Hypocrisy is a dangerous idea to dabble in. And unfortunately, hypocrisy seems to be present in everything. Namely, hypocrisy plays a large role in Iran’s politics and religion. Not only is it present in the real world, but the detrimental effect of hypocrisy is largely reflected in Iranian cinema as well. In the film Shokaran by Behrouz Afkhami, hypocrisy in relationships between men and women is depicted to represent how hypocrisy is embedded within the religious and political sectors of Iran. The film Shokaran is somewhat of a risqué film in the sense that the topic of sigheh is examined. Sigheh is a practice where people can engage in a temporary marriage. The practice is strictly a religious one and only supported in places where there
…show more content…
The differences between Mahmoud and Sima is that Mahmoud is a deeply religious man whereas Sima is relatively secular. Afkhami portrays Sima in the beginning of the film as a promiscuous woman, as she is the one who is divorced and wears scarves as Claudia Yaghoobi writes, “Sima is portrayed as a seductive and loose woman who pursues a married man” (156). However, in order for a woman to pursue a man, that man has to reciprocate. The religious and political hypocrisy is shown here because the woman is seen as promiscuous but the man is seen as innocent,. Afkhami presents Mahmoud as the pure one who can do no wrong, as his religion protects him. However, the juxtaposition of the presumably corrupt Sima and pure Mahmoud is representative of the hypocrisy that Iranian society holds towards women, especially those of which express their sexuality out of a typically marriage …show more content…
In the partisan institution of sigheh, the woman is expected to execute forms of birth control that do not interfere with the pleasure of the man. Although both male and female parties are involved in the sexual encounters, the woman has to prevent pregnancies in a way that only affect her (Yaghoobi 158). Afkhami emphasizes the hypocrisy of the Iranian society here by tying the perception that the man is more important in sexual and family relationships. The notion that the man must be granted the maximum amount of enjoyment from the engagements in a sigheh is dangerous because it institutes the conception that women are inferior in the eyes of the government and religion. If the government is supporting an establishment that is so geared towards the man’s needs, that points to the assumption that in the eyes of the government, a woman is only in charge of her reproductive rights as long as a man is not jeopardized in the process. Even in the case of pregnancy, only the woman is truly affected physically because she either must carry the baby or get an abortion, both of which are not easy on the body. Hypocrisy unfortunately plays a large role in Iran’s government and politics. However, it is necessary to evaluate where hypocrisy needs to be eradicated, such as in politics and religion. Shokaran by Behrouz Afkham presents the real world issue of sigheh in Iran and how it is detrimental to the
The differences between Mahmoud and Sima is that Mahmoud is a deeply religious man whereas Sima is relatively secular. Afkhami portrays Sima in the beginning of the film as a promiscuous woman, as she is the one who is divorced and wears scarves as Claudia Yaghoobi writes, “Sima is portrayed as a seductive and loose woman who pursues a married man” (156). However, in order for a woman to pursue a man, that man has to reciprocate. The religious and political hypocrisy is shown here because the woman is seen as promiscuous but the man is seen as innocent,. Afkhami presents Mahmoud as the pure one who can do no wrong, as his religion protects him. However, the juxtaposition of the presumably corrupt Sima and pure Mahmoud is representative of the hypocrisy that Iranian society holds towards women, especially those of which express their sexuality out of a typically marriage …show more content…
In the partisan institution of sigheh, the woman is expected to execute forms of birth control that do not interfere with the pleasure of the man. Although both male and female parties are involved in the sexual encounters, the woman has to prevent pregnancies in a way that only affect her (Yaghoobi 158). Afkhami emphasizes the hypocrisy of the Iranian society here by tying the perception that the man is more important in sexual and family relationships. The notion that the man must be granted the maximum amount of enjoyment from the engagements in a sigheh is dangerous because it institutes the conception that women are inferior in the eyes of the government and religion. If the government is supporting an establishment that is so geared towards the man’s needs, that points to the assumption that in the eyes of the government, a woman is only in charge of her reproductive rights as long as a man is not jeopardized in the process. Even in the case of pregnancy, only the woman is truly affected physically because she either must carry the baby or get an abortion, both of which are not easy on the body. Hypocrisy unfortunately plays a large role in Iran’s government and politics. However, it is necessary to evaluate where hypocrisy needs to be eradicated, such as in politics and religion. Shokaran by Behrouz Afkham presents the real world issue of sigheh in Iran and how it is detrimental to the