Shirin Neshat's "Women of Allah"

“Women of Allah is supposed to be sympathetic, but also disturbing. Every image tried to frame that paradox: the woman who gives birth, is attractive and believes in God, but is also very brutal, very violent, a killer.” - Shirin Neshat

Rebellious Silence as part of the Women of Allah series 

Shirin Neshat is an Iranian artist who left her home country in the years following the way. Pursuing a career in the arts, she attended UC - Berkeley and drew inspiration from artists like Frida Kahlo. After seventeen years in the United States she eventually returned home to find unexpected consequences from the war. While society tells her that she should be subservient, during the war, several Muslim women were encouraged to be martyrs and fight for the cause. Addressing what she refers to as the contradiction of Islamic society, she published a collection entitled “Women of Allah.”

The photograph above labeled "Rebellious Silence" has two main elements to it. Both the woman, and the gun immediately stand out. Almost as if it is shushing her, the gun parts her face in half referring to the quiet subservience girls must possess, but also acknowledging the violent aspects of a women. Both nurturer and a killer during the war, these juxtapositions stood out to Neshat. In particular, the women's gaze at the viewer is quite interesting. While she does confront the viewer, she bears a gaze that is labelled as "submissive." Using her hijab along with the words on her face to cover her the way a burqa would, this does not mean that it oppresses her. Rather, the words that are written on her face actually encourage martyrdom and doing so because of God's love. Tackling with both empowerment and oppression, the gun she possesses is extremely powerful while also condemning her in a way. Thus, Neshat's work is a strong political commentary on the roles that women possess. Equally capable of being tender and powerful, a woman does not have to be limited to only a particular set of characteristics.