The Women Behind The Veil - 2291 Words

The Women behind the Veil In a patriarchal society were the father or the man of the household decides for the family, women are quite often forced into prescribed gender roles. This is true for the women in Iran’s contemporary culture. For this purpose, the veil, which is worn by Iran women, is often identified as a symbol of obedience, respect or modesty which is otherwise an example of an oppressed patriarchal society. Author Marjane Satrapi’s novel Persepolis, exposes the regime behind this oppression of the Iran woman and compares western cultural expectations to that of Iranian culture. Yet, even behind the confinements of the veil many women are finding ways to rebel against the Iranian society’s oppression and find their own†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"The meaning and significance of the veil have been interpreted according to the social and political conditions in Iran across the history by the ruling systems in Iran. Veiling and unveiling have been used instrumentally by the governing elite to consolidate the foundations of its power. In the Pahlavi era, political and cultural tendencies to the West can be seen, which led to unveiling. After the 1979 revolution, on the contrary, the Islamic government’s political and cultural tendencies were against the West, particularly the U.S., and veiling became compulsory† (Shilandari, 2010). Iran’s history has should that the veil of women was also to show uniformity. This was meant to strip women of their identity and individuality. By definition, this was to made Iranian women appear more subservient, righteous and obedient to their husbands and to the Muslim world. To the Islamic republic, motherhood was to the best way for women to show their loyalty to the regime which was said to be their sacred duty. However, author Marjane Satrapi said this seemed more like a cultural revolution instead of one steep in religious roots. She asserts â€Å"it was 1980: the year it became obligator y 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. They separated us from our friends. Everywhere in the streets people demonstrated for and against the veil† (Satrapi,