The Burqa Symbolism Essay

Register to read the introduction… The Burqa is not apart of western society but in Afghan society it is very common. The burqa somewhat represents the aspect of the oppression of women in Afghanistan. Its purpose is to oppress women and show male dominance. As men in Afghan society their wives wear them as a sign of ownership as Rasheed is quoted as saying. “A Woman’s face is her husbands business only”. The idea of the burqa is to preserve the beauty and purity of women solely for her husband, because in Islamic culture it is believed that a man owns a woman once they are married and that her body belongs to him. It is also a culture that believes it is okay to harm and abuse women.
In an interview with Khaled Hosseini he talks about the oppression of women in Afghanistan and how he incorporated this aspect into his novel. Khaled is quoted saying “It is undeniable that the treatment of women in some Muslim countries -including my own- has been dismal. The evidence is simply overwhelming. In Afghanistan under the Taliban, women were denied education, the right to work, the right to move freely, access to adequate healthcare, etc.” Yet these restrictions that Hosseini states are only a few of the …show more content…
He does this through the characters Mariam and Laila as their stories are a reflection of the many women in Afghanistan. Furthermore, Hosseini shows the similarity between the characters and Afghan women through the use of symbols such as the burqa, and through the abuse that they endure. I strongly agree that we do not normally consider this aspect because our society treats women as equals and it is hard for us to comprehend the society that Hosseini describes in his