The Rugmaker of Mazar-e-Sharif is a really good text for Encountering Conflict, if you're doing that. You have the physical conflict in Afghanistan between the Taliban and the Afghani government and this results in the death of many innocent civilians who are caught up in the cross-fire. Then, you also have the internal conflict which Najaf experiences - having to make the decision to leave his homeland, family and memories behind in search of greener pastures. On coming to Australia, Najaf has to deal with new surroundings/people and this causes problems for him; which is only heighten by the fact that he has little grasp of English. In terms of responding to conflict, you see the extreme response shown by the Taliban - who often result to acts of physical violence. This is contrasted by individuals such as Gorg Ali and Najaf himself - they are shown to be calm and rational in the face of such conflict.