The Kite Runner

History of Afghanistan 1870: Afghanistan is invaded by many Arab conquerors, Islam has taken root. By 19 th century Britain, hoping to protect its Indian empire from Russia, tried to annex Afghanistan, which resulted in three British- Afghan Wars: ; ;

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 : 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.

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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 invasion show first.wmv By million Afghans fled to Pakistan During this time, Mujahideen (Afghan Islamic fighters) fought Soviets with Guerilla warfare 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 From 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...

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: (laws governing women)

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 bitter- distrust 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 Indo- European 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.

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1980 invasion show first.wmv the invasion the american perspective show second.flv Afghanistan- the taliban in.mp4 ahmad zahir voice of the golden years.mp3 critical afghan issue future of women's rights may mp3 Osama_bin_Laden_and_the_Taliban show fourth.flv radio afghan goal toning down radical preachers may 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 ZI&playnext=1&list=PL6D9FDEA078E73F6B&fe ature=results_main ZI&playnext=1&list=PL6D9FDEA078E73F6B&fe ature=results_main

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