Exploring the Role of Religion in Non-Western Literature and Culture - Essay Sample

Introduction

Non-Western literature and culture are heavily influenced by religions that are minimally familiar to Western readers. Religion influences the way people live, interact and relate with others in society. It controls beliefs, behaviors, values, attitudes towards each other and dictates the quality of relationships existing among the people in a society. The following two literary articles reveal the justification of the statement above.

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‘I am the Girl Banned from Christian Religious Classes’ By Shaimaa Al-SabbaghSummary

Shaimaa Al-Sabbagh is an Egyptian human rights activist who was assassinated by police while laying flowers in honor of the slain people at Tahrir Square. The killings occurred during a horrible protest against allegedly rigged elections in Egypt. After her death, the poem was translated into English to honor the brave act of standing for the rights of people in Egypt. The poem references the massive deaths witnessed on the square by numerous protesters against the government’s unfair treatment of the people, the unfair laws enacted against those standing for human rights, and the unfair hypocrisy witnessed in those claiming to kill for God.

Analysis

Shaimaa Al-Sabbagh’s poem is a literary art showing the influence of religion on culture. The poem was written when Egypt was torn apart by strife and political division. The poem was inspired by political and religious-based events that led to massive killings of protesters at the Tahrir Square, Cairo. From the poem and the background information, we can deduce the themes of this poem in the following ways.

Religion inspires conflict. The formation of the Muslim Brotherhood group in 1928 to restore Muslim values eroded by western culture is seen as the root cause of conflict depicted in the poem. The presence of this religious group prompted the government’s reaction by trying to erase it and depress its growth. After the election of 2010, the Muslim Brotherhood religious group allegedly accused the government of rigging election results and encouraged its members to march on streets in protest against the rigging of results. The massive protest in Tahrir Square forced President Mubarak to resign from duty as the President of the Republic of Egypt and hand over the authority to the Military control. Under military power, 800 protesters were killed in a non-violent protest at the Tahrir Square. If it was not for the religion, the Muslim Brotherhood group would not have been formed, and consequently, there would have been no deaths recorded for the protests.

Religion invokes pity. In her poem, Shaimaa Al-Sabbagh writes, “The windows are open and the blood races cars on the asphalt” the poet seemed to refer to the brutal killings of protesters not only in January 2011 but also in other occasions where protesters have been victims of murder in the hand of military forces. The poet mourns the innocent blood being shed for advocating for human rights. By writing those blood races cars, it means that the volume of blood being shed is great. Many people are being killed such that the volume of their blood could flood the streets. Shaimaa Al-Sabbagh pities the innocent people being killed by the military force for standing for their rights.

Religion invokes love. Shaimaa Al-Sabbagh was inspired by love to go and lay flowers in memory of innocent people killed in Tahrir Square. She writes, “I am the girl banned from love in the Square.” The line foreshadows the laws that were enacted to bar human activists from standing for the rights of the people in Egypt. Such laws led to the killing of Shaimaa Al-Sabbagh while she was showing love to the slain souls at Tahrir Square. Shaimaa Al-Sabbagh, being a member of the Socialist People’s Alliance Party, did not have the same beliefs as the Muslim Brotherhood and desired the removal of Morsi from power. However, her love for humanity compelled her to value the rights of members of the Muslim Brotherhood to protest. She feels being restricted from showing her love to members of the Muslim Brotherhood who were protesting in search of their rights (Gray 2).

Christian iconographybis are evident in the poet’s tone and emotion. Shaimaa Al-Sabbagh compares the torturous treatment of the innocent protesters to the killing and crucifixion of Jesus on the cross. Despite having no sin, Jesus was crucified naked in the crowded square. The poet is deeply touched in her emotions when she sees the religious wars going on in Egypt. During her period, the Coptic Christians were facing brutal aggression from Islamic extremists, including the bombing of churches. Even though Shaimaa Al-Sabbagh was born and raised in a Muslim home, she had love in her heart for all humanity across the religious divide. Therefore, she did not have dividing views against Christianity or Islam. What made her sad was the oppression of the innocent people for the righteous cause (Arablit Quarterly 2).

The Muslim Brotherhood is comparable to the Taliban in The Kite Runner novel written by Khaled Hosseini. Despite being religious groups, both of them inspire conflict among the people that lead to the death of innocent people. Muslim Brotherhood encouraged the massive protest that successfully led to the resignation of President Mubarak alongside the death of 800 innocent civilians in the Tahrir Square. On the other side, the Taliban group incited a war in Afghanistan that led to the deaths of many people, including Hassan and Farzana, his wife. Many people fled from their homes, including Baba and Amir.

The Kite Runner By Khaled HosseiniSummary

The Kite Runner can be understood through three phases: Amir’s childhood period in Kabul, the period Amir and Baba spent in Fremont, California, and the return of Amir to Kabul. There were several cases of betrayals in the story. However, there seems to be a possibility for redemption toward the end of the text. During the early period in Kabul, Amir lives with his father, Baba, together with their servants Ali and Hassan. Ali is the father of Hassan. Both work as servants in Baba’s place. Amir’s mother deceased shortly after Amir was born. Hassan’s mother, on the other hand, ran off while he was still very young. Therefore, Amir and Hassan have grown without their mothers. However, there is some tension in this household. Ali and his son, Hassan, are Hazaras. They come from a minority community. Therefore, they are not expected to have the same status as their counterparts Baba and Amir. Even though Baba and Amir do not show discrimination towards Ali and Hassan, they face discrimination from the neighborhood. Baba does not seem to like Amir because he seems weak. Instead, Baba likes Hassan, Ali’s son, due to his strong stature. Amir knows that Baba loves Hassan more than him, and he is jealous. Amir wants to reconstruct his father’s affection. Since Baba loves sports, Amir will need to participate and win a kite-fighting tournament to win his father’s affection. Amir sets out for the tournament. After striving significantly, Amir manages to win the kite-fighting tournament and is happy. Meanwhile, Hassan chases the defeated kite down the alleyway, where he meets Assef, Wali, and Kamal. Assef rapes Hassan while Kamal and Wali watch. Amir follows Hassan and finds him being raped by Assef at the alleyway but fails to intervene. The reasons might be due to his cowardice, Hassan’s victimization, Assef’s cruelty, and the discrimination against Hazaras by the ethnic majority in Afghanistan. After the incident, Amir feels the guilt of failing to stand for Hassan. However, the jealousy weighs him down when he thinks that his father, Baba, is more attentive to Hassan than him. He plans to chase away Ali and Hassan. So, Amir puts his watch and cash under Hassan’s mattress and tells Baba that his stuff is missing. Hassan accepts that he stole Amir’s money and watch. As a result, Ali and Hassan leave.

During the kite-fighting tournament season, Afghanistan is submerged in war, threatening the security of Baba and Amir. They sneak to Pakistan and fly to California. In America, life gets tough, forcing the two to sell used goods to earn extra cash. Amir meets a beautiful young lady called Soraya and falls in love with her. Baba’s health deteriorates. He is diagnosed with cancer. He arranges for Amir and Soraya’s weeding before passing away. After marriage, Amir and Soraya try to have kids but in vain.

Baba’s old friend, Rahim Khan, calls Amir and persuades him to return to Afghanistan. Amir agrees and goes back to Afghanistan. Rahim Khan tells Amir everything that happened while he was in America. According to Khan, Hassan had married a woman called Farzana and born a child called Sohrab. The Taliban murdered Hassan and Farzana and abducted Sohrab. Rahim Khan wants Amir to go and rescue Sohrab. At first, Amir is reluctant. Rahim Khan reveals to Amir that Hassan was his half-brother. According to Khan, Baba impregnated Sanaubar, Ali’s wife, who gave birth to Hassan. Baba betrayed Hassan, his servant, and his friend. Amir had to save Sohrab from the Taliban for the atonement of his sin and that of Baba. Amir faces the Talib official, Assef, in a heated battle, but Assef seems to overcome him. However, Sohrab hits Assef with a sling, and they both escape. Amir wants to adopt Sohrab and go back to America, but he lacks death certificates for Hassan and Farzana. Amir had promised Sohrab never to put him in an orphanage. However, he had to do so to facilitate a smooth adoption procedure. Sohrab feels betrayed by Amir and tries to commit suicide. He survives, but he is finding it difficult to forgive Amir. Amir and Sohrab go to the park, fly a kite together, and win.

Analysis

Religious influences have been significantly depicted in The Kite Runner. The story takes place in Afghanistan, a very religious country practicing Sunni Islam – one of the two major denominations of Islam. Another one is Shi’a. People in the countryside are involved in the practices of Sunni Islam principles; that is where the Taliban originates and gets power. Some people are highly educated, wealthy, and less religious. Amir’s father, Baba, is very wealthy but not religious at all. Hassan practices Shi’a Islam. Amir goes to a school where mullahs (Islamic scholars) teach Islamic religion. It is significant to remember that Islam is a significant influence on the culture and daily life of people in Afghanistan. The cause of prayer is a great culture in Afghanistan. Love, sin, forgiveness, good works, unity, prejudice, secrecy, and the importance of family are woven into the culture (Ju 14). They are also conspicuously depicted in the novel.

Religious confusion is highly depicted in the Kite Runner, especially in the following quote. “They are not aware of what they do if not simply thumbing prayer beads as they perform a book printed in a language they do not understand, God should help us not to allow Afghanistan to fall in their hands,” Baba tells Amir that mullahs who teach religion at school are not smart. They do not recognize what they are doing or what they teach. Baba does not believe in Islam. Instead, he believes in doing what is good and right and in free thinking. He tries very hard to impart his values to Amir, who seems to be in love with the Islam religion. He warns Amir that religion can sometimes be harmful because people practice a religion that they do not understand. Despite being not religious, Baba has moral values. He teaches Amir that indeed sin exists, but only one sin, the sin of theft (Ju 25).

Religion has been shown as comfort in the novel, as in the following quote, “Now I have seen that Baba was wrong. God exists; he has always been. He is present in people who are desperate. Here is the real house of God where he can be found by those who have lost him., not in the white masj...