From Deterioration To Restoration

As soon at Taliban came in control in Kabul woman had no right to do anything.They weren't allowed to step out of their doors, they weren't allowed to work, woman/girls weren't allowed to go to school, ban on woman laughing.Those that didn't obey the laws were whipped in public, were beaten etc.The Taliban had stated that this was being done for their protection.An example of Taliban's violent treatment against the woman is; a woman wearing nail paint had her fingertips chopped by a Taliban officer. Taliban had just the say thing to say against this, “it was being done to safeguard

In Afghanistan, Women’s rights were very denied and completely dismissed. Women were treated horribly. They were beaten, abused verbally, and even killed. Under the rule of the Taliban, women were better off staying in the safety of their own homes.

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.

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

Growing up and living in Afghanistan as a woman has its challenges. Parents choose who can marry you and they choose everything for you. In this book, Laila and Mariam both show the struggles it is to be a girl, and how much disrespect they get in Afghanistan. Both Mariam and Laila are married to the same man, and he is abusive to both of them. They also live under Taliban rule, and the rules that they set are very unfair for women. In Khaled Hosseni’s novel, he has many different themes but the most prevalent one is of woman inequality, and that is shown through multiple accounts of abuse, disrespect, and unfairness.

Historical information about the Setting: The major events in this book occurred in the last decade. After the Twin Towers fell on September 11, 2001, the lives of many Middle Easterners (Iraqians, Iranians, etc.) and South Asians (Afghans, Pakistanis, etc.) were changed. Many people, especially women, were brutally slaughtered for disobeying the Taliban, a terrorist group that worked closely with al Qaeda. Not only were the Taliban extreme religious fundamentalists, they were also strict with enforcement. The US and many other countries have tried to end these terrorist organizations, but they hurt a great deal of innocent people, which this book goes further in depth about. In these recent years, there has been great progression in basic rights for women, as well as men, which most likely could have never happened prior to this time.

The Taliban’s are Student’s of Islamic Knowledge Movement who ruled Afghanistan from 1996-2001; they came to power after a long Civil war with the Soviet forces. They held 90% of the country and followed a policy that included the treatment of women and terrorist activities. Their power came to end after September 11, 2001 (opendemocray). The movie allows us to experience another culture; women had no rights to work or leave their home alone. At the very beginning of the movie hundreds of woman, protest their freedom, for their rights to work. It was interesting to see women willing to sacrifice their lives in order to have equality; they were fearless, despite knowing the consequence of death or imprisonment.

The Dressmaker of Khair Khana, is a book about what people in Afghanistan experienced throughout the Taliban and the war in Afghanistan. The book opened my eyes to see what people experienced during these events. The events that were happening were completely changing all aspects of their lives. The Taliban changed the lives of all people in Afghanistan. All of this information was all foreign and unfamiliar to me and I imagine it would be to most Americans. It is important to attempt to understand the changes and experiences people went through, even if they do not directly relate to us. Although all residents were impacted during this time, it is important to understand how the Taliban altered the lives of women residing in Afghanistan.

As odd as the restrictions women had, the punishments for violations were even more unbelievable. To humiliate the women, most of the punishments were available to be seen by the public. The penalties for broken laws were often held public in sports stadiums, town squares, or other densely populated areas for everyone to see. For a minor infraction, oftentimes the one who committed the transgression was often beaten until unconscious. A woman once had her thumb removed because her thumb nail was exposed, and when the Taliban guard saw this, she was taken into the town square to have her exposed thumb taken off. The things that the Taliban do to innocent citizens are cruel, and they should be the ones being reprimanded, not the other way around. In general, many of the punishments that the Taliban give out to women are, in most cases, much too excessive for such insignificant “crimes”. (Delcan Walsh)

Throughout the book “A Thousand Splendid Suns,” there is a growing understanding that focuses on the ideas imposed by biased views prejudice against women. This has made a wide impact on decades of Afghan people as they watch their country slowly shatter. The tough times in this society demonstrates how the Taliban uses fear and violence to control the people within Afghanistan, showing a powerful portrait of female suffering. The story is told in the perspectives of two women, Mariam and Laila.They show that both love and hate are powerful shapers of the human spirit. Both of the women’s cultural and physical surroundings influence the people they become, and shape how they perceive the world. Although Mariam and Laila have different beginnings,

The Taliban implemented laws restricting the movements and actions of women in Afghanistan in public places. While attempting to visit her child in a home for young girls, Laila is beaten within an inch of her life as a consequence of walking outside without a male escort (Hosseini). The extreme course of action, beating a woman for walking alone, demonstrates the illogical and unjustifiable actions the Taliban promotes the practice of in Afghanistan. The women and men have dramatically unequal rights.

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

Unlike American culture, Afghan women do not have the same rights as men. As of today, the capital, Kabul, is ruled by the Taliban, a political party that emphasizes moral values. The Taliban has forced women to cover themselves, remain inside, and stay quiet ever since they took over. He encountered a women’s hospital during his visit in Afghanistan in 2003. The deprivation of women inspired Hosseini to create A Thousand Splendid Suns so readers can understand the daily struggles Afghan women encounter.

Since the beginning of time, women have had to fight rigorously for basic human rights. In the western stratosphere, those human rights were achieved in the early 20th century, but in a lot of eastern countries the battle for the women is just beginning, or worse hasn't even started. Women in Afghanistan have been subject to heinous circumstances, even though their religion, Islam "demanded that men and women be equal before God,"(Qazi). Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner offers a very insightful view of the governing politics of Afghanistan pre-Taliban regime and during the Taliban regime, and the differing situation of women in both those eras. Based on the book and outside research, it is evident that the situation of women in

The reason I chose to study Islamic Feminism and Afghanistan, is that for many people, these words do not belong in the same sentence. Afghanistan has come to be recognized as a country that follows strict and fundamentalist Islam, hindering the lives of women and even damaging their lives. Since I entered high school, Afghanistan has been known to me and my generation as a country