Transcript The Kite Runner Power Point

The Kite Runner
History of Afghanistan
• 1870: Afghanistan is invaded by many Arab
conquerors, Islam has taken root.
By 19th century Britain, hoping to protect its
Indian empire from Russia, tried to annex
Afghanistan, which resulted in three BritishAfghan Wars: 1838-42; 1878-80; 1919-21.
1933 Zahir Shah becomes king
• Following his father’s assassination, Shah
becomes king and rules for 40 years. It is a
time of peace, stability, and modernity. The
first modern university was founded and a
new constitution was in introduced in creating
a modern democratic state with free
elections, a parliament, civil rights, liberation
for woman and universal suffrage.
July 17 1973: The “bloodless coup”
ousts Zahir Shah
• While out of the country for eye surgery,
Daoud Khan, King Shah’s cousin, deposes him.
• Khan abolishes the monarchy, naming himself
president.
• Khan promised modernity, but instead ran a
repressive regime, executing and arresting
hundreds of his opponents. He accepts Soviet
assistance to strengthen the military.
Afghanistan images from 1975- no
dialogue
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W90hly2H
V0w&list=PL6D9FDEA078E73F6B
1978 Assassination
Daoud Khan is assassinated
New communist leader, an adversary of Daoud
Khan, Nur Mohammad Taraki becomes
president.
NMT declares independence from USSR
October 1979 Assassination
• Taraki secretly executed by a rival member of
Afghan Communist Party Hafizullah Amin
December 1979 Assassination
• Hafizullah Amin is assassinated.
• Soviets invade and set up a puppet government which rules
through 1989
• 1980 invasion show first.wmv
• By 1982 2.8 million Afghans fled to Pakistan
• During this time, Mujahideen (Afghan Islamic fighters)
fought Soviets with Guerilla warfare.
• 1986 the U.S. backs the Mujahideen by providing weapons
• Mujahideen controlled countryside, Soviets controlled
cities.
The Soviets pull out in 1989, the Taliban comes to
power in 1996. From 1989-1996 rival mujahideen
factions battle for power. A generation of children who
grew up fatherless as their fathers fought the Soviets,
(or sons who grew up fighting alongside their fathers),
under-educated or not educated at all, made for a very
vulnerable society which gave rise to the Taliban to
come. Below, a scene from Charlie Wilson’s war to
explain. . .
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fg3cGwwGX6o
1996
• The Taliban comes to power and put an end to daily fighting in
Afghanistan. At first, this is a welcome change. But the Taliban
quickly establishes and brutally enforces laws based on the Taliban's
interpretation of Islamic law. A sampling of the laws are as follows:
http://www.rawa.org/rules.htm (laws governing women)
http://www.slideshare.net/Halligan/the-laws-of-the-taliban
The Taliban
• The Taliban, based in a Pashtun region of
Afghanistan, grew out of a student movement
that desired to stabilize and purify the country
after years of Soviet occupation and tribal
infighting for control once the occupation was
over. Once in power, the Taliban imposed strict
enforcement of fundamentalist Islamic law,
banning movie and music, and forcing women to
leave school and hide themselves under burqas
that left no skin visible. The Taliban also provided
a sanctuary for Osama bin Laden and his Al
Quaeda organization.
1998
• The Taliban pursues a policy of ethnic
cleansing and massacred the Hazaras in the
city of Mazar-i-Sharif
• More than one million Afghans fled to
Pakistan where they suffered in refugee
camps.
• P:\when the taliban ruled afghanistan.mp4
Sept 11, 2001
• Hijackers crashed two commercial airplanes into the two
towers f the World Trade Center in NYC and a third into the
Pentagon outside Washington D.C A fourth, believed to be
intended to crash into either the Capitol or the White
House, was wrested from the hijackers’ control by the
passengers and crashed in a field in central Pennsylvania.
• With Osama bin Laden, hiding in Afghanistan, and assumed
to be protected by the Taliban, President G. W. Bush and
U.S. allies send troops to Afghanistan with the goal of
ending the Taliban regime and destroying Al Qaeda’s.
• Afghanistan- the taliban in.mp4
June 2002
Following the fall of the Taliban, the Afghan
grand council elected U. S. backed Hamid Karzai
as interim leader. Karzai served as interim
leader until 2004 when more than 10.5 million
Afghans voted in a presidential election in which
Karzai won with 55% of the vote.
The difference between Sunni and Shi’a Muslims
• The division of Islam into these two sects is based on
the beliefs of each regarding the proper successor to
the prophet Muhammad. When Muhammad died, the
question of who was to succeed him as Caliph, or
leader of the Muslim community caused the split.
Sunni Muslims believe that the Koran specifies that the
new leader should be elected from among those who
are capable of doing the job. This is historically what
happened, and Muhammad’s friend, Abu Bakr, was
elected the first Caliph of Islam. The word “Sunni”
comes from an Arabic word that means “one who
follows the traditions of the Prophet.”
Afghan Society
• Afghanistan is located between the Middle East, south Asia, and
central Asia, a geographical situation that has provided it with a
diverse mix of religions, ethnicities, and cultural influences. The
population has traditionally been organized into many tribal groups
based on religion, language, ethnicity, location, and family
relationships. The rugged terrain in Afghanistan has resulted in
significant isolation of each community, creating strong bonds
among the people in a given area, and strong-at times bitterdistrust and rivalry between people in neighboring areas. Pease has
been difficult to establish in this region, which has been the site of
continual invasions and occupations throughout its history. The one
unifying element in Afghanistan is Islam, which is, ironically, also a
source of division. The majority of the population identifies as
Muslim.
Ethnic Groups
• Pashtuns- mostly Sunni Muslims.
• In Afghanistan, Sunni Muslims form the majority and
see themselves as the mainstream and traditional sect
of Islam.
• Pashtuns speak Pashto (some speak Dari) both Pashto
and Dari belong to the Iranian branch of the IndoEuropean language family.
• Pashto and Dari are the official languages of
Afghanistan.
• Pashto is the National language since 1933, but Dari is
used for business and government transactions.
• **Amir and Baba are Pashtuns
Ethnic Groups cont’d
• Hazaras speak a dialect of Diri and live primarily
in central Afghanistan. Hazaras are members of
every Muslim religious sect in the country:
Ismaili, Twelver, Shi’a, and Sunni. Hazaras are
generally believed to be of Mongol descent, and
many claim to be descended from Genghis Khan
himself. The Hazaras are easily distinguished by
their Asian facial features. They are often treated
as subhuman, as seen in The Kite Runner.
• Hassan and Ali are Hazaras
Shi’a and Sunni Cont’d
• Shi’a Muslims believe that the new leader should
come from Muhammad’s family, specifically his cousin
and son-in-law, Ali. Traditionally, Shi’a Muslims have
refused to recognize any authority in Muslim leaders.
They follow Immams, believed to have been
appointed by Muhammad himself. “Shi’a” means “a
supportive party of people” in Arabic. The Shi’a
Muslims are also called followers of “Ahl-al-Bayt,”
which means “People of the Household.” At times the
two sects have peacefully co-existed, at other times,
there have been intense rivalry, violence and
accusations of genocide levied by Shi’ites against
Sunnis.
Isalm
• 1980 invasion show first.wmv
• the invasion the american perspective show second.flv
• Afghanistan- the taliban in.mp4
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ahmad zahir voice of the golden years.mp3
critical afghan issue future of women's rights may 10 2012.mp3
Osama_bin_Laden_and_the_Taliban show fourth.flv
radio afghan goal toning down radical preachers may 10 2012.mp3
Soviet_Invasion_of_Afghanistan.flv
UN confirms Taliban massacre of ethnic minority.htm
• rostram and sorhab.pdf
• 12 years of violence show third.flv
Ten years after the Taliban: a tour of
Afghanistan in 2011
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYqRI6VvR
ZI&playnext=1&list=PL6D9FDEA078E73F6B&fe
ature=results_main
Eid
Eid in Afghanistan
Eid Arrives in Afghanistan
While some worry about the costs associated with celebrating the holiday, most look forward to following
the tradition.
By Suhaila Muhseni [1]17 Nov 05
It was difficult to get through the crowds at Lessa-ye-Mariam, one of Kabul’s crowded bazaars, on the
Sunday before Eid al-Adha, one of the high points in the Muslim calendar. People buying sweets, cakes,
fruit and clothes packed the shops and stalls lining the side streets, and blocked traffic.
Still, according to Mirwais Faizani, who runs a clothing store there, the crowds were deceptive. Business
has been slow compared with previous years because people seem to have less money to spend.
Karima, 28, dressed in a burka, the veil worn by many Afghan women, was there with her son, buying
new clothes for her children to wear during the Eid celebrations.
"Eid is coming and if I don't buy clothes for the children, they will get upset," she said. But Karima, who
works at home as a seamstress while her husband is a state employee, agreed that financial conditions
are difficult this year.
Mirwais, eight, out shopping with her mother, was clearly looking forward to the big day.
"I will wear my new clothes on the Eid days and go over to my grandfather's house to get my ‘eidi’,” she
said, referring to the tradition of children receiving gifts or money during this holiday.
Besides shopping, Afghans were busy this week cleaning, painting and decorating their houses for th e
feasts they will have with families and friends. Young men and women have also been beautifying
themselves by putting henna on their hands.
Eid al-Adha is one of the two “eids” or festivals celebrated in all Muslim countries. One, called Eid al-Fitr
and sometimes called the “lesser Eid”, markes the end of Ramadhan, the month of fasting, and was
celebrated in November.
This year, Eid al-Adha falls on January 20. The date marks the culmination of the Hajj, the annual
pilgrimage to Mecca, and celebrates the moment when instead of allowing Abraham to sacrifice his son,
God provided him with a sheep instead.
To mark the event, Afghans who can afford it will observe the religious obligation to sacrifice an animal,
that will then be cooked and its meat shared.
Maulavi Zabihullah, the mullah at the Abn-e-Masood Mosque in Kabul, explained that any Muslim who
can manage it should sacrifice an animal such as a sheep, goat, cow, buffalo or camel aged less than
one year.
The mullah said that sheep and goats, the most commonly sacrificed animals in Afghanistan, only need to
be shared by one family. Meanwhile, cows, buffalos, and camels, if sacrificed, must be shared with seven
people.
Nazi, 88, bedridden in her Kabul home, says Eid has changed since her youth. The animal sacrifice still
occurs, as do the prayers, but back then young people didn’t buy cake, biscuits and sweets. W omen used
to bake fresh bread and cook “shorba”, soup with red meat, she said. Then they would take the soup and
the fresh bread to the mosque and spread it out on a tablecloth on the floor, so that all those who were
praying could have food.
In those days, she recalled, most people made their new clothes from cheap cloth, rather than buying it.
The men and male teenagers would put on their finery, outline their eyes with black kohl, and gather in
parks to play games such as cards or “egg fights” – each trying to crack the other’s hard-boiled egg.
For men engaged to be married, Eid can be an expensive event. They are expected to buy gifts for their
fiancée and her family, as well as new clothes for themselves.
Mohammad Rafiq, 25, who has been engaged for the past two years, owns a modest convenience store.
This year, like last, he said he feels obliged to buy many gifts for his fiancée and her family including
clothes, jewellery and sweets. Without much money himself, Rafiq called many of these gifts
“unnecessary expenditures”.
Now, he worries he won’t be able to afford his own wedding, and may be forced to borrow money just to
fulfil the gift-giving tradition. He said there have been two verbal disputes so far between his own and his
fiancée’s families over Eid presents.
"This year I don't have money to spend on Eid. I am wondering what to do: if I don't bring ‘eidi’, people will
make fun of me,” he said.
Benazir, 18, has been engaged for one year. Her fiancé is a government official who doesn't have much
money, but her family is expecting him to bring a huge amount of ‘eidi’ for them. Benazir, who disagrees
with her family’s demands, said they are just trying to compete with others.
There is one Eid tradition that doesn’t cost a lot of money, however. It’s the spirit of forgiveness. Eid is a
time when people are urged to put aside their differences at least for one day, and visit each other’s
houses.
Suhaila Muhseni is an IWPR reporter based in Kabul
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• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiOFpLd1jKE
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• http://peacefulrivers.homestead.com/rumipo
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• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5Bmrfy
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• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebioF5rA
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Ahmad Zahir
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXaCmKJKhY