Living the Dream

Sohrab goes with Amir to America. Amir describes it, “…lifting him from certainty of turmoil and dropping him in a turmoil of uncertainty.” (p375)

Hosseini projects himself in the book, on page 376: “I learned that , in America, you don’t reveal the ending of the movie, and if you do, you will be scorned and made to apologize profusely for having committed the sin of Spoiling The end. In Afghanistan, the ending was all that mattered.” There is certainly a dénouement here.

There is a tiny miracle, Amir calls it, when Soraya is introduced to Sohrab and Amir glimpses her as “the mother she might have been, had her own womb not betrayed her.” (p377) And, Amir still has demons of his own that are still keeping him awake: memories. “Your father was a man torn between two halves.” Rahib Khan had written. He stares at the picture and it is as if he says goodbye to all the hurt. “That last thought brought no sing with it…I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded, not with fanfare or epiphany, but with pain gathering its things , packing up, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night.” (p378 - 379)

Amir finally stands up for Hassan’s blood line, with Soraya’s father when he asks what should be said about the Hazara boy living with them. Amir says, “It’s alright…you see, General Sahib, my father slept with his servant’s wife. She bore him a son named Hassan. Hassan is dead now. That boy sleeping on the couch is Hassan’s son. He’s my nephew. That’s what you tell people when they ask….You will never again refer to him as ‘Hazara Boy’ in my presence.” Finally, Amir gathers up his courage and does what he should have always done.

“It would be erroneous to say Sohrab was quiet. Quiet is peace. Tranquility. Quiet is turning down the VOLUME knob on life. Silence is pushing the OFF button. Shutting it down. All of it… It was a silence of one who has taken cover in a dark place, curled up all the edges and tucked them under.” (p380 - 381) Amir knows silence very well and thus will honor Sohrab’s silence.

Amir’s character brings Sohrab to us like the wounded child he is. Hosseini does his work well, here. Amir tells the reader that Sohrab “didn’t so much live with us as occupy space… noticed how people hardly seemed to see him, like he wasn’t there at all…walked like he was afraid…as if not to stir the air around him… I had my own dreams for Sohrab.” (p381)

He speaks of the Twin Towers coming down and the time the world changed and he gets as involved as he can and hints at the hardships that the American Afghanistan people went through afterwards. Sohrab represents the new Afghanistan.

I can not imagine what all Middle Eastern People have gone through, right here in America (and Canada) due to misunderstandings about extremism and the real Middle eastern theology and philosophy. I am including, here, the STATEMENT OF OMAR ASHMAWY to the Judiciary Committee.

“One could accurately say that the misconceptions and misunderstandings that plague the Islamic community are almost entirely the result of the extremist movement within Islam. The perception of Islam as a violent, intolerant, anti-western religion has been created by the minority extremist component of Islam and then perpetuated by the attention that they receive in the Western media and by other Western power blocks. Islam, in spirit and in practice, is a religion of inclusion, of peace, and of mercy. Its followers are taught to be kind and tolerant to all people, regardless of race, color, ethnicity, or religion. Perhaps more than any other faith, Islam can be said to propound a truly universal philosophy that is accepting of all people, religions, and ideas. The Koran, the holy book of Islam, could not be more explicit in its command, “There shall be no compulsion in religion.” This single line embodies the spirit of Islam - a faith that acknowledges and strengthens the nobility of the individual, while simultaneously embracing the importance and power of community.

Extremists have distorted this true image of universalism in the eyes of the world. In the United States, their acts of violence and fanatic intolerance have tragically marred the perceptions Americans have of Islam. Though the doctrines they espouse are wholly incompatible with the teachings of Islam, and run contrary to the very foundations of the faith and its traditions, these terrorists have managed to partially succeed in their goal to alienate Americans from the Muslim community - thus making leaders on both sides mistakenly believe that cooperation is, at best, a difficult venture. They have succeeded in making the American people unnecessarily wary of any association with Islam. This alienation and wariness is extremely harmful to both America and its Muslim communities - and to the Islamic world as a whole.

No good can ever come from blatant misconceptions of truth. The fear that has been generated by these extremist entities has given rise to an alarmist atmosphere in this country towards Islam and its followers. This fear has found a foothold in every aspect of American society - from the government down to the American people. Moreover, there has been no significant attempt by anyone in a visible public office to emphasize the fact that these extremists are acting under contrary to Islam.

Extremism, by definition, is a force contrary to freedom, liberty, and justice. Islamic extremism is no different than any other form of ideological extremism. They believe that they are justified in attempting to force their belief system on others. In their eyes, moderate Muslims, who cringe at the blood and pain caused by such extreme elements, are considered renegades of Islam - nonbelievers and enemies of the religion. Within this extreme movement, as with all types of extremism, there is only room for one set of thoughts, one opinion, one vision. Extremism poses its greatest danger to the Islamic community - stifling its diversity and its multifaceted and multinational character. It is a threat to the freedom and liberty of the community, and thus to the very community itself; for what community can truly survive staunch intolerance and lack of free thought?

Islam is struggling with this extremist movement world-wide. In this country however, the difficulties faced by moderate Muslims are particularly unique. There is no question that moderate Muslims make up the vast majority of Muslims in this country and world-wide, with followers of extremist movements a fraction of the population. Yet, the amount of attention received by each group is inversely proportionate to its size. The media and other sources of public information concentrate excessively on the extremist element of Islam, and give little to no time to the moderate Muslim voice.

While this can be explained by pointing out that it is the extreme element who poses a conceivable danger and therefore somehow deserves the majority of the media attention, this answer does not take into consideration the full scope of the problem. It is this attention that Muslim extremists have been able to draw, to the exclusion of all else, that presents America and American Muslims with their most significant problem.

Unless the moderate Muslim voice is given sufficient attention and is allowed time and a significant forum, it is unreasonable to expect that voice to be able to overcome any extreme Muslim element present in this country. Moreover, the continued focus on Muslim extremists without properly placing them in the context of the larger Muslim community, will further alienate American Muslims by reinforcing a belief that America is only interested in weakening Islam. Allowing this belief to perpetuate would be, at best, an invitation for further misunderstandings on all sides - an event that be would detrimental to all.

In summary, Islam, perhaps the most misunderstood religion in the world, has suffered as much as its people from ignorance and foreign occupation. Islam, like the rest of the world, faces a new challenge, the rise of extremism; however, this challenge is not exclusive to Islam; it is being faced by every nation and every religion. It is a phenomenon which is altering the thought and action of every part of the world. It is a phenomenon which can conceivably lead to the fall of governments, deviate mankind from the course of God, and destroy many of the most cherished democratic ideals. Islam is not a militant religion, but a religion of peace, mercy, and love for all people.

Unfortunately, like everything else, when man uses something he distorts it. The religion of Islam is no exception. However, true Islam joins Judaism and Christianity in its call for love, mercy and justice.

As Americans we must never forget the value we place on freedom and liberty, and at no time can America, in its possible responses to extremism, allow the Muslim community in this nation or abroad to suffer any injustices. We must remember to place extremism in the context of the broader community. To do otherwise would only place this great nation in the same category as those very extremists we are trying to fight. Intolerance and injustice at the hand of any entity even for an admirable cause is repugnant to all that we as Americans, and I as a Muslim, hold to be true.”

- ISLAMIC EXTREMISM AND THE MODERATE MUSLIM VOICE: FIVE YEARS AFTER THE WORLD TRADE CENTER BOMBING
U.S. SENATE JUDICIARY
SUBCOMMITTEE ON TECHNOLOGY, TERRORISM, AND GOVERNMENT INFORMATION
STATEMENT OF OMAR ASHMAWY
MATERIALS PREPARED BY: OMAR ASHMAWY AND SEIFELDIN ASHMAWY - http://judiciary.senate.gov/oldsite/ashmawy.htm

If this book has done one thing, it has had me question what I truly know about anything about the Middle East; to look at my posturing, uneducated, view of what has gone on, what is still going on, and to build empathy for those who are our brothers and sisters, and, mostly, the plight of the innocent victims because of war. I have need of being silent, until I begin to understand even a small bit, through empathic holistic view that all is not as it seems, as it is recorded, as it is offered by news media, and even books. God forgive me for NOT knowing more for myself.

Tags: Good Reading //