Hello world! My name is Sartaj and this is my first personal blog for my ASTU 100 class. ASTU 100 is an English class that is a part of my “Global Citizens” Coordinated Arts Program (CAP).

This week in class we have been reading the graphic narrative, Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. Persepolis is the story of a young girl growing up in Iran during the Iranian revolution in the 1980’s. Before the revolution, the main character, Marji, was in a school with boys and didn’t require a head-dress. As the story progresses, we see the regime get stricter and the consequences that come with that for Marji and her family. Marji is placed in an all girls school and is made to wear a “veil” also known as a hijab or head-dress. Throughout the book we watch her struggle to accept that the life she once knew is no longer tangible and that the changing environment is not one that she can grow accustomed to. Upon her expulsion from school, Marji’s parents realise that Iran is no longer a place for their headstrong daughter, prompting the decision to send her to Vienna to study in a more conducive environment.

The veil or hijab is usually seen as a symbol of oppression in most western societies and is viewed that way largely due to Islamophobia and stereotyping. Islamophobia is defined as an “Intense dislike or fear of Islam, esp. as a political force; hostility or prejudice towards Muslims.” Islamophobia is easily one of the biggest issues in the world we currently live in, and ever since the September 11 attacks, most people have grown to fear an entire religion based solely on the actions of supposed extremists. Unfortunately 16 years later this issue has only grown and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. This unprecedented fear has caused the world to develop into a toxic society and has caused unnecessary harm and struggle for innocent people associated with their religion.

The forced wearing of the veil is a prominent issue in the book and can be closely related to the stereotypical judgement that comes alongside it even in today’s political climate. We have developed such a negative connotation around a piece of cloth that Muslim women are judged regardless of whether they even wear the veil or not. As Celine Ibrahim from the New York times wrote, “The paradox is that, whether a woman wears a headscarf or not, fault finders can point fingers and pass judgement on her intentions and preferences.”

Living in an illiberal democracy (Singapore) the past 10 years is the closest relation I have to Marji. I grew up lucky enough that I never had to worry about much, especially as a male without any religious restrictions. But having the state you live in impose its values upon you, especially when you’ve had exposure to a life without those restrictions, is a difficult adjustment. So in some ways Marji’s struggle feels so similar to the way I struggled, but at the same time I can count myself lucky that I never had to go through anything as extreme as she did. Although I will never know the extent of the struggle a muslim woman faces in today’s toxic society, I can only hope that one day the world remedies the irreversible damage caused through stereotyping and oppression.