INTERNATIONALISM - VITAL INGREDIENT FOR SOCIALISTS. GIVE GENEROUSLY "HE HAS been accused o stealing millions of pounds poverty-stricken people, of allowing one of the vicious BELTLE police forces in the world to terrorise being complete autocratic dictator; and now there are rumours of extra-marital affairs. For most women this would be enough to UNDERTOE their love loyalty.' (t)
"He', in case you hadn't description, is the Shah of Iran.
wile Farnh Dibah, however, seems enconcerned by the less than loyal attitude shown by her HEHEARS subjects.
circulation magarine Woman's Own this week, "The title of my husband is Shabanshah, King of Kings, Shadow of Almighty, Vice-Regent of God and Centre of the Universe, and he always lived up to this, no matter what people say?
Her own loyalty is unquesBonabic: "I had married him for better or worse. If necessary I would die by his side. I would live in a poor village and starve If Thed to.' But unlike the vast majority of iranian women she was not put to the test in this Socialist Chullenge 26 April 1979 page 12 way, and things continue to be the better rather than worse at the Pahlavi hide-out Bahamas.
The opening sentence quoted above is the only indication in a two page Interview that the abuse and hostility which has been heaped on her husband' right have been Hence one of the mportant political events of the century is reduced do 's story of a woman's love that holds its age-old mystery... that defies all reason."
'Reason' is not the strong point of Mary Interviewing technique. Rather than give in to the fashionuble desire to briag politics into everything. Hampson gives us such useful information as the fact that the weeks of strain and anxiety caused Farah to lose pouds. presumably since the other sort were sufely In a Swiss bank account.)
The interview does have a political point however, Most obviously I tries (mot very convincingly) to rehabilitate howing how Farah "was deepl; involved in some 50 charities".
Muny of her good works were concerned with worsen that the magazine is interested the In Farah.
She remembers: "When I wa living as a student in Paris 1 saw how wondertel it was for the women in the western world They had treedoms... the right to be justified. beings. most Farah, for Woman's Own, Is the ideal Iranian woman. She is not a Moslem obscurantist sad iberefore Incomprehensible to western journalist.
But the Hampson's SUIT in other (That woman. pounds weight, BAREY 01 Sunday North Street, Clapham, women who group's nims.
Embassy, Conference Universty, London they had full human English Demonstration, 2pm.
Embassy. the racist prejudices of the advantage of Interviewing her rather than details).
of the women scial fighting for women's righis in Iran is that sae conforms so perfectly to the sesist stereotype of the beautiful, loyal wife words Woman's Own'sidea of the 'free" western The Iranian Women's Solldarity Group is organising a women's movement delegation to Iran to investigate the reality of women's oppression there.
Its nest meeting is at 5pm ou 29 April, at South was tortured. don 5W4, and is open to all support the refused.
Future events incide:
Priaces Gate, London SW7, from 5-7pm • 12 May, Iranian Women's the City afternoon senion will be le National Tratalgar Square. March to Iranian the Forum Writer denounces Colombian repression LATIN America's most dis tinguished writer has protested against the current wave of repression in Colombia (see Just week's Socialist Challenge for Gabriel Garcia Marquez, thi author of One Hundred Year of Solitude, says in a letter to the Colombian President, Julio Cesar Turbay Avala:
•Denunciations of cases of torture and illegal treatement inflicted in Colombian military Free Libardo Gonzalez LIBARDO Gonzalez Florez was arrested by the Colombian secret police on 29 March. He was taken to the artillery barracks in Rogota where he His lawyer has been denied ay rights to organise a proper defence and a writ of habeas corpus has been Libardo Gonzalez is the author of books on Eurocom munism and on the Colombian lives political parties, a member of the central committee of the Revolutionary Socialist Party (PSR — Colombian supporter: of the Fourth International). and a leader of the university teachers union. He had been chosen to represent his union at for Democratic Rights in Bogara on 3031