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The role of women in the Middle East
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1.“We didn't really like to wear the veil, especially since we didn't understand why we had to” (Satrapi 1)
In this first chapter of the book the author is a young school girl. The Islamic regime
imposed a rule that forced females to wear a veil. The girls at the school did not like to wear the
veil for the simple reason they didn't see any reason to wear it. This is a perfect example of the oppression the author and many other people in Iran faced. The government forced a seemingly pointless law upon the women of their country and gave no reason, but the women that didn't obey would be punished severely. This theme of oppression is reoccurring as the government continuously forces pointless laws and punishment upon the people because they say so.
2. "[The police] forbade people to rescue those locked inside” (Satrapi 14)
In this second chapter of the book a movie theater full of people in Iran is burnt down. The people inside were killed and no one outside was allowed to save the victims. In this case there are two layers of oppression.
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During the time of the Islamic Revolution parties and essentially all other forms of entertainment were banned. Before long the Guardians of the Revolution caught wind of the plan and forced entry into Tinoosh’s family’s house. The Guardians found cards, cassettes, and chess in the house and arrested Tinoosh’s dad. They punished him with 75 lashes to the back for his crimes. This situation shows to what extent Iranians of the Islamic Revolution and throughout history were oppressed. Things we take for granted everyday were banned because the government wanted to control and know every citizen’s move. Some items were banned because the Islamic religion did not permit them and citizen’s had no choice but to obey Islamic laws, but others were banned just to deprive the people of Iran of hope, knowledge, and
Social injustice is revealed throughout the novel and Hosseini really goes in depth and indulges the reader by portraying every aspect of the life of women in Afghanistan at the time period. He also reveals most of the social injustice women still have to deal with today. This novel is based on two young women and the social injustices they face because of their gender. Gender inequality was very common in Afghanistan
“Mariam had never before worn a burqa...The padded headpiece felt tight and heavy on her skull, and it was strange seeing the world through a mesh screen.” (pg 72). The burqa in this book is a symbol of how Mariam, Laila were forced against their will to wear a piece of cloth that stole their identity from them. Burqas are a way to hide women so that husbands are reassured that their wife is not looked at by other men. It is a way for men to control their wives and become dominant. This is not always true for all women, but for the women in this book it is.
For some women wearing a veil is not something that is forced on them but rather a choice of their own. Martha Nussbaum and Maysan Haydar are both authors that try to explain their reasoning that veiling isn't an oppressive tool used against women. Martha Nussbaum's article “Veiled Threats”, is a political and philosophical take on why banning the burqa is a violation of human rights. On the other hand Maysan Haydar’s article “Don’t Judge a Muslim Girl by Her Covering”, is a more humorous and personal take on why veiling shouldn't be as judged or stereotyped. Though Nussbaum and Haydar have equal goals this essay is being used to understand the main argument, claims and whether or not each article has any weaknesses.
Furthermore, Haydar expresses that she has been able to embrace the modesty in veiling and that it allows her to be seen as a whole person. She addresses the fact that “many Americans see veiling as an oppressive tool forced on Muslim women by the men in our culture” (414). Yet, Haydar informs the readers that veiling isn’t specific to the Islam culture and is also a choice for many women. She even points out that many other religions promote and advocate for modesty in
In Joan Scott’s book The Politics of the Veil she argues that contemporary understandings of Muslims and their place in French society are rooted in a longer history of racism and colonialism that reaches back to the 19th century. The controversies of wearing a veil in France have root causes dating back to French colonial. Scott traces back through time to examine the initial history between these two nations. She addresses the causes through her themes of racism, individualism, secularism and sexuality in which she intertwines to give light on the veil controversies.
...f the Puritans, and their complete opposition to a person ever showing wrongdoing. As questions arose, assumptions made, and the amount of confusion that was caused, no one took the effort to ask Hooper why he wore the veil, because of that ignorance, Hawthorne allowed us to see how ruthless these people of that society were. A veil is normally worn for cultural or religions purposed or for marriage, most people do not shield their faces with a veil to represent the evil and the sins that lie within themselves and God. Nathaniel Hawthorne was able to use to a black veil as his symbol of hidden sin as well as using symbolism to criticize an entire society, giving the veil an entirely deeper significance.
Muslims, Sikhs, and many other religious affiliations have often been targeted for hate crimes, racial slurs, and misfortunate events. We are all different in our own ways some are good and some are bad yet one event changes everything for everyone affiliated with the group. The book The Politics of the Veil by Joan Scott a renowned pioneer in gender studies gives a detailed and analytical book of about the French views towards the Muslim females in France during 2004. The author talks about why the French governments official embargo of wearing conspicuous signs is mainly towards the headscarves for Muslim girls under the age of eighteen in public schools. The main themes of book are gender inequality, sexism, and cultural inequality historical schools used in the book are history of below, woman’s history, cultural history, and political history. In this essay, I will talk about why Joan Scotts argument on why the French government’s ban on wearing conspicuous signs was
Fakhraie launches her essay by explaining how Muslim women struggle every day because of what they wear. In her essay, she talks about a teenage girl that was killed by her father because she refused to wear her hijab. Also, many women that wear a hijab are being banned from sporting events in the United States. A hijab is a “traditional Muslim garment” (Fakhraie 461) that several Muslim women wear every
The veil is quite the fashion statement for people of her culture, it is tied closely with religious fundamentalism. The Muslim regime believes that all women should have to wear the veil, because if any hair or skin seen by another man than a husband is seen to be indecent. And that if a strand of hair is too enticing to the male population so women need to keep their heads constantly covered. Everyone in Iran needs to follow the religious laws of the regime. Most women in Satrapi’s family choose not to wear the veil, when they can without be arrested.
Attacking the veil, a sacred religious symbol, was seen as another threat to the national culture in a string which had been dubbed “‘the annihilation of our own identity”” (Kinzer, 44). The veil was debilitating to women because they had no choice whether they wanted to wear it or not. If a pious Islamic follower wished to wear the veil, that is different than her husband ordering her to wear the veil. Ataturk could have been clearer in his speech, but he was fundamentally correct. Women deserved an opportunity to have an identity, an appearance that didn’t look controlled by men, which is what Kemal gave them through his admonishment of the veil.
On 10th of August 1978, the last year of the Pahlavi-era, Hoseyn Alizadeh and his two friends Farajollah and Hayat, attended a screening of Massed Kimia’s The Deer (1974) at the Rex Theatre in Abadan, Iran. The film told the story of an anti-government smuggler, and only narrowly passed censorship after considerable negotiations between Kimia and the Forbidden Acts Bureau of the Iranian Government. Four years later, and half way through this particular screening, Hoseyn and Farajollah left the cinema. They closed and locked the exit doors, and then doused them with high-octane aircraft fuel. They set fire to the doors and fled. The fire burned down the entire theatre, along with their friend Hayat, and the 470 others that were watching films.
The religion of Islam was imposed upon Iranians, whether they liked it or not. Marjane and her classmates “...didn’t like to wear the veil, especially since we didn’t understand why we had to”(Satrapi 3). The young girls were against wearing the veil because they were not practicing
The religion that Iran was forced upon was Islamism. To represent this faith, the symbol to the right would likely be seen around a person sharing this faith. Then since the whole country of Iran followed these beliefs, they laws would likely revolve around them to be thought. Sadly with corruption in the government the pure faith was rearranged in multiple places. For example, veils. These in the actual muslim faith were meant to keep “your body secret to only you and god,” as said from a Muslim speaker. Yet, in Iran, its use was so that guys wouldn’t get overwhelmed. As prove from within the book, Marjane’s mom was attacked by two fundamentalistic men and spoke out “They insulted me. They said that women like me should be pushed up against a wall and f***ed, and then thrown in the garbage… And that if I didn’t want that to happen, I should wear the veil..” (74). This is a correct display of the Iranian laws then because of what’s stated in The History & Evolution of the Haijab in Iran, “Ironically, it is important to note that the women in Iran who are freely choosing to put on the hijab are ‘mainly first generation unveiled women, their mothers still wearing traditional dress’.” The information from the article then proves the encounter Taji had would be accurate around this time. Because of this “Ironicness” of the Iranian rules on Haijab’s, it would go back well on the present corruption of
The book begins with an attempt on Zainab’s life, presumably by Nasir’s forces. Later, the Muslim Ladies Group is banned when Zainab refuses Nasir’s offer to join the Socialist Union. She then engages in secret meetings with Muslims in h...
The Stoning of Soraya M. is a film based on the book of the same name by Freidoune Sahebjam, a French-Iranian journalist. Both the film and the book are clearly from a feminist perspective. They make a clear case against the Iranian Sharia Law system, championed by Zahra, the aunt of the titular character, Soraya. While acknowledgement of an individual's right to choose and freely practice their religion is laudable, more important is the recognition that there is a clear moral distinction between right and wrong. The events depicted in this film fit unambiguously and absolutely into the category of wrong. The inherent failings and obvious injustice for women due to a strict and barbarous interpretation of religious law are made indisputably clear in this film.