1. Set Focus
Pose this essential question: How do you rebuild your life after losing everything?
2. Read and Discuss
Have students read the article, marking key ideas and questions. Then ask them to answer the following questions, citing text evidence:
- Why have Afghans fled their country? Why has the U.S. taken in more than 76,000 Afghan refugees? (Afghans have fled their country out of fear of what life would be like under the Taliban, which took control of Afghanistan again in 2021 as the U.S. was withdrawing troops. The U.S. has taken in more than 76,000 Afghan refugees because many Afghans were supporters of the U.S. military when the U.S. had troops in Afghanistan.)
- If Ahmad Faisal Azizi and Rahima Sadaat had not been able to flee Afghanistan, what would their lives probably be like today? (They likely would be destitute and hungry, with no hope of improving their financial situations. They would be required to follow a very strict, traditional form of Islam. Azizi would have to grow a beard. Rahima would not be allowed to go to school. If Azizi didn’t have to work all the time to support his family and was able to go to school, he would be going to one that was less rigorous than his school in the U.S.)