I started reading the second volume of Persepolis today.
Volume One was a bit more engaging, by my standards. One thing that comes out loud and clear, however, is the importance of religious making the right impression. Satrapi was apparently sent to a boarding school run by a group of nuns. She writes (er...draws?) that she was scolded by the mother superior for eating a dinner she cooked right out of the pot while watching television. According to the dialogue bubble, the sister says that the lack of manner proves that Iranians are uneducated. This prompts an insult from Satrapi, which results in her expulsion. The conclusion Satrapi reaches is that fanaticism is present in all religions.
One ignorant statement of racism by a sister avalanches into a scandal.
Now, we have a world famous graphic novel that depicts nuns as blind, angry religious fanatics who kick fourteen year old refugees out of their schools.
Imagine if it had been otherwise. Imagine if the mother superior had approached the issue differently...then we'd have a world famous graphic novel that showed the patience and virtue of Christianity juxtaposed to the hatred and intolerance of radical Islam.

Comments