http://www.menassat.com/?q=en/news-articles/3186-whos-afraid-marjane-satrapi

I found this article entitled “Who’s Afraid of Marjane Satrapi?” about the political issues surrounding “Persepolis” and the film adaptation in the Arab world, particularly Lebanon which is controlled by Hezbollah, an ally of Iran. The book is critical of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. The film was being kept off the screens at the request of the Censorship Directorate at Lebanon’s General Security, who were cited as saying they were only delaying the release of the film due to the dangerous political climate at the time. The article also informs that “Persepolis” has been officially banned in Iran, the film has been called “anti-revolutionary”, and the Iranian government was irate that the film was awarded the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

It is important to remember that a book such as “Persepolis” has political ramifications as well as artistic ones.