human community.”

“Designating women as goods & means of pleasure in western world, most probably, is among Zionists’ plots to destroy human community,” Khamenei tweeted.

The tweet caused a firestorm of controversy with many calling Khamenei a hypocrite. One Twitter user wrote, “That’s rich coming from you” and accompanied the tweet with a fact sheet from a women’s rights NGO stating that according to Iran’s Interpol bureau, the sex-slave trade in the Islamic Republic is one of the country’s most profitable industries and operates with the knowledge and participation of the ruling fundamentalists.

The tweet, one of several that Khamenei posted that day, marked the Islamic Republic’s version of mother’s day, which coincides with the anniversary of the birth of Fatimah, the youngest daughter of the prophet Muhammad, and Khadija, the first of Muhammad’s wives.

Khamenei praised Fatimah, also known as Hazrat Zahra, calling her a “perfect role model for Muslim women.”

“With a grandeur & stature beyond human’s understanding & imagination, yet one of Hazrat Zahra’s roles was being a mother, wife & housewife,” he tweeted.

Fatimah is particularly revered by Shiite Muslims, because she married Muhammad’s cousin Ali, who Shiites consider the prophet’s legitimate heir and the first imam.

Khamenei slammed those who “humiliate housewives,” saying they are responsible for producing human beings, the “highest product in (the) universe.”

He also tweeted that “men and women are no different in some aspects like ‘spiritual ascension,’ ‘leadership power’ or ‘ability to guide humanity.’”