The concept of the veil is known around the world but not many people understand the meaning behind it. There is a massive significance to a single piece of cloth. Before this cultural revolution, the idea of wearing a veil was a woman’s choice. When the Islams took this right away from women it penalized them and made them inferior to others. During the Islamic Revolution in 1980, women were required to wear the veil. Many women hated the idea of it and felt it restricted their freedom, which it did. The wearing of the veil has been imposed, withdrawn, and reimposed within a single lifetime. One of the reasons many people felt the veil was necessary was due to the fact that it could expose sexual desire to ones around them. Women who refuse to wear veils have bene brutally beaten, fined, and potentially sentenced to jail. With the idea that the veil is used for the protection against deviant eyes, it is emphasized that this action was for the protection of men and not women.
Another reason why women were needed to wear veils was because it represented how religious they were. This idea is highly controversial because some people believe that clothing does not represent how religious one can be. The veil has multiple meanings depending on who interprets it from how subjective meanings of the veil have emerged from “religious conviction and draw on religious imagery.” (Ahmed).
In the book, Persepolis, the protagonist highlighted how at 10 years old she was required to wear the veil at school and many of her classmates acted out since they did not completely understand why it was necessary. This was due to the leader claiming veils were “symbols of capitalism” and immediately closed down boys’ and girls’ schools, separated them, and made the girls wear veils.
Citations:
Milani, F. (n.d.). Veils and Words: The Emerging Voices of Iranian Women Writers. Retrieved September 26, 2020, from https://books.google.com/books?hl=en
Ahmed, A. S. (2005). Islam, globalization and postmodernity. London u.a.: Routledge.
Abu-Odeh, L. (n.d.). Post-Colonial Feminism and the Veil: Considering the Differences. Retrieved September 26, 2020, from https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals%2Fnewlr26
Hey Justice,
Thank you for this post, I really did not know much about the history of the veil. I definitely did not know there was a point in time in which women were punished for wearing a veil. That is a pretty crazy concept that a religion/culture can completely change their norms like that. I can see at the time why it may have been confusing to women whether or not they should be wearing their veil. If at multiple stages in your life you were told to follow different instructions you would probably be unsure what you truly believe in. I liked the connection to the reading for the week in the last paragraph, I will know to look out for that scene now.
Hi Justice!
Your post really explains the concept of the veil and how it can affect the women in a society. I like how you brought up the fact that the main character in Persepolis did not even understand/enjoy having to wear a veil, which makes it clear to me that her opinions are different from her government’s.
Justice,
Your post is a very informative overview of the veil and what it means to different people in society. I found it very interesting to read about a character who was forced to wear it even though she did not want to. It was a completely different point of view compared to my own, as someone who does not wear a veil. This along with your post makes me question the validity of covering up a woman. I believe self expression is a basic human right and I feel although, even though Marjane was forced to suppress her expression, she believes it is a human right just as much as I do.
Hello Justice,
Thank you for providing us with such meaningful information. I like soccer very much, your post reminds me of a thing that happened last year. Iranian clergy have always advocated that women must avoid places where too many men gather and that women are prohibited from watching shirtless men. Iran has banned women from entering or stadiums for 40 years. FIFA (international federation governing association football) last year ordered Iran to allow women to enter the stadium freely and not to limit the number of women entering the stadium, otherwise Iran will be disqualified. This allows women to enter the stadium to enjoy the football game.
Hi Justice,
Thanks for posting meaningful information about the history of the veil. I find it unfortunate that women are beaten, fined, or sent to prison if they are caught without the veil on. Like you said, one reason that women have to wear the veil is because it prevented men from having sexual desires toward the women. It is upsetting that women had to do this even though it not the women’s fault that men are having those desires. It is another example of inequalities between men and women.
Hi Justice,
I think the topic you chose to cover, the veil, is deeply informative and relevant to this graphic novel. I was unaware of the history of the veil and the on-and-off tendencies of the Islamic culture surrounding it. I would think it should be the choice of the woman if she chooses to wear it, but that does not always seem to be the case. It is interesting to me that the character in Persepolis and the classmates would not understand the meaning of the veil which signifies a disconnection from culture. While reading your information, I thought of how a veil could be compared to regular dress codes in American schools. When you said the veil was to protect the men from having deviant eyes I especially thought of school dress codes and how young girl’s shoulders were too ‘distracting’ for young boys. I think this is an interesting cross-cultural idea to consider.
Hey Justice,
I found your topic about the history of the veil to be very informative and interesting! I had never really understood what the meaning of it was. I agree with what you mentioned about scholars not believing clothse to be religious. It is really crazy to think there are places where the veil is required to be worn by women and how they will get punished if caught without one. It is not the fault of the woman for others not being able to control themselves. However, women are still blamed for this.
Out of this reading, I am glad you choose a specific topic to write about. The concept of the veil has a place in many cultures, for a bride or in order to cover up. The veil has a very personal connection to the women that wear them, whether voluntary or not. I appreciate how you showed the negative side of women wearing veils. After reading your presentation, I am much more interested in the concept of veils and whether or not women actually enjoy wearing them. I hope to figure out if the article of clothing is simply cultural, or if it is used as an oppression tool on women. Overall, I greatly enjoyed reading your presentation and am anxious to do research of my own.
Justice, the history of the veil in Iranian culture is definitely interesting and something I was not too knowledgeable about. I do think it’s an interesting concept of how the meaning behind it has changed, similar to the idea of a veil during weddings. Many marriages used to be arranged and women would wear veils so that their future husbands would not see them until the wedding so that they couldn’t back out. Now, many veils are worn by the bride just because it’s tradition. It is definitely something interesting to think how much a piece of clothing could have such a deep meaning and how it has changed throughout time.
The concept of the veil is extremely interesting to me given its many different meanings over the year and the way its changed. Reading your post makes me imagine the confusion there must be amongst people using a veil as it would be confusing to know what the meaning is a person who is wearing it is trying to convey or how they are seen by other people. Although Veils are a huge staple of the society but I wonder what it would be like if they were simply taken out of the society. It could take away a lot of confusion and in addition it would be a step in the right direction for woman in the society. It is really interesting how you added the part about Persepolis. It makes me wonder if that was the reason she dressed so differently.
Hey Justice!
I really enjoyed your analysis of the veil as a whole in society today as well as in this weeks readings. Overall, I think wether an individual wears a veil should be her choice and not forced upon her by patriarchy or religious rituals. I don’t think one wearing a veil makes them any more religious than the next person, but if they want to wear it let them, if not then do not make them.
Hi Justice,
It was very interesting to learn more deeply about the history of the veil within Muslim cultures. As you mentioned the veil portraits the patriarchal focused traditions and beliefs of the Muslim culture and religion. Moreover I could imagine that the veils are a symbol of oppression against the women of Muslim culture.
I think it was an interesting approach for you to dive deeper into the meaning of the veil specifically, and I enjoyed your post. It was very informative about the history and purpose of the veil. I agree with you that it restricted their freedom. It is sad that that simple piece of cloth is what defined them. How religious they were and how much sexual desire they had could not be determined by the veil, but they were judged based on that anyway. I think the veils in their culture, and how they “define” people can be seen in a similar but different way in our culture. People assume things based on how people dress in the United States. Whether it be by the brands or modestly of the clothes worn, many people are stereotyped based on what they wear. This obviously does not come close to the oppression of women forced to wear veils, but I can sympathize knowing how such simple things can make you vulnerable to false judgement. Good post, Justice!
Hey Justice!
I found your post to be very informative and was glad to have the knowledge I got from your post regarding the veil when I started reading the book. I completely agree with everyone else in the comments that whether a woman wears a veil or not should be her choice and not up to the government. One thing about history that will always shock me is the idea that the government can try and control individual liberties such as clothing. Thanks for your post!
Hi Justice!
It was very informative and interesting for me to read your context research. Because I did not truly understand the fact before the Islamic Revolution in 1980, it was women’s choice to wear a veil though it was mention at the beginning of the comic. It made me think about how injustice society at that time made a cruel and sexist choice to take away part of the freedom from women used to have in the first place. In relation to the comic “The Complete Persepolis,” I understand more about the idea that Marjane and her family struggled to a more current injustice instead of a tradition buried deep down in Iraq culture from a long time ago.
Hi Justice,
Great presentation! It was very informative and I learned a lot about the meaning behind the veil. I thought it was interesting how you explained “ it is emphasized that this action was for the protection of men and not women”. It sounds like the veil became a part of a women’s identity and without it you were seen as a sin. For young girls to have to wear one so young isn’t easy because not only will they not understand the meaning behind it but they essentially have not choice.
Justice,
Wow great job on your presentation! I loved how you focused on the concept of the veil! I thought this was very interesting to read and more of unique look at the reading this week. I especially like how you started the presentation with talking about the veil right away and explained it very well! Really nice job!!
Hey Justice! I really appreciated your project, and your connections between the mandate to wear the veils and the feminist implications of such an enforced law. It is sad to think about how the decision was done for the ‘protection’ of the men in the society, and it’s frustrating how religion can be used and contorted to justify such vehemently sexist decisions.
Justice,
Really good on explaining women’s right and how the government wants to take control of it. Everybody should be able to make their own decisions, I know some cultures see women as a minority group but they’re a really impact in society.