We have talked in class about whether women within a certain culture oppose their restraints or whether they simply accept them because it is normal within their culture. But women in Iran are now in the forefront of protesting for their freedom. The uprising of females along with the UN's ban of further arrests in Iran is a promising step for reaching peace in the country. Former president Hashemi Rasfanjani's daughter, Neda Agha Soltan was recently killed in a protest and a disturbing video of her death has been leaked to the internet. Since women are usually kept in the roles of a martyr's wife or child, despite the countless deaths of other women throughout conflicts in Iran, she is being referred to as the first women martyr in Iran. In Persepolis, Satrapi depicts propaganda in her home country that insists martyrdom is the greatest achievement and that dying for a cause is so noble. I personally think it's better to live but I suppose it is a worldwide concept that dying for a meaningful cause is heroic. Neda was absolutely heroic, as are all the protesters, but as we've seen so far in our readings, Iran has not made much progress in the last 30 years and thousands and thousands of lives have been taken. So did Neda die in vain? Have the deaths of civilians in Iran been in vain for a cause that does not prevail? Or is the idea of reaching their desirable goal truly martyrdom? These questions can also apply to conflicts worldwide across history.
I strongly agree with the idea that dying for a cause you have firm belief in is a strong statement to make but that more often than not in this case it may be in vain. In the past thirty years conflict has not stopped in Iran, though if the UN's ban works it may begin to slow. If this is the case then all of the deaths leading up to it would have been for something, the thing they have been dying for, peace in Iran. While I don't believe that the promise of peace in Iran is due completely to a sudden upsurge in female protesting the fact that women are no longer afraid to go out and let their voices be heard certainly may have something to do with it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Selena that if nothing happens in Iran and peace is not achieved all of the people who died standing up for their beliefs, including this woman Neda, will have died in vain. As sad as it is, one life lost is not going to change people's minds. Although over these past years it has been many lives lost, it still does not seem to be helping. Hopefully with women starting to come forward and speaking their minds things might change for the better in Iran.
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