RICASATA, Chloe Katryn C.

MHC
2020-11159
Integration Paper – Osama
Woman in Revolution

Osama is a film made by Siddiq Barmak set in Afghanistan. It follows a young girl called

Osama who disguised herself as a boy in order to work and be able to support her family,

specifically her mother and grandmother. It depicts the plight of Afghan women, especially

widows who have no means to support themselves due to the rules imposed by the Taliban. In

this film, there are many situations where different ethical theories can be observed. In fact, the

whole story of the film is founded on certain moral beliefs that the characters have, particularly

beliefs related to women’s rights.

The movie opens with a boy named Espandi spinning a censer, claiming that it would

protect one against the “Evil Eye.” In Afghanistan folklore, the evil eye is a curse casted to an

unaware person. From the very first scene, we can already see an example of a belief of a group

or culture, in this particular instance, the Afghans, that plays a role in shaping the morals and

values of the people.

It is also important to note that cultural relativism may be present. Much like the first

scene is viewed through the footage of a foreign journalist, we are also watching this film and

judging the people and the events happening through the lens that are our own morals, which are

also shaped by different influences in our lives. This means that we must acknowledge that our

judgments do not necessarily echo that of the people who are actually experiencing it.
 Next, we see women wearing blue Burqas in the street protesting, carrying placards that

say “we are not political,” “we are hungry,” “give us work,” and “we are widows.” Under the

rule of the Taliban, women are not allowed to have jobs. Employment is only for men, and

therefore they are the only ones who have the ability to support themselves and their family,

leaving women no choice but to be dependent to men. We see women scurrying away because

the Taliban will see them working and they will be punished if they get caught. Women are also

not allowed to go outside the house without accompaniment of a man, much less participate in a

demonstration. When the Taliban see them protesting in the street, they are hit by high-pressure

water cannons, locked in a cage for chickens, and jailed. The Taliban justifies this by saying the

employment of women is a breach of purdah and sharia law, and we can see how moral

principles and consequently moral judgments are affected by religion.

The hospital where the mother is working in is going to be closed down and the director

did not pay not does he plan on paying her the four months’ worth of salary that he owes her.

However, there is nothing the mother can do about it as she cannot go to any form of authority to

ask for help since she is technically not allowed to work there or anywhere else. In this

circumstance, cultural ethical relativism can be observed as the values of the society are relative

to the norms existing in it. Women having less freedom and limited rights compared to men are

established social norms in the country. Due to this, an unjust situation occurs where women

have no choice but to take jobs secretly without any system or structure that could protect them

from abuse, causing them to be more prone to being taken advantage of.

Inside the hospital, the mother, who is working there as a nurse, was seen asking for

permission from one patient to share his IV (intravenous) drip to another who needs it. Normally,

patients are not supposed to use others’ IV drip, particularly both the bag and the needle itself,
but the nurse made the decision as there was a need for it. This is an example of following the

Kant’s practical law, where the law must be followed, even if it thwarts all of your inclinations.

Specifically, the principle is that one must give and share to the needy, just as the mother did,

despite her inclinations against it.

When the Taliban came to the hospital, the mother immediately covered her clothing, so

as to hide the fact that she is working there. When questioned, the son of the old man who was

her patient told the Taliban that they are together and she is his wife. This is an example of

teleological ethics, where moral judgments are made based on the consequences or expected

results of an action instead of the nature of the act itself. The man claimed to be with the mother

or nurse so that she will not be punished by the Taliban. The decision was made with

consideration to the situation and what the outcome would be if the man did not lie.

Later that day, the man accompanied Osama and her mother home, as they cannot go

outside by their own without the accompaniment of a close relative man, for the Taliban would

give them trouble and likely punish them if they were caught. This act could be considered to be

having moral worth, for it is not done from the man’s desires nor emotions, but from duty. He

did not have anything to gain from accompanying them, meaning that he had no inclination to

perform the action, but he still did it simply because it was the right thing to do.

When they got home, the mother said that she wished she had a son instead of a daughter,

for since only men were allowed to have jobs, a son would help her with work. Devastated with

how difficult their life is, she goes as far as saying that she wishes God had not created women at

all. Her mother, however, does not share the same sentiment. In fact, she stated that men and

women are equal and that there is no difference between the two. This is an example of a form of
ethical relativism called personal ethical relativism, where moral judgments are relative to or

dependent on individuals. In this situation, the mother and the grandmother have different

statements with regards to gender, but there is no absolute right or wrong, and their truths are

simply relative to their own views.

Soon after the exchange, the grandmother suggests that Osama changes her clothes, cuts

off her hair, and pretends to be a boy so that she may be able to work and support the family.

This puts the girl in a very unfair situation, especially as a mere preteen child. Despite her fears

on what would happen to her – killed, she believes – if she were to be discovered, she agrees,

feeling helpless. Although certainly cruel, this shows that the action has moral worth, as

according to Kant’s definition of the term. Osama clearly does not want to pretend that she is a

boy in order to get a job, but she still does it from duty. She is aware that she has to support her

family because otherwise they will starve to death, and so she does it.

In what looks to be a symbolic gesture, Osama plants her cutoff hair in a pot and we even

see it being watered by the fluid from an IV drip later on. I believe that this symbolizes her

hopeless effort to grow back her hair, and although she does not explicitly say it, it shows one of

her values: her femininity, her identity before she had to pretend to be someone she is not.

The day after they changed her appearance, they went to a friend of her deceased father,

who was a milk vendor. They tell him about their situation; how they had to make her look like a

boy so that she can work and support the family. The milk vendor refuses at first, saying that he

barely makes enough to support himself. In the end, he ends up agreeing in order to help the

family. This is another example of teleological ethics, as the man is willing to help them and

even keep their secret, that is, that the girl is disguising as a boy, so that they may better their
living conditions. I think that the man is a kind person because what he did was in fact very

difficult to do in a place where so many small acts are punished by extremely harsh punishments

and the ruling people are the sole deciders of your fate. He did not have anything to gain from

helping them – even the fact that he was friends with Osama’s deceased father is not a heavy

enough reason for him to do that. He knew it was going to be difficult and complicated and it

troubled him but he still chose to help them.

Things become more complicated when the Taliban recruit all the boys in the area for

school. This school teaches them variety of things that are in line with the ways of the Taliban,

such as military training. They teach the boys how to pray, how to fight, and how to conduct

ablutions for when they have wet dreams or after they come in contact with their wife. All of

these are parts of what make up the mores of the society. These are social norms that are widely

observed and will continue to be practiced as they pass it to the next generations.

The mores determine what are considered morally acceptable or not in the society. For

example, there is a certain method that they follow when conducting ablutions and those who do

not know or follow it are viewed as wrong, or at the very least looked at strangely. This is seen in

a particular scene in the movie when Osama was only beginning to learn about the practices that

men do. When she was first brought to prayer, she did not know the proper way to conduct

ablutions. At some point, she also did a different gesture compared to the rest of the men present,

which was perhaps how women do it. One man noticed this, and since it is not different from the

mores that exists, it created suspicion around her.

During school, when the students were playing around, Espandi climbed a tree and told

Osama to follow him. With a little difficulty and help from Espandi, she was able to go up.
However, she got scared while trying to go down and ended up getting help from Espandi, which

garnered a bit of attention from the other students. It was a general belief that boys must be brave

and be able to climb trees, so it raises even more suspicion around her and the boys pick on her,

saying that she must be a girl. The belief or assumption that only boys can climb trees is another

mores of the society. The norm is that men are the ones who are physically active, doing

activities such as climbing trees, while women are only prim and proper. It is this mores that lead

them to doubt the gender of Osama, seeing how she could not go down the tree on her own.

When Espandi saw Osama for the first time after she has cut her hair off, he recognized

her and said that they must pay him or else he will tell on them. However, for some reason,

Espandi actually became what I would consider the closest to friend that the girl has and he

always defends her from the boys at their school whenever they pick on her for looking,

sounding, and acting like a girl. I believe this shows personal ethical relativism because it was

his own ethical beliefs. In a society where they teach and impose certain beliefs such as that

women must not show skin, have a job, or do anything out of the ordinary, it was him who

decided on his own what he believed and wanted to do, even if it was contradictory to the norms.

When Osama was eventually found by the people to be a girl because of her

menstruation, she was arrested and brought to a place where she will be tried in front of many

people, all of which were men. Before it was her turn to be tried, there were other people, such as

the woman who was said to be advocating profanity. The trial was a very unfair and unjust one

where they do not even bother to hear what the accused has to say. Instead, they simply decide

based on what they think. The same process happened to all the trials. This can somehow be

likened to Plato’s concept of reality. In the same way there are levels of reality, there are also

levels on the knowledge that could be obtained and understood during a trial. However, much
like the man in the Allegory of the Cave, they refuse to be enlightened and would rather stay

ignorant but comfortable with the limited information that they have.

In the end, Osama was “spared” from punishment and was wedded, essentially sold to, a

man called Mullah Sahib. Osama finds that the man has several wives, all of whom despise him.

The man is an example of what is called egoist, for he only cares about his own pleasure and

self-interest. In the end, there was no happily ever after, no resolution. Osama is not some

heroine who fights the system and wins somehow. She is merely a child whose life was taken

away from her because she had no choice but to suffer a horrible fate because of an unfair and

inhumane society, where many of the issues are rooted in moral judgments based on twisted

interpretation of religion.