Speechless, created by Shirin Neshat in 1996(moma.org), represents the oppression of women in present-day Islamic countries. The hijaab and the gun are the symbols of her subordination although they are meant to be mistaken as her hair and a piece of jewelry at first glance(moma.org). Her hijaab is the first thing that stands out about her, and it is what defines her. The sadness in her eyes and the dejection in her face are evident. While some are ready to embrace the religion and conform to it willingly, she is not. However, her expression is not one of resentment or a passionate desire for things to change; it is a look of hopelessness. There are verses of Arabic poetry written across her face representing everything that she thinks of and wishes to speak of, but does not dare to(moma.org). She is speechless not because she cannot find the words, but because to break the silence would be breaking convention, tradition, and the harsh law she must abide by in order to survive. Her submission is the silence, and she can only wish to be heard.
Neshat left Iran while it was under a secular regime, and after visiting in 1990 and seeing the transformations that took place as the government became an Islamic republic, she was inspired to create the photographic series
Women of Allah-
Speechless included(moma.org). While the message of the image refers to a figurative silence, it is also literal for many places in the Middle East where women are prohibited from speaking in front of strangers in public. Although the artist’s reaction to the sexism in Iran was in 1990, not much has significantly changed; On International Women’s Day in 2007, hundreds of men and women were beaten by Iranian police while planning a rally to support women’s rights(International Women's Day). However, Iran is one of the better Islamic countries regarding standard of living for women. With rape used as a demographic weapon in Sudan by the militia, over one million women have been affected since 2003; In Afghanistan, 87% of women have admitted to domestic abuse and it is the only country to have a female suicide rate higher than the male’s(Worst Countries for Women). It is impossible to imagine these living conditions in America which is why Neshat draws concern towards the issues of the Islamic world that she witnessed firsthand. The subject is a “woman of Allah”, and with her religion as her only defining feature, the negative implications of Islam are apparent by her pained and fearful expression. Her speechlessness is out of fear, as it is for millions of other suffering women, but without a voice to lift them up, the women will remain in silence.
