Tuesday, 16 October 2012

Why is it so difficult just to go to school?


I wish I had been in Karachi, and one of the protest demonstrators there.

According to “Malala Yousafzai, schoolgirl shot by Taliban, now in UK”,14 year old girl who was attacked by Taliban bandit on the way home in Swatt, Pakistan, and injured severely, was moved to UK to have the medical treatment at the hospital in Birmingham. She was shot because of "promoting secularism", which means that she campaigned for girls schooling which was forbidden under the Taliban control from 2007 to 2009. In Karachi there was the largest protest demonstration against the terrorism on 14th October.

I always think that religion is very important for the followers, so, I have to respect it, even if it is difficult for me to understand its doctrine or customs. But in this case, I don’t know why the people can be so cruel and ruthless because of their religions.

Taliban and the incidents in Afghanistan and the countries around it were something I only knew from the news on TV or in the newspapers, until I read a book, A Thousand Splendid Suns written by Khaled Hosseini who also wrote The Kite Runner. In these two books, Hosseni describes the life of the ordinary people in Afghanistan, whose lives are totally destroyed under the soviet occupation, Taliban control, and the war after that. Especially in A Thousand Splendid Suns, I knew the harsh life of women in Afghanistan, and I resented knowing that women are treated as things there.

One of the heroines of story is 15 year old girl, Laila、who is very smart, lively and confronts her harsh destiny bravely. Malaya reminded me of the heroin of the book. As the heroine became happy at the end of the story, I sincerely wish that Malaya’s injury will heal without complication, and she will become one of the women, who encourage the girls in severe situation.




Reference

Malala Yousafzai, schoolgirl shot by Taliban, now in UK. (2012, October 15). BBC News Asia. Retrieved October 16 2012
from  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19954043

4 comments:

  1. Thailand has also suffered from this kind of trouble. Many school in the three southern provinces are in trouble because their schools are burnt and their teacher are killed almost everyday until fewer number of teachers are bearable to stay there. The effects cause the students there cannot continue studying. Many people there decide to move to other provinces. However, many news today give attention to problem there and it seems people's lives are more peaceful than the past.

    I don't think that the religion is the source of this problem because all our world's religions today are stable. I mean their beliefs have been slightly changed. But human's thinking have been dramatically changed and it causes they interpret their religions differently. Moreover, eagerness is also one cause of this problem because it makes us believe ourselves more than others. If their beliefs are wrong, there are some people try to improve them but these people will chose to reject and believe what they want.
    However, I didn't mean eagerness is not good, but if people obtain too much eagerness until ignore others' opinions, it will cause some trouble to themselves and of course others.

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  2. I don't entirely agree with Aor. I think that religion is very much a cause of such evils as Chieko has written about. If the immoral teaching was not written in the books of the religions, such as the Koran of Islam, and the Bible of Christianity and the Jewish Tanakh, then the followers of those religions could not have the excuse they do. The evil followers express when they shoot brave girls and burn schools is written in the hearts of these religions.

    Religions seem to me to favour such things as unreason, ignorance, intolerance and immoral behaviour, for example, when they teach that young girls should not be allowed to go to school, or that people must dress in a certain way, or that those of other religions are wrong and should be killed or not given equal legal rights in society. Religions, as Aor does suggest, dislike schools, education, reason and knowledge because these things all prove their most important beliefs to be false or without any solid basis. And that means the rich leaders lose position, money and power.

    I know many people think religions are good, but their history often shows them to be the opposite of good. I also think that things like knowledge, truth telling, reason and justice matter, and religions generally don't like these things. One reason that most developed societies today are more peaceful than in the past is that people do not take religion seriously today, and that is a good thing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It might start from ancient. All religions have been separated into small group. Some group remain the original religion. Some group have been adapted today's world into their religion. Some group have been using people's beliefs in order to exploiting others. However, today's world has been develop new beliefs, especially science. Many people have been believed in anything which cannot prove by science. In other word, no scientific proof no belief. Large number of people choose to stand in the middle. It means they believe some parts in their own religion and some parts in scientific evidence.
      I don't want to argue with you because there is no complete agreement after finally debate. If anyone support with any extremely strong information, we will stand still our own beliefs. This is why I feel fear the most when anyone play in our beliefs or even religion. Many people can sacrifice everything or even their lives for it.

      It is OK if our belief base on morality.

      I agree with you that sometime religion are reasonable. However, if we look back to the past, we will understand why religions are found.

      Delete
    2. I need to correct my the second last sentence.
      I agree with you that sometime religion are unreasonable.

      Delete

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