The Role of Taliban in the Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Abstract

This study emphasizes the social, economic and political impacts on The Taliban as shown in Khaled Hosseini’s novel ‘The Kite Runner.’ My study aims to look at the social and political impacts of Taliban in terms of the novel. This research paper aims to explore the Taliban’s influence on Afghan people. Where Afghanistan suffers as a land of conflict, divided by caste, religion, class as well as political ambition, human rights is the way to make Afghan people realize the distant dream.

In the novel, The Taliban influence on Afghani culture is affected by Taliban Laws, The Mistreatment of Hazaras, and The Mistreatment of Women. The Taliban Laws was forced on women and men. A lot of Taliban women were forced to live under the Taliban’s laws and restrictions.

Keywords: Taliban, Women, Afghanistan, The Kite Runner, Political Impacts, Economic Impacts, Social Impacts

Introduction

The Taliban have started showing fear in the Afghan men and women by ruling in horror and terror. Once the Taliban took over, Afghanistan had become one of the poorest and the most troubled places in the world. The Taliban influence on Afghani culture and is effect on Taliban laws, The Mistreatment of Hazaras, and The Mistreatment of Women is evident.

Hazaras were the less powerful or the weaker race, who received no education and they were used as servants. In the story, Hassan, Ali, Farzana and Sohrab were Hazaras. The abuse and rape faced by Hassan by Assef, the stoning of the Hazaras, shooting of Hassan and Farzana by the Taliban, and the abuse and rape faced by Sohrab by Assef. These instances particularly emphasize how the Pashtun community rule and dominate the Hazaras.

Main Body

What is Taliban?

The Taliban is a militant group made up of Pashtuns who have made an attempt to take control over Afghanistan and parts of Pakistan through terrorist attacks, and suicide bombings. They are severe firm believers of the Sharia Law, which calls for public execution of those convicted for murder or adultery.

Kabul is Fearful of the Taliban

When Amir flees to Pakistan to visit Rahim Khan, he soon realizes the cruelty against the Afghan citizens. Rahim Khan says, ‘They don’t let you be human’. He promises us an example of a soccer game he attended. When a man close to Rahim Khan cheered too loudly, a Talib soldier thought it was Rahim Khan who made the noise. The soldier hit Rahim Khan on the head with his machine gun and said, ‘Do that again and I’ll cut out your tongue, you old donkey.’ The scar on Rahim Khan’s head from the injury never goes away. Rahim Khan said that the Taliban also used the half-time of the soccer game to execute a man and women for adultery by stoning them to death in front of a crowd.

Brutality against Hassan’s Family

Rahim Khan fled Afghanistan for Pakistan, but Hassan and his family stayed in Rahim’s house. Talib officials had their eye on the property and came to investigate a Hazara family living alone in such a nice house. According to a report Rahim Khan received, ‘They accused him of lying when Hassan told them he was living with me, even though many of the neighbors… supported Hassan’s story. The Talibs said he was a liar and a thief like all Hazaras and ordered him to get his family out of the house by sundown. Hassan protested… They told Hassan they would be moving in to supposedly keep it safe until I return. Hassan protested again. So they took him to the street.’ Hassan was executed in the street. When his wife ran out screaming, she was also executed. The courts ruled that the Talib officials were defending themselves, so the case was dismissed. Sohrab, Hassan’s son, was taken to an orphanage.

Amir prepared to go to Afghanistan to bring Sohrab to safety. He needs, ‘perhaps the most important item: an artificial beard, black and chest length, Shari’a friendly — or at least the Taliban version of Shari’a.’ The Taliban created their own religious rules that require the men to wear beards.

On the journey to the orphanage, Amir learns more about the conditions in Afghanistan. Only the Taliban can afford to eat meat. Most everyone knows someone who has been killed or had their home destroyed by the Taliban. ‘They all wore beards and black turbans.’ Amir also learns that he should never look the Taliban straight in the eye. They are always looking for trouble. Amir’s driver, Farid advises, ‘Keep your eyes on your feet when the Talibs are near.’

Author’s Note:

“There is no act which is more wretched than stealing.” The Taliban did exactly that when they stole the freedom of the Afghan people. The Taliban were terrible abusers and they destroyed several customs and traditions of the Afghan culture. Even though they treated everyone very poorly, the Hazara people got the worst end of the Taliban reign. They turned the county against each other. They took over Kabul, mistreated women and children in Afghanistan, which is even considered dangerous country to live in because of the Taliban.

After the Taliban conquered, they brought in a new set of rules and certain list of regulations in regards to females. A set of examples of rules that females have are:

· They have to wear a burkha

· They cannot wear cosmetics

· They cannot be seen in their own house by an outsider

· The windows need to be painted so they cannot be seen

Even now, in the contemporary world, Afghanistan is still a dangerous place to live. The main source of economic growth depends on illegal drug trade. A lot of civilian causalities have actually increased in recent years and the Taliban says that they plan to use Pakistan to use it as a base for launching attacks against its allies.

In the Afghan world today, especially in Kabul, the Taliban government had a strong and powerful influence on everyone living there. The Taliban are Muslim fundamentalists group that took over the government from 1996 to 2001. They enforced several unrealistic laws that caused hardships for men and women in Afghanistan.

The Taliban had control of over 90% of the population until countries came together to stop them. They now, control only 54% which makes a big difference. There is a lot of irreversible damage that has been done, affecting the country and the way the people live.

Conclusion

When Amir, the narrator, returns to the Middle East after having fled Afghanistan for the United States many years earlier, he asks Rahim Khan, a family friend, if the Taliban are as bad as he has heard. ‘Nay, it’s worse. Much worse,’ Rahim responded, ‘They don’t let you be human.’

Rahim Khan didn’t expect to feel that way. He said, ‘When the Taliban rolled in and kicked the Alliance out of Kabul, I actually danced on that street… And, believe me, I wasn’t alone. People were celebrating…greeting the Taliban in the streets, climbing their tanks and posing for pictures with them.’ Most of the citizens were full of hope and saw the Taliban as Rahim Khan did, ‘They were heroes.’

But not everyone felt the same way. Amir and Rahim Khan are Pashtuns. The Pashtuns have always been the majority in Kabul and have enjoyed a life of privilege because of the race they were born into. The Hazaras have been oppressed by the Pashtuns. Only a Hazara, like Hassan, would know the devastation that Taliban rule would bring. While everyone else celebrated, Hassan, the servant, said, ‘God help the Hazaras now, Rahim Khan sahib.’ Rahim Khan could not understand until he saw for himself how things began to change. The narrator writes, ‘A few weeks later, the Taliban banned kite fighting. And two years later, in 1998, they massacred the Hazaras in Mazar-i-Sharif.’

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