In Week 7, we are reading a book titled Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. This book deals with the effects the Islamic Revolution brought being told through Satrapi’s eyes as a child. This revolution brought many changes to Iran, not only to the country, but the culture there as well. One of the main changes in culture that it brought was the wearing of a veil.
After the Islamic Revolution began, one of the customs that was being enforced was the non-optional wearing of a veil. A veil is a piece of cloth that is used to cover the upper body region, such as the head, shoulders, and face in some circumstances (Merriam-Webster). The veils’ purpose is so that you can tell the difference between a man and a woman along with managing a man’s urges (“A Brief History”). Wearing a veil was new to most, as previously it was determined upon a person’s choice, but after this revolution began, the option was taken away. This was shown in Persepolis when it says, “Then came 1980: The year it became obligatory to wear the veil at school. We didn’t really like to wear the veil, especially since we didn’t understand why we had to” (Satrapi 3). This shows how the women were forced to wear the veil even though they were given no reason as to why, much like the children showed in this quote. Women were being forced to wear the veil regardless of what their views were, and if they chose not to wear it, they could face consequences by the government. Some of these consequences included getting assaulted or beaten if a woman chose to defy the order and not wear a veil (Knipp). These consequences were to install fear into the women if they chose not to follow the oppressive order by the authorities put into place during the Islamic revolution.
The main issue with this requirement to wear a veil was that it took away any choice that a woman had over their body and their own views. The government authorities used this requirement to wear a veil to show their power. This is shown on, The Conversation, when it says, “The hijab became a tool for implementing the government’s strict religious ideology” (Mirdamadi). Due to this, it sparked numerous debates on whether women should wear a veil. This led to things like protesting the veil, or an illustration for those who were pro-veil wearing. This was demonstrated in Persepolis when it states, “Everywhere in the streets there were demonstrations for and against the veil (Satrapi 5). This quote and drawing along with it show how women during this time could have two completely opposite outputs on the views that were being enforced upon them. Some of them agreed that women should wear a veil, and others felt as though they should not be obligated to wear one. This was part of the problem with forcing all women to wear a veil as it should be a choice, women should have the option to do what they feel is best for them, whether that is to wear one all the time, some of the time, or not wear one at all.
This concept of the authorities forcing all women to wear a veil regardless of their beliefs connects to a previous concept in our class of “the master” and “the slave.” In this situation the authorities from the Islamic Revolution would be considered “the master” whilst the women would be considered “the slave.” This is because the authorities can tell the women whatever they want and force them to do things and regardless of what the women think, it does not matter, or their voices are not heard. The authorities hold all the power over the women, and if they are continuing to force them to wear the veil, they do not have a clear path of being able to do otherwise or change it.
Overall, this forcefulness of the authorities with wearing a veil sparked many debates among those affected by it. There was questioning as to why they were forced to wear them in the first place, why the were able to make the women wear them, and whether women should follow this order and wear the veil or not.
Works Cited
“A Brief History of the Veil in Islam,” Facing History and Ourselves, A Brief History of the Veil in Islam | Facing History and Ourselves. “The Other Side of the Veil: North African Women in France Respond to the Headscarf Affair,” Gender and Society. Accessed 20 February 2021.
Knipp, Kersten. “Why Iranian authorities force women to wear a veil,” DW, Deutsche Welle, 21 December 2020, Why Iranian authorities force women to wear a veil | Middle East| News and analysis of events in the Arab world | DW | 21.12.2020. Accessed 20 February 2021.
Mirdamadi, Moujan. “How Iran uses a compulsory hijab law to control its citizens – and why they are protesting,” The Conversation, The Conversation US, Inc., 08 February 2018, How Iran uses a compulsory hijab law to control its citizens – and why they are protesting (theconversation.com). Accessed 20 February 2021.
Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood, Pantheon Books, June 2004.
“Veil.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/veil. Accessed 20 February 2021.
I like the connection you made to a concept we discussed earlier in class, the master and slave example. The authoritarian governments are acting as the masters by enslaving these women by taking away their personal identities. I could see how all this conflict and overreaching rules could spark a countrywide revolution.
Great presentation I like how you connected the forcing of veil-wearing to the master and slave dynamic we talked about in class before. It’s intimidating to think about because the “slave” in this specific situation is talking about the entire female population of Iran who are under the control of a small population of authorities in the government as the “master”. It’s also interesting how you pointed out that some women were in favor of wearing a veil versus others that opposed it. This also shows the internal conflict among the group of people being subjugated and the complexity of the issue, however, like you said the decision to wear a veil should be a choice and not forced.
I really enjoyed your explanation and the history of the veil! I have met a couple of different woman who live in America and chose not to wear the veil for many different reasons. I also know a couple of woman who chose to wear the veil for their husband or their religion. Many of these types of conversations happen in different countries where my voice wouldn’t matter. If a conversation like this were to happen in America, I don’t think it would get very far. All in all, I believe woman should have a choice for what they would like to do with their body.
colyer.16 I also found this interesting while reading your context presentation, I believe this cultural tradition is viewed in many different ways especially in America. I had one of my neighbors who would travel part time to Saudi Arabia and would have to wear a veil over there do to not being allowed to show skin, I believe this was also for religious and society standards.
I really like how you presented this information. Forcing women to wear a veil is definitely infringing upon their rights, regardless on if they agree with it or not. The fact that so many women for for the veil and so man were against it proves that it should definitely be a choice. I also liked how you connected it with the master-slave concept, especially since the government (masters) could severely punish thee slaves (women) without consequence.
I really liked how you presented us with the information especially because you used quotes directly from the reading. I was thinking the exact same thing when reading this that this is much like the master and the slave like we had read previously. I was thinking that the government who were forcing all women to wear the veils would be considered The One (or the master) and all women were lumped together to be The Other (or the slave. The government was trying to assert their power over women by not giving them the freedom to wear what they wanted or to not wear what they didn’t want to. I believe this goes further down into the story too, not with the veil but with a denim jacket. Marji acquired a denim jacket from her parents (if I am remembering correctly) that was for some reason illegal to have during the time, Marji was later beaten because she chose to wear the denim jacket out in public.
Great presentation! I learnt a lot about the history of the veil. In addition, I like how you highlighted that there were protests for and against the veil because it illustrates just how controversial the law was, and not everyone was submissive to the requirement. I also think you did a good job of connecting the mandatory wearing of the veil to the master-slave dynamic
Great presentation! It’s really interesting that women were advocating for the veil. I’m really curious what their reasoning was for thinking women should have to wear one. In my own opinion and without further context, I wonder if there was a level of internalized misogyny that contributed. I’ve certainly heard women today blame other women for being assaulted because of the clothes they were wearing, and I wonder if their reasons are similar that “boys will be boys”. I like how you brought up the master/slave dichotomy! It sounds like this might also be an instance where the women protesting the veil could be considered subaltern as even though they spoke up and protested, their voices weren’t heard.
Skye, I like how you connected the subaltern to this because I thought about that as I was reading the presentation as well. Great presentation by the way! I also think that master-slave played a role in this because it showed the power dynamic between men and women of that culture in a sense that the men needed to feel superior in some way so they took away that freedom of choice. I appreciated the point you brought into this about “boys will be boys” because that has been a debate for so long now and I have personally heard that statement countless times throughout my youth. Women have been subject to oppression for hundreds of years and society continues to feed into this behavior of acting like we are at fault even if it was a man’s doing that got us to this point. This leads to the idea of the subaltern because men seem to have the final say, a sense of dominance, and women are supposed to accept this. I look forward to a day when women take their rightful place in full equality. Overall, I thought this was a great presentation and I enjoyed learning more about the veil and how it ties to the culture and the book.
I really enjoyed reading your presentation about the veil. I was especially intrigued because I am a Muslim woman living in America who chooses to wear the hijab, and I am always fascinated to learn about the hijab from others’ points of view. When you discussed the obligations of wearing a veil and how it is viewed as a sign of oppression, I started to recall the ways through which Americans incorrectly still view the veil. It is true that while Islam requires young women to wear the hijab at some point in their lives, Muslim women should never be forced to put the hijab on. In Islam, it is encouraged that women only wear the hijab when they feel it is a good decision for them, and it is something they genuinely want to do. There is this misconception in America that Muslim women are oppressed because they wear the hijab, and this is simply not true. I think a lot of times this misconception is driven from the historical background of Islam, and the cultural meanings and purposes that came to be in regards to the veil. And as critical learners, we must recognize that there is a difference between the ways in which Islam was used to oppress women and the actual messages of Islam.
Great work here! Just as an average everyday American you never really look into other cultures considering Americans themselves are kind of a mixing pot of all cultures so it’s common to pick up things here and there. When viewing Muslim norms I do feel as if men and the government are in control. But in some cases the women of the culture are able to protest the veils but to no success. This relationship to me does feel like a slavery when it comes to the governments involved forcing women into this in most cases.
This is very interesting! The culture of each country is actually very complicated. For example, in China, we have 56 ethnic groups with different customs and unique cultures. None of us have a deep understanding of these things, but we should fight back against a part of the discriminatory culture against women. As you said, this culture should be managed and sanctioned.
I think your presentation is very wonderful, and the speech about the veil is not interesting. In a culturally rich country like the United States, it is very interesting to learn about various cultures. Although from my personal point of view, women should have the right to choose their own dress style. But we also respect religion and the beliefs of others.
I like the master slave comparison here because once again the only “freedom” that the “slaves” or women in this culture will ever get is once the “master” or authoritarian government is no long in power. The veil is a control over their beliefs and freedoms, forcing them to wear it is putting themselves in that role of the master. Your presentation is very good and I really like the sources you chose to incorporate into it.
I really liked how your post was over the history of wearing the veil. It was important that you included both sides to the argument inorder to present the topic the best way possible. I thought the evidence you used was also very effective in your presentation. The way you connected the subject to the “master and slave” work we read earlier was perfect. I completely agree that the example of wearing the veil depicts the “master and slave” concept. However in this concept it talks about how the slave eventually gains the more power because the “master” relies on the “slave” for power and I do not see that happening in this specific situation
I like the way you addressed this concept/issue and how you connected it to previously learned material from the course. This is a very mind blowing concept to me. The fact that a government can tell a woman how to dress is very hard to wrap my head around and fits perfectly with the “master” “slave” mentality. Making woman wear a veil and having authority over their appearance perfectly fits this scenario. It infringes on their rights and the government is the “master” by acting in an authoritative way.
I really enjoyed reading this presentation, I never knew the history behind the veil as well as how women are forced to wear it as well. I also like the comparison to the topic we have learned earlier in class. This is a perfect example of “master” and “slave”, this post is very well written and intriguing!
It was beneficial to read your presentation. I really appreciate you for giving us the behind-story about the veil. Your comparison about the master and slave example really explained well. Great Job!
Thanks for your thread. I appreciated learning more about the history of the veil within the Iranian culture. I particularly found interesting the mandatory wearing of the veil in schools and other places without any disclosed justification from the authorities. Its displeasing to imagine having higher officials commanding their citizens to wear specific clothing in any circumstance. Therefore, I couldn’t have agreed more with your notion that the women who are ordered to wear the veil should rather have all the free will to wear whatever they please.
This was a very good back story into the history into the debate of wearing a vail in islamic culture. I still find it very surprising that islamic culture requires others to wear a vail even though a woman may not want to. From what I have seen a lot of woman do wear a vail to respect and honor their culture I just do not agree with the idea that woman MUST wear a vail when they do not want to. I also really liked your connection of this to the idea of master and slave, this shows you taking this idea and previous knowledge to a higher understanding.
Your historical explanation of the political implementation of the veil was very interesting! It truly puts things in perspective. It made me think about and recognize my own privilege, growing up in an atmosphere where I was not forced to wear something according to someone else’s religion. Your presentation really brought out the significance of power not only expressed by the Iranian government, but also represented through other characters in the story. An example of this was explained in a recorded lecture video for this week. Women wearing veils would yell at and scold others for not wearing the veil. They feel that they have power over those who disagree with the political state. Your example of the master slave could further be applied to this scenario as well – the master being the women wearing veils and the slave being those who choose not to.
I really enjoyed this post, particularly due to your description of the meaning of the veil and how it connects to this week’s text. I personally never knew the history of the veil or why it is traditionally worn in many weddings. After reading, I would understand why many brides would not want to wear it, as it is just another disappointing reminder of discrimination and misuse of power in the past.
I like this article very much, because the author has a very deep understanding of Marjane Satrapi’s article, and has a very logical analysis of Iran, that is, the religious government, regarding women wearing veils. It is wrong for the government to restrict the free choice of human beings by forcing women to wear veils so as to control the masses’ thoughts. As the author’s main point of view: human behavior is their own choice rather than forced.
This is a great presentation on the history of the veil and I like how you gave both sides and correlated it with the “master- slave” dialect. The women being forced to wear the veil is a way for the government to control them and make them feel worthless. Not only is the veil forced upon Islamic women but they do not have many rights. Islamic women are submissive to men and the men control them.
Prior to reading Persepolis I never even heard of the Islamic Revolution, and to read about some of the degrading things that were said to the women was really eye-opening. In addition to your master-slave correlation, I also mentioned in my context presentation that women would be considered the subalterns, they were able to speak what they felt but they weren’t necessarily being heard. Great job gathering and providing information about the veil.
After reading this book, I realize how women was treated in Iran before the revolution. I admire the braveness of the protagonist that she dare to protest for the women and fight against the authorities. In our society, we should take more consideration to the rights of women and protest for them.
This was very interesting to read. I think the debate over the veil and women’s bodies, in general, is an extremely controversial topic that could go on forever. Wearing the veil because you want to and being forced to wear it are two completely different scenarios. I think women should be allowed to wear what they want.