For my birthday, my Aunt Mary sent me a book entitled Three Cups of Tea: One man’s mission to promote peace… one school at a time. It’s the biography of Greg Mortensen, a former mountain climber turned philanthropist. His tale is phenomenal: he had traveled to Pakistan to climb K2, but like many mountaineers, was defeated by the mountain. On his descent, lost, sick, and disoriented, he wandered into a tiny village called Korphe. The villagers nursed him back to health and in exchange, he promised to return and build a school for the village, as it had none. Now, it’s not as though Mortensen was a rich man, someone who could easily afford to finance such an endeavor; in fact, it was quite the opposite. However, he persevered in his goal, and not only succeeded in building the school in Korphe, but he established the Central Asia Institute, which has built nearly 60 schools across the rural areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan, built libraries, trained and paid teachers, created women’s organizations, built water distribution and purification systems, in addition to numerous other projects outlined here.
The simple fact that one man intent on honoring his promise had the drive to achieve all this is simply incredible, and quite inspiring. However, that’s not the main reason why I say that you must read this book now. The book is fast-paced and entertaining, and a very quick read – yet that’s not why you should read it either. I think everyone (including those people who feel that all Muslims are trying to kill us) should read this book for a glimpse into the lives and characters of average people in Pakistan and Afghanistan. I promise what you will read will be much different from the average portrayal you see in the media these days. Yes, Mortensen was once kidnapped by Pakistani warlords. Yes, he had two fatwas declared against him. Yes, he was once nearly killed when caught in the crossfire between two bands of opium smugglers. But: he successfully worked with local leaders, both religious and secular, to establish schools which provided equal education to both boys and girls. He had religious Islamic leaders and Taliban representatives agreeing to allow him to build these schools, agreeing to allow the education of girls, agreeing to allow a secular curriculum to be taught at these schools. These people, so often demonized in our current culture, even went out of their way to help him reach his goals. He met and befriended numerous people who were so caring and wonderful…. and so peace-loving, and so dedicated to education.
The chapters which take place during and after September 2001 were unexpectedly powerful. Mortensen’s friends in a remote Pakistani village woke him up in the middle of the night with the news of the 9/11 attacks, saying over and over how sorry they were, cursing Osama bin Laden, whom they assumed immediately was behind the attack. Villagers, who had little to give, gave him eggs, insisting that he deliver them to the widows of the attack. These are not the images of Muslims that we normally see.
Mortensen discusses how the madrassas are able to recruit students into their schools in remote areas of central Asia very easily: these areas are incredibly poor. Many have no public schools, and most families cannot afford to send their children to expensive private schools. Meanwhile, wealthy wahabbi madrassas, funded usually by Saudi money, are able to pay for boys to attend – providing food, clothing, shelter and the promise of an education, albeit a religious one. Many of these madrassas serve as training grounds for jihadis. Students provided with the option of a free public school are less likely to enter into a madrassa. And certainly the students at the CAIs schools speak very highly of Americans!
One of the most depressing tales in this book was that when Mortensen’s work finally began to receive media coverage here in the US, he began to receive death threats from fundamentalist Christians – no doubt the type who believe that Muslims are the people who are trying to kill us.
I know this review is scattered all over the place. There’s so much in this book, and my simple attempt at summary hardly does it justice. Go buy the book and read it. Then give it to a friend. Education is the key.
The simple fact that one man intent on honoring his promise had the drive to achieve all this is simply incredible, and quite inspiring. However, that’s not the main reason why I say that you must read this book now. The book is fast-paced and entertaining, and a very quick read – yet that’s not why you should read it either. I think everyone (including those people who feel that all Muslims are trying to kill us) should read this book for a glimpse into the lives and characters of average people in Pakistan and Afghanistan. I promise what you will read will be much different from the average portrayal you see in the media these days. Yes, Mortensen was once kidnapped by Pakistani warlords. Yes, he had two fatwas declared against him. Yes, he was once nearly killed when caught in the crossfire between two bands of opium smugglers. But: he successfully worked with local leaders, both religious and secular, to establish schools which provided equal education to both boys and girls. He had religious Islamic leaders and Taliban representatives agreeing to allow him to build these schools, agreeing to allow the education of girls, agreeing to allow a secular curriculum to be taught at these schools. These people, so often demonized in our current culture, even went out of their way to help him reach his goals. He met and befriended numerous people who were so caring and wonderful…. and so peace-loving, and so dedicated to education.
The chapters which take place during and after September 2001 were unexpectedly powerful. Mortensen’s friends in a remote Pakistani village woke him up in the middle of the night with the news of the 9/11 attacks, saying over and over how sorry they were, cursing Osama bin Laden, whom they assumed immediately was behind the attack. Villagers, who had little to give, gave him eggs, insisting that he deliver them to the widows of the attack. These are not the images of Muslims that we normally see.
Mortensen discusses how the madrassas are able to recruit students into their schools in remote areas of central Asia very easily: these areas are incredibly poor. Many have no public schools, and most families cannot afford to send their children to expensive private schools. Meanwhile, wealthy wahabbi madrassas, funded usually by Saudi money, are able to pay for boys to attend – providing food, clothing, shelter and the promise of an education, albeit a religious one. Many of these madrassas serve as training grounds for jihadis. Students provided with the option of a free public school are less likely to enter into a madrassa. And certainly the students at the CAIs schools speak very highly of Americans!
One of the most depressing tales in this book was that when Mortensen’s work finally began to receive media coverage here in the US, he began to receive death threats from fundamentalist Christians – no doubt the type who believe that Muslims are the people who are trying to kill us.
I know this review is scattered all over the place. There’s so much in this book, and my simple attempt at summary hardly does it justice. Go buy the book and read it. Then give it to a friend. Education is the key.
2 comments:
I am so glad you liked it. It was not long after I finished it that the president of Iran got that awful welcome at Columbia U. I think a message of the book (and hence the title) is that hospitality, listening to others and patience are all parts of the key to peace.
It's a great book. I read it this summer, and I am convinced everyone should pick up a copy!
-Brooke S.
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