The Construction of Women's Identity and Its Strategic Repression

 Women's identity and individuality have been problematic and challenging factors in Muslim countries. The stories of the deliberate stifling of women's identity vary among Muslim nations but are nonetheless remarkably similar. Other South Asian and Middle Eastern nations are also a part of it, such as Iran, Egypt, and Pakistan. Islam is regarded as the identity marker that categorizes women in Muslim society. In reality, though, a number of universal traits serve as identity markers when classifying women. Their ethnicity, race, and other characteristics help to define who they are. The two main categories of identity are collective or grouped and individual identities. The false idea of the ideal woman is connected to the division's underlying idea. This idea is deeply ingrained in Islamic patriarchal society, which excludes women from public spaces. Religion becomes a major factor in gender discrimination.
The political and religious establishments purposefully shape the identities of women. They group them all together to show that all women behave similarly and are therefore stupid. It gives men the upper hand over women, minimizing their roles and existence in patriarchal societies. Many historical examples show various responses to various policies that restrict or segregate women from the public sphere and use them as a tool of transformation.
The term "ideal," however, carries various geographical connotations. While some states disagree with this notion, others hold that the concept of adherent religion manifests in the ideal society. They favor taking a more contemporary, secular stance. Even so, these contradictory ideas about how to create an ideal society with the aid of an ideal woman never give women the same opportunities or freedom. According to the author, Shahin Gerami, Iranian women were forbidden from wearing veils and the hijab during the rule of Mohammed Reza Pahlavi and the Shah of Iran. Iranian women revolted against Shah's modern philosophy as a result of this uprising. In order to protest the ruler's decision, Iranian women start wearing hijabs and veils. This historical event from Iran's Pahlavi era illustrates the other side of the idea of "ideal women and society." In the dynasty of Shah Pahlavi, modernism was viewed as a progressive movement, but women never accepted it (Gerami 333).
Women have been a source of transformation and change for the Pahlavi dynasty. Iran's prosperity may now be achieved by the Pahlavi dynasty through the use of women. For him, the hijab represents a symbol of isolation and backwardness that obstructs Iran's progress toward modernity. Women have been used as agents of mutation to change the nation into the perfect state. Additionally, it highlights identity politics. Governmental policies have also been used to construct women's identities. For the Shah, contemporary women represented the mighty stature of his dynasty in the eyes of other nations. It illuminates the fundamental significance of political reform. Every modification and change made to the social structure to benefit women has been done for political gain. The rulers in Iran are still indecisive about the practical strategy for the liberation and equality of women.
Institutions from society and families are also included in the list of identity markers. In carrying out family customs and rituals, the woman is a central and important figure. She must follow the family's traditions, regardless of how conservative they are for a woman. She suffers on the individual level as soon as she abides by the family's conservative self-made laws. Her individual identity serves only to serve the governing factors. She no longer sees herself as a woman, but as a "carrier of tradition" (Papanek 47). She continues to bear the responsibility of keeping the entire family safe. Even though she must fulfill the domestic and mothering responsibilities, it is also essential that she abide by the family laws.
However, another factor contributing to the formation of identity and the destruction of a female's unique identity is the tagging or labeling of women in societies based on their sexual activities. Prostitutes and rape victims do not receive any respect from society. They are grouped into various disrespectful categories, and these categories eventually become their identity. For instance, a woman who has been involved in forced prostitution is never recognized as a woman, but her identity as a prostitute is defined by the tag. The categorization outlines how women are constrained in their freedom by sociocultural labeling that binds them to particular identities.
An analogous theme is also depicted in the Pakistani drama "Tamanna". The protagonist's mother was fortunate enough to be born into a middle-upper-class family. She elopes with a man from a lower class after falling in love with him. Her family deserts her and refers to her as a broken woman. Throughout her life and after, the title will always serve as her identity. Sadly, the mother passes away while giving birth to Tamanna, a girl. Tamanna, the main character, later relocates to her mother's house, but her identity as the "daughter of a fallen woman" remains. She therefore always associates with her aunt's "mochi ki beti" social status. This Pakistani drama illustrates how society constructs identity.
A woman's identity is shaped by various sociopolitical, cultural, and religious factors. Women have historically been segregated into specific areas in every nation. The government and society are forming the identities of women in Iran and Pakistan. The destruction of individual identity creates barriers in the way of women's liberation and equality. The results of all the political decisions and the tenets of Islam enclose women in almost every sphere of life. Her identity is no longer bound by the four walls or by particular roles.