kiteflying--politicized & dangerous in Pakistan

Parent Cafe
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<p>Read this newstory & was sad to read how even what is to most of us an innocent pastime has become politicized & dangerous. Can’t understand how it’s “Islamic” to allow people to endanger the lives & safety of others via kite-flying with lethal string. <sigh> Don’t understand, but not sure I want to.</sigh></p>

<p><a href=“http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060308/od_nm/pakistan_kites_dc[/url]”>http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060308/od_nm/pakistan_kites_dc&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>I’m not sure I read the article correctly, but I thought they were saying kite flying itself was unIslamic. I know the Taliban had banned kite flying in Afghanistan because they thought it violated fundamentalist principles.</p>

<p>re: Kite-fighting…this is a traditional game in some countries, much like dogfighting with remote control planes. Unfortunately, the manja, or coated string used with fighter kites can be dangerous. It is popular in Hindu countries as well as Muslim countries and even in Catholic South America.</p>

<p>Just my take.</p>

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<p>I stand corrected, you’re right that the protests are against kite-flying as un-islamic. In any case, I had not known about the lethal string being used, but I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise, just sad.</p>

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<p>just started reading kite runner</p>

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<p>I have almost picked that book up several times…is it good NJres?</p>

<p>HImom - yes agree…it is sad. I think most of the kite-fighting takes place from the roofs of tall buildings too…so there ya are…just too many people around for it to be safe. My dh travels a lot so he is familiar with the tradition, says kitefighting is becoming popular here in the States too. Wonder if there are laws against the dangerous string here? I believe the string is actually coated in glue with glass powder and it only becomes lethal when someone gets ‘clotheslined’ accidentally.</p>

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<p>the kite runner is a great book, really interesting and thoughtful</p>

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<p>Duke required all entering freshmen to read it last summer (and the author came! He’s a doctor and took a tour of the Duke Med Center). I thought the book was good, but it’s very, very sad. :(</p>

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<p>I read The Kite Runner, I thought it was pretty good. I’d recommend it.</p>

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<p>My daughter just finished reading The Kite Runner this week and she and her book club (Ladies, Lit. & Latte) discussed it today at their meeting. She loved that book. I forgot the name of the book they’re reading for the next meeting … a book about South Africa, I think.</p>

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<p>SplashMom, Was it J. M. Coetzee’s book, Disgrace? We read that one in my book group and The Kite Runner as well. Both were very powerful and among my favorites. Although we read them awhile back, I can still visualize images from those books as if I had watched the scenes in real life.</p>