Marjane Satrapi's Involvement In The Iran-Iraq War

The Iran-Iraq War was a long spread war that took place in the middle east during the 1980’s. In the western idea of the Cold War, the Iran-Iraq War seemed almost nothing more than a proxy conflict between the Soviet Union and the United States fueled by the religious radicals that had sprung up after the Iranian Revolution. With further examination of the causes and justifications the reasons for the war can be traced to the earlier history of the region. The importance of understanding the complexity of Iran’s involvement in the war is to fully realize and credit the rich history of the region. In other words, to not ignore the culture and people who live in Iran to favor a more western centric view of why the war took place. While the boarders

Pre-Revolution Iran, under the control of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, was often scrutinized by Iranian citizens due to the interference of the West in the government. This mistrust was specifically caused by the ties of the Shah to the United States. In Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, she writes that a growing number of Iranians were being influenced by Marxist views and they felt that by joining the revolution they could fight against capitalism. This however was not the only reason for the revolution. Clerics wanted a religious upheaval and the government to be more Islamist. Other politicians wanted to gain more power without the hindrance of the Shah’s administration. Overall it was easy for all sides to put blame on the Shah’s ties to the West, for holding Iran back from the countries to

It was merely a push of the repressed against the oppressor (Hassan-Yari 135). Hossein S. Seifzadeh argues that the revolution was not seen as radical in Iran until around after the start of the war (91). It was then that those with political and religious motivations, intensified the religious vigor associated with the revolution and made the war seem like the extension of the revolution. That’s not to say that the revolution itself was not religious, “moreover, the revolution encouraged the rise of Islamic Sentiment, which politically motivated people used to their own ends” this was able to happen because religion unified most Iranians despite whatever their motivations for supporting the revolution (Tousi 49). This statement also points out that the religious sympathies were utilized by those grabbing for power to legitimize their reputation in the community. An example of this being Ayatollah Khomeini. After the Revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini gained power and was referred to as an Imam. Raised as a religious man, the Imam had much influence in the religious sphere and therefore was respected by the people. As such his influence was used by the clerics who had religious intentions during the revolution to push forward religious fever and promote religious reforms throughout Iranian