Kite Runner

1253 Words3 Pages

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 Afghanistan has decreased with time, due to cultural beliefs, as well as the Taliban regime.

Women in Afghanistan weren't always suppressed by the government. Amir, the narrator of The Kite Runner, talks about a time when women were allowed basic rights like jobs, for example, his "mother taught at the university," (250 Hosseini). In one instance in the novel, a beggar man describes to Amir how his mother and him "would sit and talk after class," (249), that may not seem like a big deal, but she was a woman talking to another man who wasn't her husband or father, and under the Taliban that would be under severe penalty. Women also "didn't have to wear burqas out in the public" (Katz), and had complete freedom as to what they wore and how they presented themselves. Sanaubar was a woman who took complete control of this freedom, for she had "brilliant green eyes and an impish face and […] [walked with a] suggestive stride" (8 Hosseini). Women were also allowed schooling, and the freedom to leave the house a...

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...the Taliban has been wiped out, many villages still don't allow women basic rights and liberties because of their cultural beliefs. Until the bigotry of women in the entire society of Afghanistan can be wiped out, these instances of discrimination will only continue, and the rights of the Afghani women will remain hidden beneath the veils of their burqa's.

Works Cited

DiManno, Rosie. "Pity the Women of the Taliban" About. 12 Nov 2001. 13 Mar 2006. .

Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. New York: Riverhead, 2003.

Katz, Nikki V. "Women Under the Taliban Control". About. 13 Mar 2006. .

"Muslim Women's Perspective on Women's Plight in Afghanistan". Afghanistan Online. Nov 1996. 13 Mar 2006. .

Qazi, Abdullah. "Plight of the Afghan Women". Afghanistan Online. 30 May 2005. 13 Mar 2006. .

"Taliban Treatment of Women" Wikipedia. 10 Mar 2006. 13 Mar 2006. .

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