The female gender has long been the subject of harsh criticism and unforgiving rule under the Islamic faith. From dictating speaking rights to a dress code, women have been under the rule of men since the faith’s conception. In Persepolis and “Industrialization and Women’s Freedom in Egypt”, we are shown that women are to adhere to a strict set of rules and guidelines under the Islamic faith in order to be deemed modest and respectable by their peers. This is only emphasized by the level of power that men execute over them, limiting their education and career opportunities, as well as dictating their day to day life. The veil is, in some ways, just a symbol of the oppression faced by Muslim women every day.
According to Marjane Satrapi, author of Persepolis, following the Islamic revolution, it became a requirement for girls to wear a veil while at school. Satrapi explains that at such a young age, the girls were unsure as to why exactly they were required to wear the veil, though they had already noticed the change in schools following the shutdown of bilingual schools and separation of the genders. The veil, in Persepolis, is a major symbol of oppression which is only solidified when Satrapi’s mother refuses to wear the veil and is then insulted by two fundamentalists. The men tell her that “Women like me should be pushed up against a wall and fucked. And then thrown in the garbage.”, which emphasizes the issue that women are not seen as equals in this time and as a result are expected to live under a strict set of guidelines. The reasoning for the veil, as explained in the text, is to protect women from rapists. The veil is used in this instance to prevent a woman from attracting a man rather than teaching the men not to attack women.
Satrapi is not, however, the only Muslim woman to bring attention to the oppression and injustice forced upon women in the faith. As Bahithat al-Badiya explained in her women’s only lecture in Cairo titled “Industrialization and Women’s Freedom in Egypt”, this oppression bled into the everyday lives of women and began dictating what professions society found acceptable for women to pursue. Men created machines to replace the jobs that women traditionally held in society, thus forcing women to find other places to work. This, in turn, angers the men because they feel threatened within the job market. al-Badiya is not, however, encouraging women to abandon their traditional duties, but she feels as though they should have a choice. “Obviously, I am not urging women to neglect their home and children to go out and become lawyers or judges or railway engineers. But if any of us wish to work in such professions, our personal freedom should not be infringed,”. The consensus here is not that women must be forced into these roles, but such opportunities should be available to them.
Veiling is not purely visual in the Islamic faith, but instead, as described by both
al-Badiya and Satrapi, it is a metaphorical limitation placed upon women forced to wear it. As mentioned previously, Satrapi’s mother was verbally in public after choosing not to wear her veil. The men followed this attack by saying that in order to prevent such an incident, she should wear her veil. The only opportunity for rebellion came from women who, showing their opposition to the regime, let a few strands of hair show from underneath the veil. This level of oppression is undeniable. Al-Badiya also explains the limitations that the veil places on women under the fundamentalist regime. “Veiling should not prevent us from breathing fresh air… It must not prevent us from gaining an education nor cause our health to deteriorate,”.
Persepolis does stand out in the sense that both of Satrapi’s parents are constant demonstrators. This side of the fundamentalist regime is not often shown, and because Satrapi’s parents are extremely involved in their cause, we are allowed a deeper look inside the oppression placed upon the people of her town. In the chapter “The Veil”, we are told that Satrapi’s mother has been a known protester, even having her photo captured by a German journalist. Satrapi is extremely proud of her mother, though her mother hides her face in public and even dies her hair. This is key in understanding how women are treated under the fundamentalist regime, in the sense that though her mother wants and does stand up for what she believes in, the regime does not appreciate her rebellion and she fears what may happen to her family if her identity is revealed. Al-Badiya explains the oppression that even protestors face, “Men criticize the way we dress in the street. They have a point because we have exceeded the bounds of custom and propriety,”. These women are fearing for their safety, just as Satrapi’s mom, while standing up for what they believe in.
It was in this time, the time in which Persepolis is set, that genders were separated and women were not allowed the same freedoms as men. Women in Iran in the 1980s were viewed as submissive rule followers, yet the women we are shown in Persepolis broke that mold. They were strong, perhaps not in the traditional sense, but they opposed the stereotype of the traditional fundamentalist woman of the time. The idea that Satrapi was raised by these courageous and strong women has shaped the way she has chosen to live the remainder of her life. Her mother, from the beginning of the book, is presented as a strong woman who is not afraid to stand up for what she believes in, no matter who might see her. She, in a sense, embodies the more modern and progressive Iranian woman of the time, rather than adhering to the fundamentalist regime. Her mother is not the only strong female figure, though. Satrapi’s grandmother also exemplifies strength in her support of Satrapi. Satrapi is not only surrounded by strong women, but also by examples of typical Iranian women of the time. These women are shown to us as the maid, her teachers at school, and the traditional fundamentalist women. The maid represents the different social classes and the women who complete each class. In addition to her father driving a Cadillac, Satrapi realizes that they also have a maid, which makes her realize how much better off she is. Similarly, the teachers are portrayed as rule followers, yet they are directly impacting the lives of the community’s children based on the regime. We are shown that Satrapi does not exactly agree with her teachers in the beginning, and this can be viewed as her first want for rebellion. Lastly, almost appearing as the opposite of Satrapi’s mother, we have the fundamentalist women, veiled completely. These women represent the traditional fundamentalist values that the regime wants to impose on all women in Iran during this time period.
The book Persepolis details the oppression placed upon women by the Islamic fundamentalist regime in Iran in the 1980s. In Persepolis and “Industrialization and Women’s Freedom in Egypt”, we are shown that women are to adhere to a strict set of rules and guidelines under the Islamic faith in order to be deemed modest and respectable by their peers. The idea of veiling is not only a physical alteration but also symbolizes the power that the fundamentalist regime placed over these women. Satrapi’s account details that these forms of oppression were forced upon girls so young that they were unaware of its true meaning. However, the strong women that Satrapi was in contact with and her exposure to the varying social classes of her childhood in Iran have allowed her to
Overcome such oppression and live life as she chooses. This is only solidified by the lecture of Bahithat al-Badiya on “Industrialization and Women’s Freedom in Egypt”, and what the veil truly symbolizes in the Islamic faith.