Iran Parliament Vote Provokes Opposition


TEHRAN, Iran - A vote by Iran's reformist-dominated parliament to join an international agreement on women's rights is provoking bitter denunciation from hard-line clerics. Over the weekend, dozens of clerics in the holy city of Qom held street protests on Friday and Saturday against parliament's vote in favor of Iran joining the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
The parliament approved the convention on July 23. The vote has to be endorsed by the unelected, hard-line controlled Guardian Council to become law. The council, which must approve all legislation before it becomes law, is likely to reject it.(Continued...)