Wednesday
The Swallows of Kabul Chapter 6
The next morning, Mohsen and Zunaira act like nothing had happened between them. It is mentioned that everyting is going crazy in Kabul and a man who was going crazy was blindfolded and whipped to death in the town square. This seems so cruel and humiliating to me. Once they start to talk, they talk about a lot of things, but none of it really means anything. It goes on to describe how they met at college. Zunaira was a beautiful girl studying to be a lawyer, and Mohsen was studying political science. All the boys dreamed of marrying Zunaira, but she chose Mohsen. Mohsen decides that he wants to take a walk with Zunaira in the marketplace, but she says that she does not want to. She does not like wearing a burqa because it takes away everything she is as a person. She is not a person or an animal, but just a thing walking through the marketplace, receiving stares from many people who think that they are better than she is. Zunaira sticks up for herself, saying that it is degrading to have a woman wear a burqa while men do not have to wear anything. I agree with Zunaira on this. Why do women have to completely cover, while men can show their faces, necks and arms. I think that if one has to cover up, then the other should, too. It's only fair. At the end, Zunaira decides to go on a walk with her husband like old times. It seems like everything just keeps falling apart for Mohsen, with the state of the city and his wife, but here it seems like it takes a slight turn for the better because he and his wife are not fighting and they are doing something that they used to do before the war destroyed their lives.
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2 comments:
You wrote: "Why do women have to completely cover, while men can show their faces, necks and arms. I think that if one has to cover up, then the other should, too. It's only fair."
I agree with you, however the Koran requires women take "steps" to protect their virtue. This is to say, they can not show skin or dress skimpy. THerefore, historically middle eastern women must take care to cover themselves to remove the temptation of men and impure thoughts.
From western values, this clearly is NOT fair, as it makes the woman suffer wearing these burkas in the hot sun, while as you say the men can wear whatever they like. Islam is definitely not fair it would seem, at least not in this department.
Mr. Farrell
I thought it was sad hearing about who Zunaira was. In America she would be very successful. Since she wasn't born here though, she is missing out on all the opportunities that she deserves. I can't imagine knowing that I could do things better than most of the men but having to just sit there and watch. It must be really hard to do! I hope that someday Kabul can change again and allow women to fulfill their dreams...
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