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The Kite Runner Khaled Hosseini
It is through literature that we most intimately enter the hearts and minds and spirits of other people. And what we value in this is the difference as well as the human similarities of others: that way, as C. S. Lewis put it, we become a thousand different people and yet remain ourselves. -Aidan Chambers
Introduction • First Afghan novel to be written in English • Over 9 million copies sold worldwide • Translated into over 25 languages • Is on the list of “Banned and Challenged Books” • Kite Running is a popular Afghan pastime.
About the Author • Born in 1965 in Kabul, Afghanistan • Moved to the US in 1980 • Graduated from Med school in 1996 • The Kite Runner is Hosseini’s first novel, followed by A Thousand Splendid Suns and And The Mountains Echoed
Synopsis • The Kite Runner opens in Kabul in the mid-1970s. • Raised in the same household but separated by class, Amir and his best friend Hassan are inseparable until a tragic event changes their relationship forever. • Their intertwined lives and their fates reflect the eventual tragedy of the world in which they live.
Time & Place The story takes place in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and America. Early 1970s to early 2000’s A “modern” Bildungsroman novel waging it’s own valiant war to emergence as a classic
Historical Background Geographically and historically, Afghanistan has been the central focus for Eurasian civilization activity. - Central Asia Afghanistan has been invaded and conquered by several empires: • Persian • Greek • Arab • Turk • Mongol (Under Genghis Khan) • British • Soviet • And most recently by the American troops and her allies, although the context may be viewed differently.
Ethnic and Religious Divisions • Afghanistan is made up of many different ethnic and religious groups- Pashtun, Tajik, Uzbek and Hazara • People of different races and faiths
Pashtu and Dari are considered the official languages of Afghanistan and are spoken by 85% of the people. • 30 other minor languages are also spoken in Afghanistan. • Islam is the main religion practiced by Muslims and divided into Sunnis and Shi’as • Political rather than religious division
Introduction to Afghanistan • About 99% of the population is Muslim, and of these Muslims, 84% belong to the Sunni sect. • A long history of an ethnic hierarchy within Afghanistan exists. It has created imbalances in wealth, influence and education within its society. • Traditionally Pashtuns have dominated the country because they are the presumed majority of the population. • As a result, many of the other ethnic groups have not had a strong voice within the society. (Amnesty International USA The Kite Runner Companion Curriculum. http://www.amnestyusa.org/education/pdf/kiterunnerhigh.pdf Accessed on 17 February 2008)
Tribal System Hierarchical network of several tribes -Pashtun: Most numerous and most powerful (Persian, Sunni Muslim)
Ethnic Groups • Pashtuns • Majority ethnic group at 42% • Highest ethnicity on the social ladder and dominate governmental bodies • Pashtu is their native language • Consist mainly of Sunni Muslims
Ethnic Groups • Tajiks • 27% of population • Second largest ethnic group • Identified with agriculture and town life • Mainly inhabit the fertile eastern valleys • A group that is considered to have low income and like many Hazaras, they are not the highest on the social ladder. However, there are Tajiks that are successful and important members of the government.
Ethnic Groups • Hazaras • 9% of Afghanistan’s population • Reside mainly in the central Afghanistan mountain region called ‘Hazarajat’ • Historically, the Hazara seem to have Mongolian origins. • Most Hazara are Shia Muslims. The 1% which are not Muslim are either Hindu, Sikh or Jewish. • Hazaras are considered to be on the lower end of the socio-economic scale.
Historical Timeline • 1st century: Buddhist Kushans rule • 3rd century: Kushans defeated by the Persians. Religion: Zoroastrianism (Zarathustra) • 7th century: Muslim Arabs defeat the Persians • 1219: Under Genghis Khan, the Mongols overthrow the Arabs and devastate Afghanistan • Safawids ruled in western Afghanistan and Moguls ruled in eastern (including Kabul) Uzbeks controlled the north
Afghanistan only emerged as a nation in 1747 under Ahmad Shah. He is known as the father of Modern Afghanistan. • Muslim • Pashtun
Peaceful rule until 1973 when Mohammad Daoud joins with Afghan communist to overthrow his brother-in-law, the king. • Afghanistan switches from being a monarchy to being a republic. • 5 years later, Daoud and his family are murdered when the communist party decides to take over the government.
Deterioration begins… • Mid 70s • Afghanistan is pro-communist and anti-religious while its neighbors (Iran and Pakistan) are strongly Islamic. • 1979 • Soviet Army sets up a government in Kabul
1980s: To counter the Soviet presence, an Islamic jihad was declared to overthrow the Soviets. • Mujaheddin factions established (Afghan warriors) • To help defeat communism, these groups were trained and generously funded by the CIA • 1989: As a result of the Jihad, Russia pulls out of Afghanistan
Aftermath • Russian casualties: 15,000 • Afghan Casualties: Over 1 million dead 6.2 million escape Afghanistan (now over half of the world’s refugee population) Afghanistan is once again reduced to rubble
Recent History • Could not agree on how to share the power • Civil war broke out among them dividing Afghanistan into several independent zones • This civil war resulted in over 10,000 casualties in Kabul alone
The Taliban • Lack of leadership left room for a group of Islamic fighters, the Taliban, to successfully rise to power • Talib = seeker of knowledge (Taliban is the plural form) • Came from Pakistan (and supported by them) • Pashtun • Sunni Muslim
Taliban • They began by helping rebuild the Afghani people’s moral (restoring peace and security) • Took over as Afghanistan’s government • Soon began enforcing laws through rigorous enforcement of what they deemed to be “Islamic Law”: -public beating -flogging -amputation of hands -stoning to death
Mazar-i Sharif August 8, 1997, as vengence for earlier ethnic conflict, Taliban massacre 8000 Hazaras • Hundreds suffocated in crates • Shot in homes and on streets • Hospital patients killed in their beds • House to house searches • Throats slit- “the Halal way” • Children packed into a crate News leaks out a year later.
Taliban • Became internationally famous for their sadistic repression of women
Taliban Rules for Women • Complete ban on women's work outside the home, which also applies to female teachers, engineers and most professionals. • Complete ban on women's activity outside the home unless accompanied by a mahram (close male relative such as a father, brother or husband). • Ban on women being treated by male doctors. • Ban on women studying at schools, universities or any other educational institution. • Requirement that women wear a long veil (Burqa), which covers them from head to toe. • Whipping, beating and verbal abuse of women not clothed in accordance with Taliban rules, or of women unaccompanied by a mahram. • Public stoning of women accused of having sex outside marriage. • Ban on the use of cosmetics. (Many women with painted nails have had fingers cut off). • Ban on women laughing loudly. (No stranger should hear a woman's voice). • Ban on women wearing high heel shoes, which would produce sound while walking. (A man must not hear a woman's footsteps.) • Compulsory painting of all windows, so women can not be seen from outside their homes. • Ban on the photographing or filming of women. Ban on women's pictures printed in newspapers and books, or hung on the walls of houses and shops.
Rules for all of Society • Banned listening to music, watching of movies, television and videos • Ordered that all people with non-Islamic names change them to Islamic ones. • Ordered that men not shave or trim their beards • Ordered that all people attend prayers in mosques five times daily. • The kite flying has been stopped. • Ordered all onlookers, while encouraging the sportsmen, to chant Allah-o-Akbar (God is great) and refrain from clapping. • Anyone who carries objectionable literature will be executed. • Anyone who converts from Islam to any other religion will be executed. • All boy students must wear turbans. They say "No turban, no education.” • Non-Muslim minorities must distinct badge or stitch a yellow cloth onto their dress to be differentiated from the majority Muslim population. Just like what Nazis did with Jews. • Banned the use of the internet by both ordinary Afghans and foreigners.
9/11 to Today • Taliban admitted to harbouring Osama Bin Laden and his radical Islamist group called Al-Qaeda • After the 9/11 attacks, the US and its allies went into Afghanistan and quickly overthrew the Taliban • Unfortunately, due to lack of successful reconstruction, the Taliban have reappeared • Afghanistan is slowly and painfully trying to rebuild itself.
