The Veil Worn By A Middle Eastern Woman

The main topic of this text is the veil in North African and Middle-Eastern regions. Western people and Middle-Eastern people do not share the same opinion about its use, while the occidental region considers it as a simple cloth, sometimes it is even considered as humiliating, the Middle-Eastern region gives an important value to it due to its religious and historical significance. Many authors from different countries debated about the pros and cons of wearing

After the empowerment of the Islamic Regime, the treatment of women turned tables in Iran. Before the Regime, Iranian women were much like the average American woman during that time. They were able to dress in modern clothes, associate with male counterparts, and have a role in society. But most of this was drastically changed, especially the dress code. Around 1980, the women of Iran were forced into the wearing of a veil. A veil is a piece of cloth used to cover the hair and part of the face. Many women were against the veil and took to the streets to protest. After many protests, the women were still forced to wear the veil. In the graphic novel Persepolis, Marji goes the store and bought some modern clothes. She decided to wear them out to go buy tapes. In the last frame, Marji is approached by two women wearing chadors: “They were the Guardians of the Revolution, the women's branch. This group had been added in 1982, to arrest women who were improperly

“The revolution is like a bicycle. When the wheels don’t turn, it falls” (Satrapi, Persepolis 10). Just like any other trend out there, displaying actions supporting a trend can lead it to great success. But, if people do not support this trend, it will eventually die out and will once be a faint memory in someone’s mind. The people of Iran during the Iranian revolution had dealt with this idea when the Shah had taken over the throne until 1979. Many citizens of Iran, were faced with the fact that they had to choose whether or not they wanted to follow the rules of this new government. Hence the revolution is like a bicycle analogy; people had to follow the rules in one way or the other. If a group of people did not agree with the Shah’s new rules, then the revolution would have “fallen” and history would have been different today. The symbolism of the veil as well as, the effects of the revolts on Iranian people have caused a divide between the followers and individuals in the country. In the graphic novel Persepolis written by Marjane Satrapi, young Marji grows up struggling with whether she should conform to the strict society

Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis introduces the Islamic veil as an attempt by the Iranian government to control women. Islamic radicals promised safety and security for those who abided by their rules. Rebels who refused to wear the headscarf were threatened with beating, rape or death. These modern women who fought against religious oppression met the minimal requirements of the government rules to safely live in the hostile environment. Through being forced to wear the veil, the control of the Islamic government drives its people to a rebellion.

One of these incidents occurs when Marjane is in art school. When the students were told that they needed to wear longer headscarves, Satrapi immediately responded that “as a student of art…I need to move freely to be able to draw.” She further questions “why is it that I, as a woman, am expected to feel nothing when watching these men with their clothes sculpted on but they, as men, can get excited by two-inches less of my head scarf?” here Marjane questions the restrictiveness of the veil and comments on the injustice in Muslim society and the gender inequality. The veil represent the repressions and the gender injustices in Iran. By revolting against the veil Marjane is able to protest the repressions. On hearing Marjanes complaint, the school administrators asked Satrapi to design her own veil. Marjane accepts this offer while still in the confines of the veil. Marjane designs the veil to suit the needs of the students and

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.

A veil is an article of clothing that is intended to cover some part of the head, face, or physical feature that may hold some significance. It is especially associated with women and sacred objects. Not only does it conceal a person’s physical appearance, but it contributes to stifling one’s individuality. In Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel Persepolis, Marjane, the main character, lives in Iran and is required, by fear of punishment, to wear a veil that only leaves her face uncovered. The veil becomes an important symbol and throughout the novel, the reader can see the lasting impact the veil has on Satrapi. It begins as something foreign and detestable to young Marjane; a simple piece of clothing that deprived her of her free will,

In Persepolis, the Islamic state makes the wearing of veils compulsory, under the assertion that it is a symbol of both Iranian culture and Islamic religious law. While Marjane accepts the veil as part of her life, she rebels against the ideology it represents. When Iran begins to enforce stricter dress codes to ensure modesty, Marjane sees that the veil is a form of controlling the female population, a form of suppression. She rejects the double standard that allows Iranian men more freedom: “You don’t hesitate to comment on us, but our brothers present here have all shapes and sizes of haircuts and clothes. Sometimes, they wear clothes so tight that we can see everything” (299).

Satrapi reflects the people’s concerns and issues facing Iran in Persepolis. Satrapi heavily focuses on the symbol of the veil. Satrapi emphasized the conflict that occurred with fundamentalist advocating for the veil and modernists arguing against it as a symbol of oppression and an attack on freedom. The Islamic Republic enforced Sharia law in 1980, which forced all women to wear a veil. The first page of the novel depicts how Satrapi and her classmates despised the veil for it having no reason to wear it and it was bothersome to wear. Satrapi’s artistic style is the only method in which the reader can distinguish between the girls and treat them like individuals and not as a mass as the government perceived. Satrapi continued to criticize the veil throughout the entire novel. When she returns from

Another item of religious attire amongst Muslim women which has been highly debated is the headscarf. According to Werbner (2007), "the headscarf which is a religious symbol is often seen as the refusal to integrate by many European countries"(2007:165). Yet many Muslim women would contest the opinion of the veil being a device of social control and hindrance of social cohesion. Telegraph journalist Khan (2015), stated that it is not the Hijab which holds Muslim women back, it is prejudice. Her article suggests that wearing the Hijab does not affect social cohesion, ignorance from wider society does. Media outlets often portray religious clothing as negative for example Malik (2013) an author for the telegraph writes about Muslim women being

Her family’s background was important as being modern and avant-garde, they were not subject to fundamentalism. Satrapi attended a French non-religious school before 1980, and the school promoted gender equality as boys and girls were allowed to play with each other. The top two panels on page four showed a mix of genders, showing the readers that there are many more “modern and avant-garde” families in Iran, and Iran was very westernized. The kids shown on page 4 are much happier than they are on page 1, which the former had more freedom in choosing their clothing while the latter all the girls were forced to wear the veil. The veil became obligatory at schools yet the authorities failed to explain its connection to the religion. Leaving confusion among the girls, the veil was simply disrespected. In the last panel of page 3, the veils were used by kids for fun, and a chaotic environment ensued. Satrapi in this panel also remarked how the veil was being too hot, which was repeatedly mentioned over and over again later on, indicating that the veil itself is not pleasurable to wear. On page 75, Satrapi drew the fundamentalist woman and man in comparison with the modern woman and the progressive man. The difference between the fundamentalist woman and the modern woman is distinctive: a fundamentalist woman is covered head to toe in black by a chador and having her hair covered by a veil, while the modern woman was basically everything else. It’s much easier for a person to identify a Muslim woman on the street if she is wearing a veil or chador than it is to identify a Muslim man. This shaped a view that Muslim women are fundamentalists through

While I will pull from other sources, the main focus of this paper will be The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. Throughout this graphic novel, Satrapi tells her life story and what it was like growing up in Iran. In the opening illustrations, she describes her childhood and her transition from a secular school to one that was religious and separated by gender. At this time it had become law for a woman to wear the veil, or head scarf when in public. Iran transitioned from a government who was forcing them to westernize, to one that legally enforced Islamic practices. Her main concentrations are the social restrictions she faced and the events that occurred around her, which included wars and revolutions. These events caused her parents to push her to flee Iran at the age of fourteen, in hopes of a better life in a European nation. She quickly developed a sense of statelessness (Satrapi). While in Europe, she was seen as “an Iranian in the West” and did not fit in, so she decided to return to Iran with hopes of once again feeling at home, but quickly realized she was now “a Westerner in Iran” (Satrapi 272). This feeling is not uncommon for the people of Iran, for their nation was being torn between Islamic traditions and invading Western ideas.

This book had changed my perception of how Iran and most middle eastern countries are and how they citizens lifestyles are. The intervening years between then and now filled up with reports of war and terrorism and an overwhelming fear, leaving me with the feeling that life in Iran is just depressing. One of the misconceptions that I had before I read the book was that women in most middle eastern countries had to wear a veil.

Readers are told the story of Persepolis through the eyes and journey of Marjane (Marji). One example of the social reality of Iran that Persepolis presents to readers is women’s mode of dress. In the beginning of the novel, Marji states, “Then came 1980: the year it became obligatory to wear the veil at school” (1.4). At this time, Marji is only ten years old, yet she still resists the veil and somewhat realizes the gender inequalities present in her reality. Although both boys’ and girls’ clothes change within their separate schools, girls are the only ones who are required to wear the veil. The hijab is a piece of fabric that women are required to wear -- concealing parts of their face and all of their hair. Not only is this a significant part of the social reality, but this is a legal

In her autobiographical comic Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi, within the first five pages of the book, tells the reader that she was born with religion. She immediately explains (in regards to the Islamic practice of veiling) that “I really didn’t know what to think about the veil. Deep down I was very religious but as a family we were very modern and avant-garde” (Persepolis, 2003, pg. 6). For western feminists, this ambivalence towards the veil has been a common topic of discourse. In secularized western countries, the veil is often viewed as a symbol of patriarchal oppression. In France (where Satrapi currently lives), for example, there have been numerous laws banning different forms of the veil (such as the burka and the niqab) with many critics, such as former French president Nicolas Sarkozy, arguing that they are “oppressive” and “not welcome” in France (“The Islamic veil across Europe,” 2014, pg. 1). This is the western view of the veil, but what do Muslim women think of the veil and the fundamentalist values that westerners often associate with it?