Women In Iranian Revolution

Women and the Revolution: Warrior Sisters When the Islamic Republic of Iran was formed they did it partially thanks to the efforts of the women behind the movement. A young Marjane Satrapi describes watching the demonstrations in her novel. She depicts women standing on one side supporting the veil, while being countered by another group of women chanting for freedom (5). Women in the Iranian revolution seemed to befuddle feminist in Western civilizations. Massive numbers of Iranian women stood behind the Islamist fundamentalists donning their veils in opposition to the Shah while confirming their identities as true Muslim women (Zanedi 88). Many women felt that they were residing under a power that disrespected the traditional values they

They identified with two figures in Islam, Zainab and Fatimah. Zainab was the daughter of the prophet Muhammad and played a key role in the Battle of Karbala. She was the warrior sister Khomeini encouraged the women to be in involved, leaving them with a sense of importance. Some women would be remembered for their roles in guerilla warfare, transcending their traditional femininity. They were heroines for some Islamic woman and were seen as warrior sisters. The picture of an Iranian woman dressed in traditional garb with a weapon in hand became representative of their struggle in this time, yet these women were not the majority (Nashat 165). Fatimah was the ideal women in Islamic society. She was devoted in every way a woman could be, in the eyes of the fundamentalists at least. Though women did participate in the combat of the revolution their role was mainly seen in the non-violent portions of the movement, serving as doctors for the wounded and opening their homes to those who needed it. (Moallem 97). This majority resented the turning of peaceful demonstrations, which had characterized the early years of the revolution, into violent affairs. Massacres, like Black Friday, kept occurring the more