Hey everybody!
Over the last two weeks, we’ve been analysing and studying a graphic narrative from Marjane Satrapi titled ‘Persepolis’. In this post, I’m trying to establish connections between the rise of Islamic nationalism in Iran and the recent spread of Hindu nationalism in India. This book is a memoir of Marjane as she talks about, and reflects on the events that she has encountered, growing up in Iran during and after the Islamic revolution.
Since, it is under Islamic rule, Iran is governed through Islamic principles. The Islamic revolution was a violent revolution that changed the lifestyle of Iran’s population across all platforms, one of them being the fact that it’s mandatory for women and girls of all ages wear a veil. Marjane was a rebellious teenager and didn’t wear the veil, just like many other women in her family. She was against the idea as she believed it was a portrayal of oppression and curbed her freedom to be a woman who wanted to dress as she desired. Along with the veil, several other types of clothing were prohibited, including ‘tight’ jeans and clothing that possessed any sort of references to western culture.
After the Islamic revolution, the heads of states’ primary focus was to denounce and eradicate western influences by forcing a state of Islamic law, asking everyone to adopt an Islamic lifestyle. This phenomenon of religious coercion not only exists in Iran, but is present and growing in several countries across the globe. To give this blog a more personal touch, I will take the example of my home country – India.
India is an immensely diverse country with each state embracing a different culture and language. With existing mass populations of different religions, India is and has always been a predominantly Hindu country with over 79% of the population identifying as Hindu. As with most multi-religious countries, not all people are at peace with each other. From the very beginning Islam entered India with the Mughal invasion, Hindus and Muslims haven’t always been at peace with each other, with heightened conflict in recent years.
As the country’s population is dominated by Hindus, it is no surprise that they have some influence over the government. An example of this can be seen with the recent religious issue that wrecked havoc among people and stirred the nation to think about it’s fundamental values and its behaviour towards diversity.
The cow is a sacred animal in Hinduism and is worshipped by millions. Therefore, the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), a very powerful Hindu nationalist party, banned the trade and consumption of beef in the state of Maharashtra (where it was in power) in 2015. Despite this ban being implemented only in the state of Maharashtra, consumption of beef proved to be fatal in several other parts of the country. Several Hindu fundamentalists took matters into their own hands and violently acted against many beef sellers and supposed families who stored beef at their homes, despite the fact that beef was completely legal in those particular areas. There were cases everyday of radical Hindus attacking and sometimes killing people who were accused of consuming beef – most of the victims being christians and muslims.
There can be many parallels drawn between Marjane’s explanation of the consequences of the Islamic revolution and the recent acts of the Hindu fundamentalists in India. Hindu nationalism is being spread through violence and terror as radical Hindus are imposing their view of nationality by replacing the religious identity of the population with what they consider to be the ‘right way of life’ and limiting any opposing ideologies through the use of violence and indoctrination. Iran faced/faces a similar situation as radical muslims are imposing fundamental Islam.
Religion and repression is one of the key themes of Persepolis. Satrapi brings out how nationalism in Iran has catalysed that oppression. It is evident that a similar situation will soon occur in India with the continuing spread of Hindu nationalism. Ultimately, the graphic narrative portrays the reality of a repressive religious regime and how it influences the people’s religious identity. I, personally, believe that nationalism can be an uplifting and unifying factor in a country, especially one as diverse as India. However, upon reading Persepolis and understanding the dangers religious nationalism can pose to society, it is clear that what is happening in India is hazardous to its status as a democratic and secular country. Regardless, nationalism is an individual belief which cannot and should not be imposed through indoctrination and force, which opposes an individual’s basic right to the freedom of expression.