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Quests
Study Questions
Week 4
Quests
Movement with purpose: crusade, pilgrimage, wanderjahre, gap year
quaere, to seek, ask: Ulysses, Beowulf, Arthur, Frodo, Seirstad
Why is the quest such an enduring tradition? Does Seirstad's book fit? Is
she an advocacy or investigative journalist?
Afghanistan
Mountainous, landlocked, dry; size of Texas, untapped energy & minerals.
Nexus for Indo-European culture, religions: Zoroastrian, Buddhism, Islam
Invaded & conquered by Arabs, Mongols; divided by Sunni, Shia sects
Under British influence until independence in 1919, stable till 1973
US funds Mujahideen, Soviets occupy, 1979-89; Taliban rule 1996-2001
Where, when, and how did Sierstad write her book? What was its reception?
Is is considered fair or not to Afghan history & culture?
Islam
2nd largest religion, between Christianity (1st) and Hinduism (3rd)
Against representation; surrender to Allah, the one and only
Truth from Angels, scriptures (Qu'ran), and prophets (Muhammed)
Laws: 5 daily prayers, giving alms, fasting in Ramadan, take the hajj
Strict patriarchy: women submit, live for family, polygamy sanctioned
Given Seirstad's methods and values, (ix-xvi) what kind of report does
she write? How may we read Mansur's journey? (132-61)
Family
In Islam, the family receives high praise for assuring love,
generosity, peace, and security. Those values also apply to
extended families and tribes. Yet inter-tribal and sectarian hatred
plague the Muslim world.
Does Seirstad's book address this paradox? How does she portray
kinship roles in a single family? Does their "little flat" shape the
Khan family life? (108-16)
Learning
In one chapter (194-203), Fazil must serve detention for failing to answer correctly in his
religious education classes. You are students; what do you think of the tasks set for him? Is he a
failure? A slow learner?
A new day that smells and tastes of every other day: of dust. (180)