Abr Rahman Khan Research Paper

Growing up the way Amir did as a Pashtun, it could be easy to see him take what he had for granted. Although Afghanistan is a poor country, Baba and Amir has the approval of everyone in town that Baba “had built the most beautiful house in the Wazir Akbar Khan district” (Hosseini 4). In terms of what people could have in

Today in the post –Taliban era, women still struggle with their rights. Resolutions were produced and rights for women have advanced since September 11th but in order to move forward, much work needs to be done. Hundreds of years of repression for Afghan women will take a lot longer than a few years to actually revolutionize. There is violence towards women that are not practicing traditions customs and fear retaliations from the Taliban. Customs are difficult to change as well as government policies. (Bora Laskin Law). In Afghanistan, religious and cultural values, politics, and an uncertain acting government have played a major part in the struggle for women’s rights.

“Afghanistan was a monarchy ruled by King Zahir Shah. On July 17, 1973, when the king was on away on vacation, a man by the name of Mohammad Daoud Khan attained power. The military takeover did not cause any bloodshed, but as we see through Amir's story, it was still a frightening time for the people of Kabul who heard rioting and shooting in the streets. For six years, Mohammad Daoud Khan was President and Prime Minister of Afghanistan. Then, on April 27, 1978, he was violently overthrown by the PDPA, People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan. Daoud was killed in

The Constitution that was created in Afghanistan during the 1920’s, stated equal rights for women and men. In fact, during the year of 1959, new policies created educational and career opportunities and voluntary removal of having to wear the burka. Women’s roles become similarly equivalent to male roles; they had the opportunity to acquire knowledge from universities, and were provided jobs in industrial, business, and entertainment settings. The atrocities that came about during the Mujaheddin and Taliban control were unheard of years prior, when women lived in peace and prosperity

The beginning of an Islāmic group started to take over Afghanistan in 1996, after the Soviet Union left Afghanistan. This group is known as the Taliban. The Taliban’s mission is to make an Islāmic government in Afghanistan. The Taliban started with Islāmic students from Pakistan. Then in “September 1996 the Taliban seized control of Kabul (Afghanistan’s capital) and carried out a strict interpretation or explanation of Islāmic Law”(Hayes NP). The Taliban killed the Afghan president, Mohammed Najibullah in Kabul. That is when the Taliban took over Afghanistan. The Taliban controlled 95% of Afghanistan. Then once the Taliban had taken over Afghanistan, they started announcing their restrictions, that were harsh against women.

Khaled Hosseini presents the struggle Afghan women go through every day by discussing honour, marriage and the place of women in society in Afghanistan.

Those who disobey this law would be pursued and punished. Another restriction on women is found in Article 22. It states that, “An Afghan mussulman woman may not marry other than a mussulman”. There are many other unspoken laws for women when it comes to marriage.

Outside influence has always be an issue for Afghanistan as demonstrated by the numerous military campaigns that surround its history most notably by Alexander the Great, British, Soviet Russians, and today by Western powers. During 1880-1901 Abdur Rahman Khan came into power. It was at this time Abdur Rahman expressed that the British were “really anxious to see Afghanistan a strong independent Government-a true ally and barrier, “ whereas the Russians wished “to see Afghanistan divided into pieces and very weak, if not entirely cleared out of the way to India.” (Ewans, pg 99). Although considered a strong ruler who re-established the Afghan Government his power came from the reliability of the British for his protection throughout his reign.

When Amir and his father lived in Afghanistan, there were two different groups of people living in one society: the Pashtuns and the Hazaras. Pashtuns were the large ethnic group in Afghanistan that followed the Sunni Muslim religion while the Hazaras were the lower class workers of Mongolian decent who were Shi’a Muslims. Pashtuns were the ones with money and power like Amir and his father, Baba. Hassan and his father Ali were Hazara servants that worked for the family. Amazingly enough, the two families were very close with Ali and Baba growing up as children and their children growing up together as well.

The life of Amir began to change in 1973. This was the year that the King of Afghanistan, Mohammad Zahir Shah, was overthrown (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica). A period of anarchy ensued during this time. The kingdom was overthrown by Shah’s brother-in-law General Mohammad Daud Khan who claimed Afghanistan

If a woman displayed herself in a sexy manner, as Sanaubar did, she would be considered "dishonorable" (8). If an unwed woman held a conversation with a man, she would be seen as a "lochak" (146), or in other words a brazen girl. The honor of a girl mattered so much because virtuous girls brought in respectable "suitable suitors" (148), and one of the most important things an Afghani girl needed was a husband. This cultural belief gave men an overbearing advantage once they married. The men essentially controlled how their wives lived their lives. The prime example in this case would be General Taheri, who had many opinions on how women should behave. The General forbade his wife to sing in public because he thought it was a job for people with "lesser reputations" (177), he didn't "approve of women drinking alcohol," (183), and was constantly worried about the public perception of his family. Baba, to some extent also represented these views. He talked about losing ones honor in a very somber manner, and believed that a man's honor rested in the "chastity of a wife. Or a daughter." (145)

Ahmad Shah Massoud was one of the most brilliant and fearless military minds that has lived in the modern era. The Lion of Panjshir, as Massoud was sometimes referred to as, managed to provide some light in a country that was overcome by darkness. In Afghanistan, the Taliban ruled with harsh authority. However, they did not control all of Afghanistan. Ahmad Shah Massoud’s forces were able to take control of places in the West and in the Panjshir Valley. Massoud’s forces were what the only thing keeping the Taliban from controlling all of Afghanistan (Gail Stewart 88).

At its height, the Taliban was recognized by Pakistan, by the United Arab Emirates and by Saudi Arabia. It then controlled all of Afghanistan, apart from small regions in the northeast, which were held by the Northern Alliance. Most of the rest of the world, and the United Nations continued to recognize Rabbani as Afghanistan's legal Head of State, although it was generally understood that he had no real influence in country.

In 1919, the Emir Amānullāh Khan of Afghanistan declared independence from Britain, leading to the Third Anglo-Afghan war, in which the British were defeated due to the depletion of their resources, money, and troops of World War I (Hodge). Afterwards, Khan began drastic attempts at social and political changes in order to modernize and catch up with the rest of the world: “Afghanistan became a laboratory for a range of experiments in nation-building, as foreign advisers from around the world arrived to help with infrastructure projects and institute educational changes” (Wall Street Journal). Khan implemented “western-style reforms, including an education program and road-building projects” (Encyclopaedia Britannica) including opposition to

(Barry Neild). This allowed for other countries to easily influence and take partial control of the country, this had been a trend in Afghanistan in the nineteenth century. Khan was the third son of his family and grew up with great knowledge, this had led him to be a leader for his country and stripping the British of their influence. His dedication to his people was shown through acts to better the country. Khan had socially impacted the country in many ways, he had created and developed secular education for girls and boys, and as well as adult classes, he had abolished slavery and forced labor, and lastly he had discouraged the seclusion of women and veiling (UCA). Once these social changes were implemented, the people started to appreciate the benefits of having Khan as their leader. From this point on Afghanistan had only