Chapter 7 Of Dupree's Afghanistan As A Melting Po

It was interesting to read a bit about the various tribes inhabiting Afghanistan and to see the country as a “melting pot”. Afghanistan’s level of diversity is similar to that of the United States. Due to the intermingling of cultures, the various ethnic groups have distinct ethnic, cultural, physical, and linguistic differences. I was previously unaware that some ethnic groups are more dominating and oppressive than others. The Pushtoons’s antagonistic and aggressive nature makes them feared and hated by groups such as the Hazaras, Tajiks, and the Nuristanis. The Pushtoon government group is a combination of a royal hierarchy (determined by hereditary right) and a council of elders who can contribute to decision making. The non aggressive …show more content…
I especially enjoyed hearing the poem from Rabi’a Balkhi to her lover, the Turkish slave. The various ongoing events at the time influence the subject matter of the poems. The topics ranged from mysticism, religious philosophy, politics, and themes of love. I also discovered that although there is an abundance of poets from the Middle East, novels are almost nonexistent. This is due to the fact that only five to ten percent of Afghans are …show more content…
While Christians believe that Jesus is the Savior and the Diving Son of God, Muslims believe only Allah is divine and simply see Jesus on the same level as the prophet Mohammad. I learned why Muslims protest against the term “Mohammedans” to describe themselves because it sounds as if they worship Muhammad as their god similar to the “Christ” in “Christianity”. In Afghanistan, religion even influences the tolerance for beggars in the Muslim world since some people want to see where their charity goes as opposed to sending a check to an organization or welfare program. The amount of private charity that goes on accounts for the lack of taxation for welfare in some part of the Muslim world which was news to me. This demonstrates the great influence religion has on society. I also liked how the writer found analogies between Christianity and Islam, equating Muhammad with St. Paul, Jesus with the Qor’an, and the Bible with the Hadith. The amount of difference sects of Islam seems infinite and extremely complicated and I vaguely remember learning about the two main sects of the Sunni and the Shi‘ia. I forgot they actually differ mostly due to political succession and not religious differences. Interpretations of religion create many variations and I did not know Christianity embraces existentialism, the Ecumenical Council,