Hello readers,
My name is Alex Veniez, and on this page you will find all of my blog posts written over the course of the year for my ASTU100A writing class. As a new student enrolled in the Coordinated Arts Program Global Citizens stream at the University of British Columbia, the professors are constantly encouraging us to question what it truly means to be a global citizen. Upon entering my first CAP class at UBC, I thought that I already knew what a global citizen was. I thought that the answer was fairly concrete, and that it was something along the lines of, “a member of society who is inquisitive about global issues and is driven to help their community and the world at large, become a better place.” We often think of a global citizen as someone who attributes heroic qualities. But what is a hero? After delving into the assigned reading of Persepolis for our ASTU100A class, and having begun drawing conclusions about the text and overall story of Persepolis, my straightforward answer has changed.
Persepolis was written by Marjane Satrapi, however, the protagonist, and the little girl revealing her childhood during the Iran Iraq war to the readers, is Marji. Marji takes the readers hand, and invites them on a journey with her. Marji is what I would call a true global citizen. At only ten years old, Marji faces life after the Iranian Revolution with a headstrong attitude, and has already formulated her own political beliefs. She is completely against wearing the hijab, however, growing up in a secular society, she has had no choice but to give into this suppression and oppression. As the story of Persepolis progresses, and the more violence Marji faces, the more immune to fear she becomes. She becomes a rebel who is not afraid to wear her beloved Goth clothing along with her hijab. This choice in clothing style is a statement that says, “I am oppressed but I am going to continue to voice my anger against this oppression.”
In 2016, we can still observe people like Marji, taking a stand against the hijab. In Iran, men have begun donning their wives and other family member’s hijab’s. (The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2016.) This is a fearless attempt to show anger towards the imprisonment that occurs towards women who choose not to wear hijabs in Iran. The fact that men, who are much less oppressed in Iranian society, are too, rebelling against Iran’s strict laws, says to me that a movement for equality has begun. In addition, women have also begun shaving their heads and dressing as men, so that they can avoid wearing hijabs. (The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2016.) Iranian women have also started recording themselves walking in public without the hijab. This is a silent protest, that demonstrates courage. (The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2016.)
In one of my recent Political Science lectures, my professor Dr. Erikson mentioned something to the extent of, at some point as global citizens, we will have to start forming our own opinions about issues concerning religion and politics. After reading Persepolis, and thinking about the many people who have stood up against the oppression that is the hijab, my perspective on what a global citizen is has expanded. A global citizen is someone who has a solidified stance on global issues that matter to them. A global citizen by no means knows everything about these issues, but they are constantly inquiring and trying to accumulate more knowledge. Similarly, to Marji, they are fearless when it comes to speaking their mind about what they feel is oppression, and what they feel is freedom.
Works Cited:
The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2016. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/men-in-iran-are-wearing-hijabs-in-solidarity-with-their-wives-a7160146.html)
The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2016. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/iranian-women-cut-hair-off-and-dress-as-men-to-avoid-morality-police-a7041236.html)
The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2016. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/my-stealthy-freedom-women-in-iran-step-up-hijab-campaign-by-filming-themselves-walking-in-public-10149226.html)