Iranian women

The revolution in Iran of 30 years ago was carried out by bearded men. The new faces of Iran in what just may be another major turning point, if not a revolution, are the young women who are the vanguards of Iran. The rally-cry is for Neda! A young Iranian woman, named Neda, was gunned down in one of the most iconic images of the last week. But, it's not just about one woman named Neda as hundreds and thousands of women protest defiantly showing off her hair and body in a revealing dress

The hard line, hard core, and far right wing religious leaders can dictate all they want, but they are not nearly as powerful as they think.

Several indigenous cultures have been telling the world for centuries that we're entering a time when the MALE will no longer be dominant. The sexes will be equal! Our own Hopi Indian culture resonates with the same message and have been in their "2012 predictions". It's not just in Iran, but in Saudi Arabia where women are treated anywhere from dogs to second class citizens that the old establishment is being challenged.

Even from France can the tremors be felt! President Nicolas Sarkozy said the Muslim burqa would not be welcome in France, calling the full-body religious gown a sign of the "debasement" of women. Finally, a national leader, male at that, is saying enough! In the first presidential address to parliament in 136 years, Sarkozy faced critics who fear the burqa issue could stigmatize France's Muslims and said he supported banning the garment from being worn in public. Woo-hoo!

"In our country, we cannot accept that women be prisoners behind a screen, cut off from all social life, deprived of all identity," Sarkozy said to extended applause at the Chateau of Versailles, southwest of Paris. "The burqa is not a religious sign, it's a sign of subservience, a sign of debasement — I want to say it solemnly," he said. "It will not be welcome on the territory of the French Republic."

So, where's the American leadership, or does the rest of the world no longer look to American for leadership these days?

Amid the clashes and chaos, there has been a recurring scene on the streets of Tehran: Women, in their scarves and traditional clothing, at the heart of the struggle. Some are seen collecting rocks for ammunition against security forces, while video showed one woman trying to protect a fallen pro-government militiaman wounded in the government crackdown. At Shiraz University, riot police clubbed women dressed in black robes. "Don't beat them, you bastards," one man yells.

When security forces come to attack, the 19-year-old woman protester says she looks them in the eye and asks: "Why do you kill your brother? Why do you hit your mother, your sisters?" Women of the world rally around and support the women of Iran!