Oppression Of Women In Afghan Culture

In modern Afghan culture, women have been oppressed for centuries and now are slowly gaining more rights and freedom, specifically from men. “According to American Journalists Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl Wudunn, the predominant justice of our time is the widespread, tyrannical oppression of women” (White *). The past culture was once inhumane and overbearing to the everyday Afghani woman. Women were not granted the right to leave the house, talk to anyone, or state their own opinion. Women were beaten, raped, and even killed daily. Men were superior figures in all women’s lives. The man, in the woman’s life, made every decision that a woman faced. Afghani men were seen as the protector and the ruler. Men could do no wrong to the women. However,

Women are oppressed from having any type of relations with men, no matter the circumstances. They were to follow tradition and family values. Soraya was known around Fremont’s Afghani market as a girl who dishonored her family because “... and learned whose daughter had broken off an engagement and ran off with her American boyfriend...” (Hosseini 138). She was seen as the woman who had gone against tradition and she payed for it because everyone talked about her and judged her negatively, “ ‘Wasn’t there some story floating around about Taheri’s daughter?’ ” (Hosseini 141). In the Afghani culture, the public eye knew about everything that was wrong with a family. The rumor spread like wildfire. Also, women, in this culture, were not allowed to run off and be with whomever they wanted, let alone do so if they were already promised to another man. Another example of the restrictive values would be when Amir and Baba were talking to General Taheri and Soraya had approached and left without a word to Amir or Baba, “... She turned to go... ‘My daughter, Soraya jan’ ” (Hosseini 140-141). General Taheri said this after Soraya had left the area. Women, in the Afghani culture, were not allowed to introduce themselves. They weren’t allowed to speak if their authoritative figure was there, the authority was to do the

The men no longer wanted the woman. They were seen as undesirable, Hosseini dramatizes this statement when he says “... ‘But no suitor have knocked on the general’s door since’ ” (142). Not many men were willing to jeopardize their reputation by marrying a shameful woman. Next, if a woman and a man were seen in public conversing with each other, people noticed and they stared, “Suddenly, I felt the collective eyes of the flea market Afghans shirt to us” and “Poison tongues would flap. And she would bear the brunt of that poison, not me” (Hosseini 146). The public eye was always interested in drama. If someone were to make a mistake or do something that was un-cultural the whole town/region would hear about it in some form. Another example, to prove the harm would be when Amir discusses his view of Soraya, “... She was an unwed young woman. With a history, no less” (Hosseini 146). This quote has good and bad points. Amir described Soraya well when he says the “no less” part. He does not disvalue her for her past. But he does judge her past when he says she “has a history.” The mistakes Soraya may have made in her past should not have anything to do with how Amir see her, but in the Afghani culture, her past either makes or breaks her. The point in the book where Amir comments on the equality issue really exemplifies the