Civil Disobedience Should Be Justified

In history, a handful of people have committed civil disobedience. Civil disobedience is the refusal to follow a certain law or orders of a government. A famous example would be the Boston Tea Party. The Boston Tea Party occurred in protest of the Tea Act of 1773, a bill that came in place by the British Parliament to save the British East India Company by lowering tea tax and giving the company permission to a monopoly on the imports and sales of tea in the colonies. Patriots protested the act by dumping 342 chests of tea in the harbor (Staff). Some people may see civil disobedience as being justified, but others disagree with the statement. Whether someone is silently protesting or speaking out to protest a law, civil disobedience should be justified.

Civil disobedience should be justified because laws that are implemented should be understood why they were implemented before they are obeyed. For example, in Persepolis, Marjane committed civil disobedience by improperly wearing her veil. In Iran, it was mandatory for women to wear a veil outside due to the Islamic Revolution. A group called the Women’s Branch had been made to arrest women who were not properly dressed. The group caught Marjane improperly wearing her veil, almost taking her to the Committee, which was the headquarters. Marjane lied by explaining how her “stepmother” is cruel and will make her father put her in an orphanage. The group let her go, and Marjane went home. Marjane’s circumstances influenced her silent protest because she didn't know why all the women had to wear a veil outside. At the beginning of the book, Marjan stated that her classmates and herself did not know why they had to wear a veil.

Another reason civil disobedience should be justified because the issue would be overlooked if nobody took action. As an example, in I Am Malala, Malala Yousafzai stood up for girls’ education. In Pakistan, the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley. The Taliban believed that girls should not get an education. Malala spoke out because she believed that girls should get an education. From speaking out, the Taliban figured that Malala was a threat to them, so they directed death threats to her. One day they sent out two members of the group to kill her. Although Malala got shot in the head, she survived the incident, but her will to fight for education did not devitalize. Malala’s circumstances influenced her protest because she didn't want the Taliban to take away her right to education.

Some people voice that civil disobedience should not be justified since law based on the truth cannot be broken but can be violated. Also, they claim that civil disobedience will end up being violent. However, the creator of the laws is just human. The creator is biased, so although they think their philosophy is good for the people, the people may not agree. The people will abide the laws that they believe are fair, but will not tolerate the laws that are unfair to their beliefs. The civil disobedience caused by intolerable laws will not always result in violence. In the stories, Persepolis and I Am Malala had the protagonist commit civil disobedience, but they were not violent.

In conclusion, civil disobedience should be justified because laws that are implemented should be understood before they are implemented before they are obeyed and the issue would be overlooked if nobody took action. Civil disobedience has allowed women to have the same rights as men, as well as girls to have an education. Civil disobedience has been committed in the past for the better, so why would it not be a good thing to do? What would you do if you realize that a law was unfair and intolerable?