[Slate] The Illusion That the Spiderweb Binding Poor Women’s Feet Is Sacred

Director Ali Abbasi's Film 'Holy Spider'
Serial Killer Claimed to Follow Religious Beliefs
Public Opinion Accepts It as Justified and Rational Act

'Arabian Nights' is an exciting story told by a woman named Shahrazad to King Shahryar over 1001 nights. King Shahryar was mentally disturbed due to his queen's infidelity. Every night, he slept with virgins and killed them at dawn. After this cruel act continued for three years, Shahrazad gathered courage. She visited him every night and told interesting and rare stories. King Shahryar postponed executions day by day to hear more. Eventually, he realized Shahrazad's deep meaning and repented his wrongdoings. This desperate struggle, risking her life, saved the lives of many women.

Even now, the lives of Middle Eastern women are not easy. In many regions, their bodies are treated as reproductive tools. Honor killings frequently occur in rural areas. If a wife or sister is sexually assaulted or has an extramarital affair, the father, brother, or husband punishes her. The idea of prioritizing male honor is deeply rooted throughout society. Even state power regards it as a family internal issue, allowing these bad customs to repeat. A line from Ya?ar Kemal's novel "I Should Have Killed the Viper" expresses this clearly.

"If you stay here, you will soon die. Even though I spared my sister-in-law, my mother no longer speaks to me. Brother Ibrahim is also eyeing my sister-in-law but is just watching me. (...) Even if I leave my sister-in-law alone, probably my children won't stay still, and Brother Ibrahim might kill her. Or will my mother's relatives, uncles, cousins leave you alone? It is obvious that you will die someday. If no one deals with it, my sister-in-law's son Hasan will be made to kill you."

Ali Abbasi's film 'Holy Spider' is a similar social expos?. The setting is Mashhad, Iran's largest religious city. A serial murder case targeting prostitutes unfolds. The killer called 'Spider,' Azimi (Mehdi Bajestani), shows no sympathy or pity for the victims. He is so ruthless that he tips off the media about the crime and body disposal sites. After being arrested, he claims his actions were based on religious beliefs.

"I swear on the martyrs. Yes, I am crazy. I am devoted to Imam Reza. I am crazy about my mission. Do I seem crazy? Do I look like it? If fulfilling my duty is madness, then yes, I am mad. I am obsessed with the mission of social purification. What is wrong with that? I am crazy about God."

Imam is the leader of the Islamic religious order. Reza is the 8th Imam of the Twelver Shia. He was appointed caliph successor in 817 but is said to have been poisoned the following year. Mashhad developed into Iran's largest religious city with his tomb established there. Pilgrims visit throughout the year. Azimi's religious conviction is no less intense. He secretly laments not having died a martyr in war. Neighbors appreciate this attitude. Even after being revealed as a murderer, they comfort and encourage his family. "Stay strong. Send regards to your mother, and tell her to come if she needs anything. Your father did a great job on our behalf."

This is not just the mindset of men. Many women also speak in unison. Especially Azimi's wife Fatima (Forouzan Jamshidnejad) calls the victims "deserving to die." This is not simple husband defense. She questions the veterans' association supporting Azimi, "Why did he try to become a hero?" She accepts the serial murders as just and rational acts. The reason can be inferred from the background of why Middle Eastern women wear veils.

The veil is a symbol of male patriarchal power. It was worn to indicate whether a woman belonged to a man or not. This is similar to how the Nazis forced Jews to wear red armbands, exposing them to violence and discrimination. Depending on social status or marital status, women who could not wear the veil are suspected to have suffered from their husbands' sexual assault, violence, or social discrimination. Women had no choice but to envy the veil. They took pride in being marked as 'chaste' or 'protected' from other men's gaze. Professor Oh Eun-kyung of Dongduk Women's University described this in her book 'Women in the Veil and Islam' as follows.

"To produce 'good' bodies of women who do not deviate from the order demanded by power, patriarchal authority employs surveillance and sanctions. Especially, the power of the 'gaze' exerts excellent control. When the male gaze is directed at women, women learn the attitudes and behaviors desired by discipline. When women who should wear the veil do not wear it, or women who cannot wear the veil wear it, state power punishes this through penal systems to tame women. Ultimately, women are trained to be beings who must wear the veil, be subordinated to one man, and must not receive the gaze of men other than the man they belong to, as 'chaste' beings. Women's bodies and sexuality are controlled in the way the state desires."

In Islam, men and women are equal. However, due to biological differences, they inevitably live different social and cultural lives. The former is emphasized to care for and look after the latter. This is not simple protection or support. Women are made to protect society from sexual immorality and incest caused by women. The hijab, which implies 'isolation' and 'blocking,' is a protective measure arising from this process. The basis is Quran 24:31.

"Tell the believing women to lower their gaze, guard their chastity, and not reveal their adornment except what normally appears, and to draw their veils over their bosoms, and not reveal their adornment to anyone except their husbands, fathers, fathers-in-law, sons, husbands' sons, brothers, brothers' sons, sisters' sons, female servants, male servants who lack sexual desire, or children who do not understand women's private matters..."

The main point is women's chastity and the establishment of a sound social order. Underlying this is the view that women are always seducers to men and promote men's sexual corruption. Professor Oh interpreted, "Although Islam does not consider women as having the 'original sin' of destroying men created in Allah's image, nor does it see Eve as tempting Adam to betray God as in Christianity, ultimately, it defines women's bodies as 'seducers.' This explains why Iranian society legitimizes Azimi's serial murders. Prostitutes are labeled as social evils. Amidst the overwhelming public opinion, the government and police delay investigations.

Ironically, it is strict discipline and control that drove women into prostitution. Iranian women have been confined to veils and homes after the Islamic Revolution. They lost most jobs because they were not guaranteed activity in the public sphere. Life outside the home is not free, and women without husbands or fathers have no means to sustain themselves. They must find men to protect and provide for them. The system that arose is 'sigheh,' where men give money as a dowry to women and become spouses for a certain period. The period can be one year, six months, or even a few hours, leading to criticism that it is used for prostitution.

A society where order and systems meant for justice instead tighten the noose around women. Director Abbasi compares it to a sticky and dense spider web. At one end, spiders like Azimi lurk in large numbers. They quickly suffocate and tightly wrap their victims using chadors or carpets as webs. No one listens to desperate pleas. Now even the police detect the tremors of the web and rush in. Last year, a 22-year-old woman named Mahsa Amini was arrested for 'improper hijab wearing' and died under suspicious circumstances three days later. The spider web remains firm and vast.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.