The Helpless By-Standers

In Afghanistan, the civilians have been witnesses to many power struggles and changes in their country throughout the past few decades.  They are exposed to excessive violence, and sometimes are unable to leave their own homes, or walk down the street with the confidence that they will make it back home safely.  This is made very clear in the novel A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini.  Hosseini's main point in writing this novel was to display how badly women are treated in Afghanistan, but also how badly civilians are treated as well. Laila's father removes her from school because the streets become too dangerous, and a few days later her best friends are killed by a rocket.  Then, when Laila's mother finally decides to move away from Kabul, Laila's house is hit by a rocket, and ends up injuring her, and killing both of her parents.  These are just two examples from Hosseini's novel that demonstrate the miserable conditions that the Afghanistan people live under.  In addition to violence, the Afghan people also are forced to live under strict rules that are set by the Taliban, and enforced by the murdering of people, and the chopping of limbs.  Don't get me wrong, I think that the treatment of women in Afghanistan is disgusting.  I have no idea how a man can treat a woman like that and no feel the least bit guilty about it.  However, I know that is what most people take from this novel after reading it, so I also want to express my disagreement with the treatment of the Afghan people.  In America today, the media displays a very negative image of the Middle East, and of the Muslim population due to the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, and also 9/11.  I was one of these people until I read this novel, and it really opened my eyes to the fact that not all Middle Eastern people and Muslims are terrorists, or out to hurt other people.  Most of them are victims of the same terrorist groups that we Americans fear.