Here in Malaysia, PAS, read Hadi and his ilk, are going for the unity talks with UMNO, probably to emulate their Mullah idols in Teheran, in regards to women . Alot of us are not at all surprised about PAS' hardline stand on the status of NGO Sisters in Islam, it is expected of constricted heads. Note that while Obama spoke up in Cairo for the right of women to wear the hijab in the West, he said nothing about the right of women not to wear it in places like Iran. He thus forfeited all moral authority to be able to stand with these courageous women.

Women, regarded as second-class citizens under Iranian law, have been noticeably front and center of the massive demonstrations that have unfolded since the presidential election a week ago. Iranians are protesting what they consider a fraudulent vote count favoring hardline incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but for many women like Parisa, the demonstrations are just as much about taking Iran one step closer to democracy.

"This regime is against all humanity, more specifically against all women," said Parisa, whom CNN is not fully identifying for security reasons."I see lots of girls and women in these demonstrations," she said. "They are all angry, ready to explode, scream out and let the world hear their voice. I want the world to know that as a woman in this country, I have no freedom."

Though 63 percent of all Iranian college students are women, the law of the land does not see men and women as equal. In cases of divorce, child custody, inheritance and crime, women do not have the same legal rights as men. In the past four years, Ahmadinejad has made it easier for men to practice polygamy and harder for women to access public sector jobs, according to CNN's Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour.

Amanpour, who has reported extensively from Iran, describes Iranian women as "very strong." In 1997, it was women who came out along with young people to put reformist candidate Mohammed Khatami into the presidency, Amanpour said.Even the granddaughter of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the architect of the Islamic republic, voiced frustration at the way women are treated.

"Women are just living things," Zahra Eshraghi told Amanpour. "A woman is there to fill her husband's stomach and raise children."

For the first time, women were allowed to register for the presidential race, though none, including Eshraghi, were deemed fit to run by the religious body that vets candidates. But women's issues surfaced in the campaign.Author and journalist Azadeh Moaveni, who spent several years working in Iran, said Ahmadinejad's fundamentalism has pushed Iranian women to the edge.

"He has been a catastrophe for women," said Moaveni, who wrote "Lipstick Jihad" and co-authored "Iran Awakening" with Nobel laureate Ebadi.

The weight of discrimination against women is felt most profoundly through Iran's legal system, but Moaveni said Ahmadinejad added to the hardship by clamping down on women's lifestyles. He mandated the way women dress and even censored Web sites that dealt with women's health, Moaveni said. A woman would be hard-pressed to conduct a Google search for something as simple as breast cancer. Moaveni was almost arrested because her coat sleeves were too short and exposed too much skin. In that setting, she said, it's striking to see women protesting, especially without their hijabs, or head coverings.

"While it's not at the top of women's grievances, the hijab is symbolic. Taking it off is like waving a red flag," Moaveni said. "Women are saying they are a force to be reckoned with." CNN