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Gender Roles In A Thousand Splendid Suns

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The role and treatment of women around the world are changing. Due to this change, the women’s rights issues appear in many modern day novels, like Khaled Hosseini’s, A Thousand Splendid Suns. In A Thousand Splendid Suns, the relationship between religion and the treatment of women is clear and representative of the real world. The world is changing with regards to how women are treated, but in predominantly Muslim countries, how does religion play into these social movements. The problem with religion and women's rights is not because of the religions, it’s the interpretations of the people who follow them. Hosseini’s novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, takes place in late 20th century Afghanistan. The reason the women in the book face the …show more content…

Many Islamic texts advocate for the respect and equal treatment of women.For example verse 3:195 from the Quran reads, “Never will I allow to be lost the work of [any] worker among you, whether male or female; you are of one another” (Quran 3:195). The very core of Islam has men and women equal in the eyes of their god. Even in the the Islamic story of Adam and Eve men and women are equal. In the Islamic interpretation, both Adam and Eve are at fault for eating the forbidden fruit because they both acted of their own free will. “Islam rejects the idea that women are wicked temptresses or cursed with the burden of menstruation and pain of childbirth due to the sin of Eve.” (Masjid Al-Muslimiin). If at the roots of Islam is a general sense of equality, then why isn’t their equality today? The answer to this question is radicalization of religion.Radicals just choose to omit those parts from scripture to fulfil their agenda. They only focus on the parts of the religion that will keep them in power. In A Thousand Splendid Suns, Rasheed wasn’t beating his wifes because his religion said that he had to. He wanted to harm them so he found a way to justify his actions by using religion. However his religion has important scripture blatantly stating to respect women. One saying from the Hadith reads, “Observe your duty to

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In “A Thousand Splendid Suns," Hosseini highlights the strict gender roles and unequal values placed on women in Afghanistan that lead to inequality between women and men. This essay explains multiple ways to explore this theme in the book “A Thousand Splendid Suns” and the real world. This theme of strict gender roles and unequal values placed on women is seen in many ways in the book “A Thousand Splendid Suns” This theme is seen in real-life Afghanistan as well, but not just in Afghanistan; we see this everywhere in the world.

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In the article Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving? , Lila Abu-Lughod seeks the ethnics of the “War on Terrorism” which uses liberating Afghan women as a justification and presents an anthropological reflection on Muslim culture. In this essay, I will discuss the influence of colonial feminism, politicalization of the veil, and cultural relativism on the roles and status of Muslim women in Afghanistan. Initially, the “colonial feminism” makes people focus more on the veils of Muslim women instead of the real problems they meet, such as poverty, unemployment and lack of education.

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Muslims holy book (Quran) did not allow men to do whatever they want, nor women. The source mentions that God gave men more strength than women; therefore, they have to protect and maintain the women. It also talks about lives of women and their relationship with men. Unlike Christianity and Buddhism, Quran stated that men and women are equal; however, when it comes to social terms and marriage, the Quran views women as inferior and subordinate. Also, the source stated that men were forbidden to inherit women against their will nor treat them with harshness.

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Hosseini portrays how this treatment of women was accepted in Afghani culture because men’s superiority was derived from tradition. He depicts a culture in Afghanistan where wives were seen as mere possessions, so their husbands found fault with them for the inconveniences they experienced. Hosseini demonstrates the mistreatment of women in Afghanistan through the multiple examples he provides where men laid blame with women for circumstances beyond the women’s control or for which were not solely to blame for, just as Nana had warned Mariam that they were prone to do. The first instance in which Nana’s statement rings true is when Nana found out for herself how easily women in Afghanistan could be held completely accountable for things that were not solely their responsibility.

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