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Analysis Of The Article ' Reinventing The Veil '

Decent Essays

The role of the veil in Persepolis
One of the most controversial topics concerning Muslim women’s rights is the idea of the veil. It is believed by some Muslims that the veil is an Islamic obligation that all Muslim women must adhere to. But nowadays, the veil can have different meanings that are not necessarily religious. In her article “Reinventing the Veil,” Leila Ahmed addresses some of the different meanings that the veil can have. Marjane Satrapi explores one of those meanings in her animated autobiography Persepolis (2008). In Persepolis, Marjane tells the story of her rebellion against the Iranian Islamist regime that takes over Iran, oppresses women, and forces them to wear the veil. What was interesting to me was seeing Marjane wear the veil without being oppressed, although she does not believe in it, and is being forced to wear it. In Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi escapes being a subject to the Iranian Islamist ideology by establishing her individual identity through transforming the veil from a means of oppression into a means of feminist rebellion.
In an interview conducted by MovieWeb, Marjane notes that the film isn’t political, historical or sociological. The film simply holds a humanistic message that says that “human beings anywhere is the same, and they have the right to live” (Satrapi.) This humanistic message is what we see Marjane fighting for in the film. She is striving to live a normal life, and one of the things that help her do that is the veil. She

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