Three cups of tea: One man to change the world!

After reading three cups of tea my perception of Americans have change (please do not take offense ;p) it is pretty funny how I believe this one man, Greg Mortens0n can definitely change many lives (in this case especially in Pakistan and Afghanistan). I agreed when in one of the video of Mortenson we watched in class on how people, especially the Americans are being ignorant when it doesn't have anything to do with them; I am pretty sure not many people care about what is going on out there let alone take action on it like what Mortenson have done for the past years. Through his book, Mortenson made good points of the importance of education on how both boys and girls have to be educated. He believed that one way to combat "terrorism" is through education, which I totally agree with because education is important and that is what I learn too in my religion; that there are only two things you'll bring with you when you die and that is your religion and your education :)

Save Education!

As can be seen from the previous two blogs, the videos about the Taliban taking over schools, and this picture, people are concerned and want to save the education of children, especially women in the Swat Valley.
I believe the Pakistani Government should be more involved and try to force the Taliban back to help save the education. It is hard enough for people in rural areas to have a school to go to and the Taliban is making it even tougher for students to go to school. Women in these areas are often not allowed to go to school because if there is a school men are usually the first to be allowed to go. The Pakistani Government needs to help the people in the Swat Valley, especially women attempting to go to school. The more people who are educated in Pakistan, the more the country will improve and eventually become a developed nation in the world.

Fatima Jinnah- Karen

A (Bara-Dari )Monument at Fatima Jinnah Park in Islamabad
Fatima Jinnah is most well known for her political support to her brother Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the leader of Muslim India, and founder of Pakistan but she did much more than that during her life. After the death of their father, Fatima was encouraged to finish school by her brother, and later went on to attend the Dr Ahmad Dental College in and opened her own dental practice in Calcutta when it was frowned upon by society for women to have a professional career. Although she was supported by her brother in this decision, most of the rest of her family was opposed to it. Later in life she joined the All India Muslim League and helped to form the All India Muslim Women Students Federation in 1941 in Delhi. She even went on to run for the Presidency of Pakistan in 1965. She died in 1967 of heart failure but it is speculated that she was actually murdered. Her legacy lives on in many schools and other national monuments that are named after her and in the political history of Pakistan. She will no doubt be a woman to look up to in the fight for women's rights for decades to come.

The Taliban Are Taking Over Schools!

This video talks about the closing of schools and the rules put in place by the Taliban on schools in the Swat Valley. Women who are attempting to go to school cannot do so without adhering to the regulations put in place by the Taliban. This is a major problem in Pakistan currently because women do not often get the chance to go to schools in rural areas, especially in the Northwest Frontier Province.

Women and Education in the Swat Valley- Karen

This is a video showing girls in the Swat Valley who want to go to school and are preparing to fight the Taliban to do so.

Women, Education, and Poverty

It really sad how in certain areas in Pakistan, women are forbid to go to school. In most Pakistani culture women are still label as mothers and wives therefore their place is to be at home only. As one of the third world and the poorest countries, you may think that these are might be the reasons that prevent women to enroll in schools. Sadly, this is not the case. Most Pakistani family believes that education is not part of the women's world; men think that women just have to be at home; cleaning, cooking, and taking care of their children. In one of the article that I read for our research paper, it is said that education is the most important essential to help the country from poverty but yet women are not allowed to get an education let alone expected to help the country to reduced the percentage of poverty in Pakistan. So I was just wondering, if these men were willing to let their girls to go to schools, will it help Pakistan in terms of building up their economics for the better?

Three Cups of Tea: Food- Karen

I was amazed this week of the foods that we cooked and about what I have learned about food from Three Cups of Tea. The things that Greg Mortenson tried while he was in Pakistan makes our class look less than adventurous in what we ate this week. I would be especially reluctant to try what was described as sheep organ stew. I would also have a hard time swallowing butter tea. From Greg's description of the first time he had it in the mountains when Mouzafer made it for him, it sounds supremely unpleasant. Ingredients of Paiyu Cha (the Balti name for butter tea) includes mar (rancid yak butter), salt, green tea, baking soda, and goats milk. Those ingredients mixed together sound less than pleasant to me so for now I think I will stick with restaurant made Indian food, and homemade Mattar Queema, made with beef. Also, I like the thought of a eating a hearty breakfast rather than the sweet masala like tea and chapatti bread the Pakistani eat each day, so eggs and bacon it is for me. Bon Appetite!

Women's Roles in Three Cups of Tea- Karen

After reading more of Three Cups of Tea, it amazes me what women in the book are like. People treat Greg Mortenson as an outsider even after people know what Greg Mortenson is planning to do for the mountain villages in Pakistan. Some people just turn away from him and act as though they don't see him, others gawk at him because he is so tall, but the women are especially fascinating. Even when Greg travels with other Pakistani men who obviously trust him, women do not dare to look at him. They use their veils to cover their faces as to escape Greg's wandering gazes. Or the children who do not know that they should not talk to the stranger are polite and shake his hand when he introduces himself in Balti. The girls seem to question him, and his motives, but eventually they wrap their hands in the veils they are wearing so they too may shake his hand, and are overly cautious when they are near him.
So far the children are the only real interaction Greg has had with the opposite sex while in Pakistan. Other females in his story are either in the kitchens of the homes that Greg visits, or they are non-existent. It is frustrating to see that women, especially in the more rural villages of Pakistan follow customs so closely. From what we have seen and heard about women in more urban settings, they live with their families and are allowed to be more free with the choices they make in their daily lives.
It is scary to think about not being able to make my own choices and having elders make them for me so I hope that in the near future women across the globe start sticking up for themselves and changing the way that they are treated so they may know what it feels like to live a fuller life.

Improving Education to Reduce Poverty

For our class we have been reading "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin, and I have realized that it goes very well with the social issues topic my group and I have been studying. Mr. Mortenson fell in love with a small village in Pakistan on the border of K2, the second biggest mountain in the world. He realized how badly they needed a school and took it upon himself to find the funds needed to build a school for the children of the village. Upon building a bridge and school for the village he realized almost all the other villages in the northern areas needed schools and so with the help of another climber they started an organization to help build schools.
While researching education in Pakistan I realized that schools are still in great need in the northern areas and also in other rural parts of Pakistan. Many children cannot go to school in the rural areas because there are not schools within walking distance or they have to stay at home to help their family in the fields so they will have enough food to eat for the winter. Because of the numerous amount of children and adults with little to no education it causes a high population of individuals who are illiterate. With so many people in the country not being able to read, write or perform basic mathematical skills it allows people who are literate to "take advantage" or sometimes tell them the wrong thing because they would not know the difference. This is especially a problem when electing new leaders or going to a market to buy goods. Illiterate people would not be able to read anything about politicians, but only know what others tell them or what they hear the politicians say.
Schools are very important to put throughout Pakistan because the more people who become literate, the more they will be able to understand and comprehend what is going on in the world and hopefully they would be able to improve the conditions in Pakistan to improve the standard of living. People in Pakistan live in very poor, impoverished conditions because so many of them are illiterate. If more schools could be built and students got an education, the next generation could help Pakistan thrive and become more industrialized to improve their standard of living.

Why Arranged Marriages Work- Karen

In most western societies women would be terrified if their parents told them that they would be having an arranged marriage, but in Pakistan it is still a normal occurrence. The article we read from the London Weekly Telegraph gave an argument of why arranged marriages work, and why some people would like it to be a more regular occurrence in more westernized cultures.
In arranged marriages parents pick the person they think would be the best match for their child. They are less likely to have their judgment blurred by love or passion and are more able to look at the person as being a good match based on career, goals, and personalities and religious views. More times than not, the approval of the entire family is necessary before the marriage can happen.
In westernized cultures marriage is more based on love and feelings than it is practicality, and therefore the couple is less likely to understand the hard work that must go into the relationship. In Pakistan since the foundation of the marriage is based upon practicality the new couple has their whole relationship ahead of them and are able to get to know each other better as the relationship progresses.
Thoughts of arranged marriages will make me think twice next time I bring a guy home and my family doesn't like something about him. They should be the ones who know me best, and they should know who is best for me. I might not get rid of him on the spot but lets face it, I will think about it. If over half of marriages in the US end in divorce, would it hurt to give a new tradition a try? I mean, I wouldn't mind.

Westernized View of Pakistani Family- Karen

I think it is really interesting so far in the movies we have watched that women are portrayed to be treated so badly. In the movie Monsoon wedding, the father did not seem to treat his family lovingly because he was under so much stress due to his one daughter's wedding. The point at which you saw that he actually cared was when his one daughter opened up about being raped by her uncle. The father stuck up for her and kicked the uncle out of the house for the remainder of the wedding festivities.
In East is East the children of the family are having an identity crisis. They do not know if they are British like their mother or Pakistani like their father, and their father does not make it easy for them to be both. After the oldest son is kicked out of the family due to leaving an arranged marriage at the alter, the father feels it necessary to try to arrange his next two oldest sons into marriage. If the first one did not wrok, why try another time? Also the way he treats his wife is a poor portrayal of what all families are like.
I feel like people in the US feel as though their lifestyles are superior to other cultures so we feel the need to nit pick at them and find all the small things that could be wrong and blow them out of proportion. The more that other cultures have wrong with them the more normal we feel as a country which is not right! I think people in the US need to try to find a more natural view of people in other countries and show that instead of a bogus movie version. Either that or start portraying ourselves as what we really are like in the US.

Women and Veil

Ok!it's time to get this straight!

As it stated in the Al-Quran (Al-Ahzab, 33:59), go look it up and read with your own eyes :) none of the verses mention that women HAVE TO wear veil. Therefore, this article called "Muslim minister killed 'for not wearing a veil' "is pissing me off a lil bit.It seems that these people are doing unpleasant things in the name of Islam which I think is completely wrong despite the fact that Pakistan indeed an Islamic state!!!why?because it' NOT Islam!

Wearing a veil is not something you can force, it is a matter of choice.

Mostly because as a Muslim I believe that once you wear a veil you are not supposed to take it off till the rest of your life (it is a pretty strong commitment!) and wearing a veil means that you have to be fully committed to all the five pillars of Islam; no skipping salat (prayers), fasting not only during Ramadhan but also every Mondays and Tuesdays (just what is says in the Sunna and Hadist), and all of those acts.
So, let women decide and choose to wear veil!

http://www.independent.ie/world-news/muslim-minister-killed-for-not-wearing-veil-55972.html

Humanitarian Crisis

With the recent Taliban crisis in Pakistan, people living in the Swat Valley have been forced to flee from their homes after the curfew was lifted in the Swat Valley. Refugees have been fleeing by the thousands from their homes and has caused camps in the North West Frontier Province to become full and many refugees are being forced to travel long distances to find places to stay. Saturday night, May 9th, 250,000 refugees had been registered and more refugees fled today, May 10th. Officials believe that the number of refugees could be close to 700,000 before the crisis ends. Many people who fled the Swat Valley have hard feelings toward both the Taliban and the Pakistani Army because of the operation being deployed.
In the refugee camps families are supposed to receive a tent, food utensils, and other provisions but many families have not received them and have caused a mini-riot, with the refugees looting the UN stores. With the influx of refugees from the Swat Valley, people already living in the areas the refugees have invaded is causing financial problems and could cause numerous other problems among the people already living there and the refugees.
Because the Pakistani Army gave no warning to the people of the Swat Valley of their mission to try and reduce the invasion from the Taliban, many civilian casualties have been recorded at the hospitals in the area. Sher Mohammad stated "We're not the terrorists, we're ordinary people but we're the ones dying." With all of the refugees and casualties in Pakistan, the economy will take a hard fall because people will not have the money or opportunity to buy the things they need and stealing will be resorted to if needed by the refugees. It is unknown how long the Pakistani Army will be in the Swat Valley but the longer they are there the more refugees and casualties there will be and the less amount of money that will be spent in markets and stores.


http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuId=29&ContentID=140799

Education of Women

There is a clear difference in the education a woman can get based on where they live. In the rural parts of Pakistan, women struggle to get up to the secondary level of education while women in urban areas can get from basic to masters' level education. Vocational and technical schools have recently been set up around Pakistan to try and help women in rural communities adapt to the changing environment. The problem with the schools is that they typically choose to teach women sewing and embroidery, trades that are helpful but have low wages and the employment opportunities are also low.
It is hard for me to hear that women in rural areas are being held back because of where they live. Women in urban areas have opportunities to go to secondary school, colleges, universities, and receive scholarships to study abroad. Women from urban areas find it easier after going to a university to obtain a respectable, high paying job. Looking at how women are educated in Pakistan compared to how far women can be educated in the United States is drastically different. Women in the United States have had freedom to attend college and have high paying jobs for decades, while women in Pakistan are just starting to be able to do the things women in the United States can do.

http://www.pakistanpaedia.com/women/women.html

Is "Honor Killing" just an excuse?

http://www.pakistanchristianpost.com/headlinenewsd.php?hnewsid=1120

According to the article called "Honor killing in Pakistan takes lives of two men and a woman" that I found, it isn't clear enough information why the honor killing took place in the first place. For those who's not familiar with the term, you can google it!but to save up your time, i will tell you anyway what it really means. Honor killing is when usually the men in the family (father, brother even uncle) that have the right to killed the member of the family that is believe to brought dishonor to the family or community or society. Hmmm sounds unfair to me!!!what do you think?do you think this is acceptable?I think no one in this entire universe have the right to take someone's life!!!Anyway, later in the article it is said that one of the man shot his uncle because of some property problems between the two. Which i think it is rather weird than shocking. Is "Honor Killing" now become an excuse to killed someone in the family? What really surprised me though, this "tradition" is still practiced in countries such as Pakistan for instance and many people just assume that it is a part of Islam (especially with the fact that Pakistan is an Islamic state). Well, I can't stressed you enough that you gotta learn to see the differences between the culture one's have and the religion they believe in.

Honour Killings Video

A video on honour killings in Pakistan of five women.

Wedding: Nikah

I wasn't surprised at all that the entire wedding process in Pakistani culture is ALMOST the same with Indonesian culture. One that I found really interesting though was the Nikah (Religious ceremony) because not only the terms is the same but the concept of the Nikah itself is pretty similar although there's no Ijab Qabul (marriage vow) in the Pakistani culture. However, the set of the religious ceremony is the same with the set of a vakil (lawyer), 2 male witnesses, the groom amd a maulvi (priest). Aside from that, no alcohol involvement is also applied in both Pakistani culture and Indonesian culture, besides who wants to wake up in the morning with terrible hang over right? hahaha just kidding ;p

geography- Karen

http://www.flickr.com/photos/imranthetrekker/2131534960/
I really learned a lot about the geography of the country of Pakistan. Before we started learning about Pakistan in class I always thought it was just one big desert of a country in the Middle East, but I was soon proven wrong. We Learned that the country is separated into provinces, and that some of the provinces are richer in natural resources than others. Also, Pakistan is not considered to be in the Middle East, but instead it is part of South Asia. The country also has a large mountain range called the Khyber Pass located on the Eastern Border that includes the second tallest mountain in the world K-2.

Weddings- Stacy

There are six main parts to the Pakistani Wedding: the Mayuun, two Mehndi's, the Nikah, the Rukhsati, and the Valima. Each part takes place at night, usually starting around 8 pm and takes place at either the Bride or Groom's house, depending on the ceremony taking place. I found this interesting because in the United States weddings take place usually only two days, with the rehearsal and dinner the night before the wedding and then the day of the wedding and reception. Having a wedding that lasts a week and having your family there the entire time would be very stressful for American brides. It surprised me that the family is very involved in the wedding. For me, that would be difficult because my family is very small and does not get along well. In Pakistan families seem to be very close and work together very well.

It was a shock to me that in Pakistan the newlywed couple do not immediately go on a honeymoon but instead move into the home of the groom and his family. In the United States that seems like a very odd tradition because we are used to being independent once we finish high school, sometimes before for people who drop out of school or move out as soon as they are 18. To be dependent on someone other than yourself is seen as drastically different and something that most American brides would look down upon. In Pakistan though, women are expected to move in with their in-laws and be dependent on their husbands. I do not think I could manage very well if I had to move in with my future in-laws or had to be one hundred percent dependent on my future husband. Independence is a big part of American lives and something that is taught to us at a young age.

Pakistan Weddings- Karen

What we learned this week about weddings in Pakistan was actually really interesting. I thought it was especially great that there are so many connections between weddings in Pakistan and weddings in the United States. In an in class exercise we also found that there are many similarities between cultures of the world and their wedding traditions! I think that my favorite wedding tradition in Pakistan is probably one that takes place before the week long ceremonies do... its the shopping that the bride and her family get to do. I thought it was especially interesting to find out that in Pakistan buying cloth, and having outfits tailored for you is actually less expensive than buying a pre-made outfit. I also like the tradition of the groom and his family presenting gifts to the bride and taking care of most of her clothing preparations!

History--> Bhutto: Political family conspiracy

The Bhutto's family tragedy really caught my attention right after the bomb incident that killed Benazir Bhutto; the daughter of Pakistan former President, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. The fact that her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was executed in 1979 and her brother, Shahnawaz Bhutto, was found dead in 1985 seems to complete the entire family "cursed". Bhutto's family was known to be the political family in Pakistan, so could this be part of the political game they play in Pakistan? Because as far as i know, there are no Bhutto left in the family tree to take over the political field.

Geography- Stacy

I was surprised by the geography of Pakistan because there are four seperate provinces that all speak their own languages and rarely communicate with each other. Only having one main province that is industrial seemed very different to me because in the United States most all of the states have some sort of industry. It was interesting to see that the four different provinces in Pakistan not only had their own languages, but had various roles in the society of Pakistan. Sindh is closer to the coast, having the city of Karachi which is the largest port in Pakistan. Punjab is the main industrial and agricultural province. Baluchistan is also agricultural but is made up mainly of rural communities. The Northwest Frontier Province is vastly different because part of the section is tribal lands and the Swat Valley, which is currently controlled by the Taliban. I was not aware that the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan was made up of mountains and that the second largest mountain in the world, K-2, was located there.

It seemed different to me that in Pakistan farmers used tractors and other farm equipment. I thought that they would have used the old techniques and equipment, like using camels to pull plows and other equipment rather than use tractors and newer techniques of farming. I come from a major farming area and it seemed different to me that in Pakistan they use the same farming techniques as we do here in the United States. Because most of Pakistan does not use a lot of motorized vehicles it was odd to me that they would use tractors and other farm equipment.

a great pic of a painted truck in Pakistan- Karen

this is a crazy bright painted truck in Pakistan!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/26974824@N02/2583472454/

i like pictures!!

Pretty women for Pakistan. There were from a tribal community in Bhurban, Pakistan. Yay, enjoy. It's pretty : )

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigberto/3361008737/

A sample post with an image

Pakistani Art ~ Story board on trucks

http://www.flickr.com/photos/murtazabravo/1016642832/