Fundamentalism In Taha El Shazli

Hassan is a victim of discrimination, bigotry, and class structure in Afghan society. Hassan and Ali are members of the Hazaras, a minority group of Afghanis. Amir and his father are Pashtuns, the majority, who believes they are a better class than the Hazara. Religion was all that separated Amir and Hassan, as did tribe and class. Amir learned from his father that the Harara tribe to which Ali and Hassan belonged, were inferior people. Because of this bigotry and basic class structure, Hazaras are often victims of physical, emotional and psychological abuse. Thus when a crisis comes and Hassan is being attack, Amir not only doesn't come to Hassan's aid, but also allows him to be brutally abused. Morality lacks because of this class structure, which allows people to be treated as second-class citizens. Considerations towards morality and religion helps the reader to broaden there understanding of the novel and it would be impossible to appreciated the book lacking them.

Almost a year ago, Egypt broke into civil unrest when protesters flooded Tahrir Square, demanding the end of Hosnia Mubarak’s regime. Although Mubarak stepped down within two weeks, Egypt is worse off today than it was last January. The Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF), which played a vital role in the January revolution, has now become a violent and oppressive force. On the twenty-ninth of December 2011, the SCAF raided seventeen Egyptian, German, and US run NGOs in search of proof of illegal foreign funding.1 In a statement (A/HRC/18/NGO/77) submitted by the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS), the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR), and the Center for Egyptian Women’s

Iran’s conflict between modernism and fundamentalism can be seen in the novel’s focus on the political prisoners. Marji encounters various men that were incarcerated for holding extreme leftist views, including her uncle, and the consequences they faced. In the chapter “The Heroes” Marji is exposed to the various torture methods induced to make the prisoners betray others who shared their discontent. This can be seen when Marji’s father asks about Ahmadi and Siamk, the newly freed prisoner, tells them, “… Ahmadi was assassinated. As a member of the guerrillas, he suffered hell” (54). In making this comment, Ahmadi shows the intensity with which fierce opponents were persecuted. Additionally, the never ending arrests and deaths of these political opponents show the

Amongst the turbid and dysfunction that is the Middle East lies the nation of Egypt. Egypt, a major country of the Middle East, is habitually considered stereotypical of Middle Eastern civilization, but further research guides one to the conclusion that Egypt is far from a generic Middle Eastern country. Egypt has a strong tradition of nationalism that has been formed during its history, giving it a national unity that is often non-existent in other Middle Eastern nations (1). This, as well as other advantages that Egypt has gained during its past, has allowed it to rise above the problems plaguing the rest of the Middle East and to form basically its

The human rights lawyer Fethi Tarbel, was arrested and sparked the uproar that caused the call of removal for Muammar Gaddafi. In Libya, the government had taken political prisoners and people were especially unhappy about this one. Fethi Tarbel “was the coordinator of one of the few independent organizations in Libya — a group of families of victims of the Abu Salim prison massacre, where more than 1,200 political prisoners were killed by security forces in 1996” (thenational.ae). This set people off because “Mr. Senussi tried to persuade Mr. Tarbel to give up the cause of the Abu Salim victim’s families” (thenational.ae). People were not happy because they had suffered a tragedy like that and were receiving help, but then the government comes and wanted to shut it down. The families then gathered outside to protest the injustice that happened to Mr. Tarbel. The actions the people took would have made Arendt proud because they were justified and meant to make change happen. With this, people saw this as an opportunity and said, “Benghazi wake up, this

When Amir returns to Kabul to rescue Sohrab, he watches the cleric accusing a man and woman of adultery. The Taliban, numb to the horrific screams of the woman as she is thrown in her grave, derive pleasure from pelting stones at her. Forced to silently watch the hateful scene, people like Amir cannot dare to object or they risk being killed. Unable to do or say anything, Amir watches those lecherous animals kicking the dead couple’s bodies barbarically. Internalizing this incident, Amir realizes that the only way to save Sohrab is by confronting oppressors. A Talib official now, Assef is responsible for killing Hazaras and for sexually abusing Sohrab. Reminded of the same scene where Assef bullies Amir and Hassan, Amir this time fights instead of staying silent to Assef’s tantrums. Fortunately with Sohrab’s help on the slingshot, Amir is able to defeat Assef and atone for his past mistakes of abandoning his half-brother, Hassan. Taking the initiative to right a wrong, Amir defies the bystander effect thus breaking the cycle of immoral acts. Knowing that he cannot change Assef’s brutish ways by mere words, Amir soughts violence but saves Sohrab. Assef, a bigot, believes that Pashtuns can show their power over others through

Assef is the prime example of someone who chose evil, power, and selfish gain in times of both easiness and hardship. Due to this, he becomes a psychopathic figure, who delights in abusing power to cause pain. He grew up similar to Amir, surrounded by riches and given everything he could possibly want, and granted a great standing in society due to his race and wealth. However, from a young age he chooses to violently wield this power as he is introduced as someone who has a “well-earned reputation for savagery,” (Hosseini 38). He commits the act of rape, a sexual act that is used as a sign of power, against Hassan to show that he was in charge. When he was finally in a position of pain, he used it to add fire to his rage and become more cruel. A soldier who hurt him suffered a fate of “Being shot in the balls, “ (Hosseini 284). Assef’s joining of the Taliban further illustrates Assef’s evil personality as he joins them to “take out the garbage,” (Hosseini 284) to refer to the ethnic cleansing of the Hazaras. The Taliban are a reflection of his values as they abuse their power through violence. A certain story brings an understanding to the kind of people they are: “The worker, who was running a project north of Kabul, said he had tolerated a series of petty thefts by his Afghan workforce until his transistor radio, his only means of getting news of the outside world, went missing. He complained to the local mujahedin commander. A couple of days later the radio reappeared in his room, and he thought no more about it until the following morning, when he found the bodies of two men, shot through the head, in the road outside his compound. After that he kept any complaints of theft to him,” (Whitaker). The Taliban used murder as punishment for a petty theft, a clear overreaction for the purpose of solidifying fear into people’s hearts to keep their power, something Assef does by raping

A classic example of the radical transformation of Egyptian state religion is found on the

(Hosseini, 34.) This shows that Amir acts selfishly whilst Hassan is getting raped, showing the ignorance of equality within society. Amir’s apathy is due to the lack of courage and desire to help because of the segregation between himself and Hassan. As Amir tells his story about his past, he claims, “Because the past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years.”

Kairallah Talfah’s impact on Saddam Hussein has severely implemented a negative and destructive ideology of Arab Nationalism and Ba’athism, promoting supremacy of Arab nations. The influence and passion for Nazi Germany, introduced by Kairallah Talfah, undoubtedly led to the heinous nature of Saddam Hussein’s crimes, inevitably leading to Hussein’s trial and

Egypt had its own unique revolution following the Arab Spring. Unlike other MENA states, the Arab Spring created two separate resistance movements in Egypt. The article, Revolution Part 2: The Fall of Mohamed Morsi, discusses Egypt’s second resistance movement against the Muslim Brotherhood and President Mohamed Morsi. While most Arab Spring resistance groups took to the streets, the Muslim Brotherhood went underground to build a political network that would ultimately seize power after President Hosni Mubarak stepped down. The Muslim Brotherhood emplaced political and religious figures into government positions and drafted new legislation to turn Egypt into a Muslim

One can scarcely turn on the television, or the radio, or open up a web browser without the mention of Islamic terrorism or unrest around the world. Though the United States and the rest of the world may not be engaged in a protracted religious war, for radical Muslim fundamentalist they are. Bernard Lewis brings to light possible reasons for the issues facing the world dealing with Islamic terrorism. The Crisis of Islam: Holy War and Unholy Terror explains these issues in historical context as well as how some of the actions professed in the name of Islam and claim to

A revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protests (both violent and non-violent), riots, and civil wars in the Arab World that began on 18 December 2010, later gained the heading “The Arab spring”. The Arab spring began by a twenty six year old boy named Mohammed Bouazizi was getting ready to sell fruits and vegetables in a rural town of Sidi Bouzid Tunisia. Bouazizi was the primary supporter for his widowed mother and six of his siblings. The entire incident originated when the police officer asked bouazizi to hand over his wooden cart, he refused the police women allegedly slapped him after being publicly humiliated bouazizi marched in front of a government building and set himself on fire. The Jasmine revolution in Tunisia, the shock wave swept across the country which threatened the stability of this oil-rich region with repercussion felt internationally. After the world witnessed what happened in Tunisia, it caused a spilled over into most of the Arab countries. Such as Egypt, Libya Syria and Yemen. Aim of this paper is to show that the current situation corollary of decades of failed policies, exacerbated by an unsolicited foreign intervention. The extensive consequences, I will argue, require cautious attention and careful management from international communities as well as the Arab human rights committee. This paper seeks to explore the profound causes that prompted the so called “Arab awakening” and the covert hidden agenda behind the sudden pro democratic

In late 2010, a tidal wave of uprisings and protests in various parts of the Arab world emerged. It began with the Tunisian revolution when the martyr Mahmoud Bouazizi set fire to himself as a result of the deteriorating economic and social. This led to protests and demonstrations that ended with the fall of the ruling regime. In Tunisia which sparked the beginning of revolutions in many Arab countries, this is known as an Arab Spring. The question remains what are the real reasons that led to the Arab Spring and its effects? the causes of the Arabic spring May be varied, depending on the places, however the reasons can be a corruption in economic policies and demand social justice as the key motives and protests in the Arab world. This essay will discuss the most important reasons, and the effects of what is known as the Arab Spring.

The Arab Spring has been a life changing phenomena, not only for the people who are attempting to overthrow their governments but for political scientists everywhere. The events originating in the North African country of Tunisia have led to the snowballing of several other Middle Eastern, predominantly Muslim, nation states. The figurative breaking point might have finally been reached as the oppressed peoples of the Middle East have risen up to overthrow long-standing dictatorial governments in hopes of revolutionary change; change that is subject to the will of the people.