The Kite Runner Background Information:  Historical, Political and Cultural Contexts

The Kite Runner: Introduction First novel to be written in English Title is derived from an old Afghan     hobby  Gudiparan Bazi  or Kite Flying  It is a unique Afghan pastime      during windy spring season

About the Author Born in 1965 in Kabul, Afghanistan Moved to the States in 1980 Attended Santa Clara University, Cal Graduated from UC San Diego School     of Medicine in 1996  His specialty is internal medicine.

Synopsis The novel maps the journey of the Amir, the narrator.  The story takes place in Afghanistan,     Pakistan, and the United States from 1975     to 2003.

Map of Middle East

Synopsis Amir belongs to: a wealthy family whose father is a businessman the dominant Pashtun ethnic group the dominant Sunni religious group

Synopsis Amir tells the story of his friendship with Hassan. Hassan and his father, Ali, are Amir’s servants He is a low-caste ethnic Hazara He belongs to the minority Shi’it religious     denomination He is the victim of discrimination due to his religious    and ethnic identity

Synopsis AMIR AND HIS GUILT: Amir is overwhelmed with guilt when he allows a neighborhood bully named Assef to beat and sexually assault Hassan. SEPARATION: Hassan and his father leave Kabul for Hazarajat Amir and his father flee Afghanistan for Pakistan and eventually they end up in Fremont, California Amir takes his tragic memories to America

Synopsis He returns to Afghanistan in search of Hassan While in Pakistan, Amir finds out that Hassan and     his wife were killed by the Taliban regime They left a son behind by the name of Sohrab, who has become another victim of Assef’s assaults, and Amir must try to rescue him.

The Taliban The world Taliban is the plural of and Arabic word, Talib, or someone who seeks religious knowledge before he becomes a preacher in a mosque They were the sons of Afghan refugees in Pakistan and attended Pakistani schools of theology Became active in October 1994 in Qandahar and  continued their advances in the country with help of Pakistan By 1997 they held about 90 percent of the Afghan  territory, including Kabul Effects of the Taliban’s Takeover They brought relative peace and security in the country

Effects of the Taliban’s Takeover The banished the warlords and forced to the northeastern corner of the country and formed the Northern Alliance Restored law and order but through rigorous enforcement of Islamic punishment: public beating, flogging, amputation of hands, and stoning to death The Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Suppression of Vice was the powerful arm of the Taliban government. The ministry issued strict religious decrees that denied people the right to freedom of expression, association, the right to work, and the right to education They prohibited games such as kite flying, chess, music, cassette

The Taliban and the World Reaction Only three countries recognized the Taliban government: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Pakistan Initially, America gave a lukewarm support to the Taliban. We hoped the regime would be a partner in oil-pipeline, UNOCAL or Union Oil Company of California CONCLUSION The new game, the Cold War, between the U.S.A. and the former Soviet Union, brought death and utter destruction to the country Over 5 million Afghans abandoned their homes and went into exile in other countries Close to 1.5 million lost their lives Many left their homes for secured areas of the country

Other Factors the Contributed to a Failed State in Afghanistan A DIVERSE NATION Afghanistan is nation of groups with distinct ethnic, religious, and tribal traditions. ETHNIC DIVERSITY Over 30 different ethnic groups.  They are not contained within Afghanistan. Pashtuns are the dominant ethnic group, who account for about 38 percent of the population and ruled Afghanistan for most of the history of Afghanistan. Tajiks are the second largest ethnic groups with about 25 percent of the population.

Hazaras consists of about 10 to 15 percent Ethnicity Hazaras consists of about 10 to 15 percent Pashtun Tajik Hazara

Others (Turkmen, Aimaq, Baluch, Nuristani) Ethnicity Others (Turkmen, Aimaq, Baluch, Nuristani) 13 percent. Uzbak Pashtun Uzbeks consists of about 9 percent Baluch

Religious Diversity Afghanistan has two dominant religious groups, the Sunni,or the so-called orthodox Islam, and Shi’ite or the so-called heterodox. Sunni constitutes 85 percent of the population and Shi’ite consists of 15 percent of Afghan population Shi’ites split from the Sunni’s in the seventh century over who the Prohet Mohammad’s legitimate successors were Shi’ites consider Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet, the legitimate successor Shi’ites developed their own conception of Islamic law and practices. In the past Shi’ites had been persecuted in Afghanistan.

Conclusion The Kite Runner tells more than just the story of Amir and Hassan. It is the sad story of the Afghan people. They have suffered at the hands of foreign invaders and their own people.

Kite Running http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5S47aSlezs