Those eyes
Cartoons of chadori women
Cartoons by Saman
January 2, 2001
The Iranian
Saman has been drawing cartoons for iranian.com for more than a year.
He has developed quite a following especially with his trademark wide-eyed
chadori figure. About Saman
The year-end holidays gave Saman time to work on a whole series of cartoons,
many of them featuring chadoris. There was enough to put together this
feature, including new and previous works.
But why poke fun at chadoris?
The hijab -- women's clothing in public -- has been observed in the
Middle East for centuries. Women in many other cultures also clothe themselves
modestly, for religious or cultural reasons. But in Iran, the issue is
not just religious or cultural. It is also political.
Iranian women were forced to remove their hijab (chador) in the 1920's
under Reza Shah's "emancipation" and "modernization"
drive. In 1979, Ayatollah Khomeini reintroduced the hijab in the name of
Islam.
While in many Muslim countries women can choose whether to wear the
hijab or not, in Iran it is not a choice. Any woman who dares to leave
the house without her body fully covered is severely punished.
More than that, the chador has become a political symbol for those who
support or oppose the Islamic Republic. Guess where Saman stands.
Click on images to see cartoons
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Cartoonist
Saman was born in Iran in 1973 and lived there until 1985. After a
brief stay in Europe his family sent him to the U.S.
In the early 90's he began working for a news radio station while going
to school. After four years of studying and working full-time, he earned
a BS in mass communications and began a career at a major market newspaper.
In 1997 he took a painting class as an elective and discovered the world
of art. Two years later he had his first oil painting exhibition to benefit
the homeless; and started freelancing as a cartoonist for a magazine.
Today he has turned his passion for mass media and love of art into
a career as an illustrator/graphic/web designer."Oh," he adds,
"as far as my political views are expressed: No force, no violence.
Just pen and paper!" To top
