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pride and prejudice - a short play
<< source: www.tootfarangi4kids.blogspot.com >>
<< by: mohamad, october 1, 2003 >>
... when you find your seat, you see that you are sitting beside a chador* clad woman with a fat husband, one of those which is obviously a religious fanatic.
fat man: "can you change your seat with this lady please?"
me" nope, you change your seat yourself."
far man: "but there is another man sitting on the other side too!"
me: "so what? its not my problem..."
and bickering and arguing ... that ends with the interference of the chador clad woman. the movie starts and the woman is still sitting beside me ... in the dark.
movie: "tokyo, no stop (tokio)".
first scene: the actor, "mehran modiri"** is visiting a psychologist who tells him: you have an illness of prejudice ... you are obviously sick ...
(this is a real story that happened to me last night, in "cinema iran".)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
* chador: a one piece fabric used to cover a woman from head to foot. it is different from the much televised blue variation (borgha) worn by afghani women in afghanestan during the reign of taliban in which the face is completey covered. the most commonly color worn is black in slippery satin or nylon fabric which presents a very difficult challenge to the wearer to keep it in place and also to keep cool. Traditionally other fabrics with flowered prints in lighter cotton fabrics are also popular but the black variety is favoured mostly by those who wish to show the degree of their devotion to religious ideals.
a lot can be said about the role of "chador" in iraninan woman's life. in olden days (1920s), days before the reign of Reza Shah father of the fallen shah of iran, mohammad reza shah, chador was considered a sign of modesty. the art of wearing it was passed from mother to daughter. Once a girl was to become of age, a chador was specially made for her and it was considered a right of passage. this was of course mostly common in more traditional households. reza shah in his efforts to bring modern living to iran banned chador along with other items which was worn by men (abba and ammameh, worn these days by mullahs, those who have attended the theology schools. as an example you can think of some of those who now rule iran, such as the supreme leader khameneyee or the prime minister, khatami). with the arrival of islamic regime in iran, chador made a dramatic comeback and as mentioned above, the black variety become the symbol of revolutionary women. in many cities in iran, when a woman visits a holy shrine of one of profit mohammad's descendants or when visiting a mosque, she is required to wear a chador.
interestingly enough, during the first years of iran's current regime's rise to power, some of the assassinations of the newly elected officials was carried out by chador clad women who were able to hide weapons under their cover. many speculate that this is the main reason for chador not becoming the official uniform of women in iran.
** mehran modiri: currently one of the most famous male actors/comedians, enjoying a reputation similar to jim carrey in north america.
