Pashtun vs Hazara

Pashtun vs Hazara

1. Systematic Oppression of Hazaras

   • Hazaras are historically oppressed
   • Pashtun hegemony
   • Hassan's illiteracy

2. Taliban Rule

   • Vulnerable groups such as ethnic minorities are more vulnerable in times of war
     • Hassan and wife shot in street
     • "The Talibs said he was a liar and a thief like all Hazaras [...] So they took him on the street [...] and shot him."
   • Hassan's reaction to the Taliban arriving in 1996
     • 'He had a sober look in his eyes [...] "God help the Hazaras now, Rahim Khan sahib."
   • Massacre at Mazar-e-Sharif

3. Amir and Hassan

   • 'lazy summer day'
     • Amir and Hassan live and spend time together but lead completely different lives
     • Varying freedoms
   • Amir abuses his power as a Pashtun
     • Manipulation of Hassan when he reads to him
     • Exploits Hassan's loyalty
   • Disparity in wealth
     • Houses
     • Hassan's harelip
   • Different religions and ethnicities
     • 'In the end I was a Pashtun and he was a Hazara, I was a Sunni and he was a Shi'a and nothing was ever going to change that/'
     • 'History isn't easy to overcome'