We Condemn The Discrimination Against Sikhs And Hindus of Afghanistan

By  M. Amin Wahidi

In a racist action, the parliamentarians of Afghanistan refused the allocation of a single seat in the parliament for the Sikhs and Hindus minority group. Although the Sikh and Hindu people of Afghanistan have passed a long way of suffering for their religion but they are still discriminated against.
Recently the Afghan Parliament has passed the election bill, which was under discussion for a long time because of its controversial articles regarding allocation of seats in the parliament for the vulnerable categories such as women and religious and ethnic minorities. The bill is passed by both houses of the parliament and is awaiting President’s signature to be put in act.
The vulnerable categories were listed in the proposed bill as the women, the Kochis (nomads) and the Hindus and Sikhs.

The allocation of certain number of seats for Kochis and for women was approved but the Sikhs and Hindus of Afghanistan remained with no seats, which is a sign of religious discrimination against a group of the citizens while in the constitution of Afghanistan, the citizens are guaranteed equal rights and opportunities regardless of their ethnicity, race and religion so, if they women are considered vulnerable, they Sikhs and Hindus are also vulnerable and there numerous of proof cases for this fact. 

In the constitution of Afghanistan there are articles such as 2^nd, 6^th, 22^nd and 24^th that emphasize on freedom of religions for non-Muslims and then equal opportunities for all citizens of the country.    
Afghanistan is a country with an absolute majority of Muslims but we have Sikhs, Hindus and Christians who are considered as very vulnerable religious minority groups and need to be protected, given equal opportunities and fair treatment as every other citizen in the country, and in some cases they have to be given compensatory opportunities for their long sufferings because of discrimination against them.   

Afghanistan is a home for different ethnicity and different cultures and our Sikh and Hindu fellows, not only have the same rights as every one else, but they should also be given more opportunities and be compensated for all injustice and misbehavior conducted against them through the years, that forced them limit their religious practicing, lose their wealth and properties. They were also very badly tortured by the Taliban.
 
Most citizens of Afghanistan know that millions of Afghanistani people are around the world as asylum seekers and refugees and tens of thousands of them have already obtained citizenship from European countries, from the USA or Australia and are enjoying the justice, fair treatments and equal opportunities in their new countries, but the way our politicians still think within the country is very stinky and disturbing; they discriminate against a religious minority of our country in a very bad manner.  

Our Hindu and Sikh brothers and sister are peaceful, positive and very potential citizens of the country who are mostly involved in small and large scale businesses in the country and have paid taxes for years in this country and their attitude has been always friendly with Muslim citizens of the country. 

They have served in the military when it was an obligatory service and have paid all their dues to the country as everyone else; it is not fair to discriminate them for their religion and culture.

In this regard Kawa Gharji an Afghanistani journalist in exile and a writer for Kabul Press has posted an ironic post on his Facebook Timeline as below;

“No pain no gain!

As the Sikhs and Hindus of Afghanistan did not participate in the glorious civil war and did not destroy schools, did not blast themselves, did not conduct suicide attacks, did not cultivate opium and other dangerous narcotic substances, so their quota of parliament seats will be given to the hardworking Kochi brothers.

This quota is given to the Kochis to thank them for their day and night efforts in destruction, annually attacks on Behsud, burning the farms, destroying schools, threatening school girls and women, putting remote-controlled bombs on the roads, prohibiting and divesting more than 70,000 students from education and killing the innocents and dragging their bodies on the ground by horses.

The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan has given a chance to the Sikh and Hindu citizens of the country, to prove themselves with the above-mentioned standards but they have failed the criteria. So they did not deserve a seat in the parliament.”

First Published on : Hazara People International Network 

Mullah Omar or a carrot?!

By M. Amin Wahidi

Afghanistan is the land of wonders and contradictions; it has people of different ethnicity and there are still notable undiscovered wonders and places each of which could be a wonderful landmark to this country.

Unfortunately it is a harsh truth that nowadays it is hard to find Afghanistan’s name without a negative adjective wherever you hear people talking about it; in corruption we got the worst position in the world, in barbaric killings of innocent civilians by Taliban, vastly violation of human rights especially the women’s rights, drug cultivation, growth of fundamentalism and poverty and so many more problems, there is Afghanistan’s name always on top.

Sometimes I wonder if there is anything in our country that we would feel proud of.

When you talk to the foreign people, and if they are ignorant, as soon as they know you are from Afghanistan, the first thing they say to you is; “yes, I know you are from the land of Osama Bin Laden” without knowing that Osama Bin Laden was from Saudi Arabia not from Afghanistan, or some say, “Oh, you are from the land of Taliban and women in Burqa”.

Some people who know our country for the one-eyed hidden Satan, Mullah Omar they try to keep distance from us, when we say; “we are from Afghanistan.”

The interesting thing for me was that a few months ago, a friend of mine called me,        “A man from the land of carrots”, when he got to know that I was from Afghanistan. He said this in a positive manner, emphasizing on the richness of Afghanistan, for its history, natural resources, wonderful places and landmarks.    

I didn’t know what he meant by “the land of carrots”, but at night, I went to search for it in the internet and I found that carrots of today originated thousands of years ago from the land today called Afghanistan and from there it was brought to Europe and other places of the world, and then I thought wow! I didn’t know about it that far.  

Then a question jingled in my mind, “Isn’t it better if we would be known worldwide as the land of carrots instead of the land of Mullah Omar or the Taliban?!”       

    

https://www.facebook.com/carrotmovementafghanistan

 

Sahar Parniyan receives death threats from unknown people after a colleague was murdered

 
This article was first published on Kabul Press

Sahar Parniyan the prominent Afghanistani Hazara actress said that she lives in fear after the suspicious murder of a TV actress in Kabul.
Benafsha a 22 years old TV actress was mysteriously killed in west of Kabul on Monday August 20th while well-known Hazara actress Sahar Parniyan was also threatened to death at the same time by unknown people. The victim actress, Benafsha was killed by the knives of unknown people after having a part in a show on Imroz TV.
It is said that the parts the girl played were considered against Islamic values and moralities and therefore she was prosecuted by intolerable people while going to the bakery near her home.

There were some arrests so far by the police in district six of Kabul where the murder has taken place and the police chief claims that it was a personal enmity and nothing related to her work in a television channel but people deny the police statement and believe it is a result of the growth of extremism in the country.
After this incident in Kabul, Sahar Parniyan does not dare to come out of home though she has changed her address for a few days. Contacting Kabul Press, she said that after she was threatened to death by the phone calls of unknown people who said she was the next victim, she had to call the office of Chief of Kabul Police for her security, but there she faced with neglect and disinterest.
Condemning the latest murder, Ms Parniyan says that she is going to write an open letter to the Ministry of Interior of Afghanistan, to ask for help for her security and the security of other TV actresses and women newscasters and radio and television entertainers.
When the news about the murder of Benafsha was published on BBC Persian, hundreds of Parniayn’s fans wrote messages of support on her Facebook Fan Page then she replied her fans on her Facebook wall as bellow;
“Dear my fans, I am thankful to your supports and your concerns about me, I am fine. I am very sorry for the suspicious murder of two actresses in west of Kabul. I was also threatened to death, by unknown people, to be the next victim, but I am fine right now. Just for a few days, I do not walk out of home and I have changed my address; I am just worried and a bit shocked for what happened to Benafsha and her friend. I am afraid that before 2014, extremism, terror and fundamentalism seem to be increasing that much that takes the lives of artists and activists of civil society.
My only hope is God, your encouragements and benedictions and may be the security guards. Hereafter I am forced to have security escorts with me, what can I do, it is the situation in my country!”

"دوستان عزیز، تشکر از پیام ها و نظرات و ابراز نگرانی تان درمورد سلامتی ام، حادثه ناگواری که چند روز پیش در غرب کابل رخداد جان دو تن از هنرمندان تلویزیون را گرفت، و مرا هم تهدیداتی کردند که نفر بعدی من هستم که کارم را خلاص کنند، اما تاکنون سلامتم ، فقط اینکه چند روزی است که از خانه خارج نمیشوم تشویش و دلهره ای بسیار دارم .ترسم از اینست که سال 2014 هنوز نیامده بنیاد گرایی، ترور، و ایجاد رعب و وحشت به این حد برسد و به این آسانی جان هنرمندان و فعالین مدنی را بگیرند، فعلن تنها امیدم به خدا، به دعاهای شما علاقه مندانم و شاید هم به محافظ امنیتی باشد، مجبورم از این به بعد با محافظین امنیتی گشت و گذار نمایم، چی کنم، متاسفانه کشورم چنین است"

Sahar Parniyan 21 is an athlete and actress who has role in many television fiction series in Afghanistan including Hechland AKA Ministry which is criticizing the corruption in the Afghan government. She has been the special guest on Eid days on four different television channels.
The journalists, celebrities and radio and television entertainers in Afghanistan are under pressure by different sides; the armed terrorist groups such as the Taliban, the unarmed fundamentalists in the society and the Ulama Council that is the official religious entity in the government body.
The lately growth of fundamentalism is evidently visible in different corners of the country and people concern, it might get worse in 2014 after the foreign troops will pull-out form Afghanistan. 

A couple of days ago, a concert was canceled in Herat after an extremist scholar criticized on it and asked the Ministry of Culture to cancel the concert. Then hundreds of people demonstrated to support the singer and condemn the cancellation decision of the concert.
In July this year, the works of three artists from Taasha Artist Group were confiscated by Ministry of Information and Culture in Kabul and the artists were prohibited to participate in any exhibition in Afghanistan.
While so many print and media journalists have been killed, murdered, tortured and faced with violence and censorship so far in Afghanistan, the battle for freedom of speech still continues on in this country.

For the Italian Version of this article PLEASE CLICK HERE

Enchaining the artworks in Kabul is related to the return of the Taliban

  

 

Mohammad Amin Wahidi

Filmmaker/Blogger

Yet it is 2012 and more than a year and half is left for the pull-out of the foreign troops from Afghanistan but the fear of return of the Taliban is already overcasting everywhere in the country while the people speculate the aftermaths of 2014 differently.

In addition to military aspect of day by day increasing of guerrilla attacks of the Taliban to the major cities, their cultural influences on the governmental offices are as dangerous as their military attacks.

One of the most recent cases is the misbehavior of the Afghan government officials with the artists from ethnic Hazara in Kabul.

In midday June 21st 2012 before the opening of the exhibition Documenta in Kabul, the Minister of Information and Culture and some of his men rushed to the exhibition venue where they used violence against the artists and applied restrictions against works of three artists, all from the minor ethnic Hazara; Mohsen Taasha, Amin Taasha and Azizullah Hazara. The Minister and his men banned four artworks in total and confiscated them all.

They took three artists away and kept them in custody for an hour and then, an order was released by the Ministry of Information and Culture of Afghanistan that prohibits the participation of these artists and their works in any other exhibitions in Afghanistan.

Mohsen Taasha is a young artist from Afghanistan. He is the winner of Afghanistan Contemporary Art Prize 2010 and a participant of DOCUMENTA 13 this year in Kassel Germany. This year at the Documenta, he was considered the youngest artist ever participated at the Documenta Contemporary Art Exhibition. 

Before Documenta, Mohsen Taasha’s paintings and installations were being exhibited in Paris and Prague as well.

  

The painting brought him misfortune is called “A Man Reading Quran, Without Knowing the Meaning.”

"A Man Reading Quran, Without Knowing the Meaning" by Mohsen Taasha is being considered non-Islamic in Kabul and was banned and confiscated by the Ministry of Information and Culture of Afghanistan!

The confiscated painting was done after Mohsen Taasha participated in a workshop called “Seeing Studies”, supported by Documenta in Kabul. The aim of the workshop was to extend the ways of how artists view things around him and how interpret things including existed artworks by other artists.

“A Man Reading Quran, Without Knowing the Meaning” is not an original work, but is Mohsen Taasha’s interpretation from another painting exposed in the National Gallery of Afghanistan that is called “A Man Reading Holy Quran”.

As explained by Mohsen Wahidi, “When you read Quran, without knowing the meaning, it is like thousands of words dance in your head.” That is why it caused the anger of Minister of Information and Culture of Afghanistan.  

Mohsen Taasha in his statement to the Hazara People website said that he has never intended to harm anyone’s feelings, it is just his artistic expression of the fact, that even to be a good Muslim and a good follower of Islam religion, literacy and knowing the meaning of Quran is a must.

With all these difficulties and restrictions, as long as the ministry does not close his workplace, he still continues his works for art and freedom of expression in his underground art factory in Kabul that is called Taasha Underground Art Factory and Gallery. 

It was not only him being insulted for his opinion as an artist, but the work of another fellow artist was also insulted, banned and confiscated by the ministry.     

“Dancing Letters and Words” is another banned and confiscated work that belongs to the artist, Azizullah Hazara. The officials of the Ministry have left a nonsense statement regarding this work; “Playing and joking with Arabic words and letters is considered against holy religion of Islam.”

This work of course, is based on a historical fact about the Hazaras and had a political message that is why it was very sensible for the Minister and his men.

The painting “Dancing Letters and Words” highlights the mass-massacre of the Hazaras by tyrant Afghan King Amir Abdurrahman Khan in late 19^th century, who massacred the Hazaras and put their heads to sign the road ways for the return of his soldiers to Kabul. This painting wanted to sign the roads by Alphabetic letters to raise the question of; “which one is more sacred, human’s head and blood or letters of a language like Arabic?” 

The order of the Minister of Information and Culture of Afghanistan says that Mohsen Taasha and his two fellow artists Azizullah Hazara and Amin Taasha are not allowed to participate in any exhibitions thereafter in Afghanistan.

After the incident, many artists in Kabul objected on Minister’s censorship and discrimination. The website of Hazara People International Network wrote an objection letter condemning censorship and ethnic discrimination applied against Hazara artists. 

Based on the historical evidences, the Hazaras, who have always been the main victims of ethnic cleansing in Afghanistan and Pakistan, were prosecuted by the Taliban very fiercely during their rule on Afghanistan. They still have in mind how the Taliban mass-massacred them in Bamyan, Mazar e Sharif and Yakawlang.

With the new era after the fall of Taliban’s Emirate in Kabul, a new horizon begin to appear for the vulnerable groups such as the women, ethnic and religious minorities and the cultural activists such as the artists, writers, filmmakers and enlightening intellectuals in Afghanistan who were all previously tortured by the Taliban.  

Among all, the Hazaras, with all challenges and discriminations against them, taking advantage of the relative freedom in the new era, began to move towards democracy and development. They have been very active in women education, mass literacy program among the people, sport, art and different cultural activities in the passed decade for which they gained honors and credits for Afghanistan.

   

After these years of democracy experiences, now the fear of return of the Taliban can easily destroy their imaginary castle of prosperity they had built for them in these ten years.

 

And now, the lately efforts made in rush to bring back the Taliban on power, makes thing nonsense for the groups who have suffered during the Taliban. They believe if the Taliban are to come back on power, this time by the direct support of the west, then there were no need for this long-ten-years of blind war against them.   

Seeing the clearance of path by the government officials for the Talibanism ideology already, a grand majority of the urban population, could have the most fearful nightmare that is the return of the Taliban on power again after these years of relatively open period for the mass-media and artistic expressions.

The lately unpleasant signs of neo-extremism in Afghanistan reveal the tendency of the government towards fundamentalism could it be for the purpose of contenting the terrorist group of Taliban for joining the government or it is the action of the pro-Taliban elements who are already placed in the government body. Whatsoever it is, these suspicious signs are not considered as good signs for a peaceful 2014.

As a matter of fact, so far the most important achievements during these ten years of post-Taliban era (2002-2012) for which the government officials always boast, are the relatively freedom to the women as the most vulnerable population of the society, the relatively openness of ground for the media and press, openness for artistic and cultural activities and the return of the artists in the art galleries, otherwise the long-going costly war would seem to be aimless without guaranteeing a real democracy for the majority of people of Afghanistan.  

The illegal procedure on going by the Afghan Government, through which the terrorist Taliban are not only being forgiven but also being rewarded and compensated with money, is a kind of encouragement for the terrorism, illegality and organized criminality in the country.

While on the other hand, applying restrictions on artists, writers and journalists by the name of religion is a deadly and very dangerous way of quieting the real voices of the society.      

Facebook Page: Mohsen (Wahidi) Taasha

Email: mohsentaasha@gmail.com

For more information read the link below:

Censorship and Racial Discrimination Continues in Afghansitan  

Censorship and Racial Discrimination Continues in Afghanistan

Order of the Minister of Information and Culture of Afghanistan that prohibits the arts works and participation of Mohsen Taasha, Amin Taasha and Azizullah Hazara in any future art exhibitions in Kabul.

Only a week after the scandalous plot against the Hazaras through the book called “The Atlas of non- Pashtoon ethnics in Afghanistan”, the Hazaras are again victims of racism and discrimination in Afghanistan.

This time, a group of the Hazara Contemporary Artists was banned, faced with physical violence by the police and the officials of ministry of information and culture. Then their art works were confiscated by the order of the Minister of Information and Culture of Afghanistan, from the exhibition called “a study of view” supported by Documenta 13 at the National Art Gallery of Afghanistan in Kabul.

The order released by the Ministry of Information and Culture of Afghanistan prohibits the participation of these artists and their works in any other exhibitions in Afghanistan.

In midday June 21^st 2012 during the preparation for the exhibition, the Minister of Information and Culture and some other officials of his office came to the exhibition venue where they used violence against the artists and applied restrictions against works of three artists; Mohsen Taasha, Amin Taasha and Azizullah Hazara. They banned four art works in total and confiscated them all.        

The four confiscated art works belong to Mohsen Taasha, Amin Taasha and Azizullah Hazara; the three artists belonging to the ethnic minority Hazara.

Mohsen Taasha whose works were banned in Kabul on June 21 2012, is an Afghan (Hazara) artist, winner of Afghan Contemporary Prize 2010 and a participant of Documenta 13 2012 in Kassel Germany.

In addition to Documenta, previously Mohsen Taasha’s works are being exhibited in private galleries in Prague and Paris. 

The Exhibition, “a study of view” is organized by the support of the Documenta and the Goethe Institute in Kabul.

The official reaction by the Documenta and Goethe Institute in this regard will soon be published on their websites.

Many of the Afghan Contemporary Artists have so far condemned minister’s censorship and his illegal approach to ban and confiscate art works.

"A Man Reading Holy Quran", Mohsen Taasha's work, considered to be non-Islamic, was banned and confiscated by the Ministry of Information and Culture of Afghanistan on June 21 2012 in Kabul.

"A Combination of Letters and Words" a work by Azizullah Hazara that is also considered to be non Islamic and was banned and confiscated by the Ministry of  Information and Culture of Afghanistan on June 21 2012 in Kabul.

Source for this article: 

Hazara People International Network
Kabul Press.org

For Further Information:

Hazara People International Network's reaction

Reazione del sito Popolo Hazara contro la censura e il razzismo

Afghan Artists Participation in Documenta 13, a report on BBC Persian

Reaction on Kabul Press against censorship and discrimination

Reaction by National Front of Afghanistan European Branch

Reaction by National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan

When they enchain art and freedom of expression (an article)

Mohsen Taasha's page on Facebook:

Mohsen Taasha on Documenta 13 webpage

Mohsen Taasha's works on Nafas Online Art Magazine

Hazara Asylum Seeker about to be deported to danger!

Ismail Mirza Jan, a 27-year-old Hazara asylum seeker, is about to be forcefully deported this Saturday to Kabul.

He has spent nearly two years in the Villawood Detention Centre. His refugee appeal application has been rejected. He was told by the Immigration Department that it was safe for him to return to Kabul, Afghanistan. Fearing for his life, he said, “I can’t go back to Afghanistan and [it's] better to die here than to be killed in Afghanistan. Then they should send my dead body.”

It is the first case of deportation under the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between the Australian and Afghan governments in January 2011. The agreement allows the forced repatriation of Afghan refugees “judged not to be in need of international protection”. Currently, over 730 Hazara asylum seekers have been rejected in Australian detention centres and will be deported if judicial appeals are exhausted. At the time the MOU was signed, the Australian Government argued that Afghanistan had become safer, including for the Hazaras.

The evidence shows the contrary. Afghanistan’s security situation has gradually worsened over the past few years. According to the United Nations, the first six months of 2011 have been the deadliest months since the Taliban was ousted. The month of August in 2011 has been the worst month in terms of the average monthly incidents of violence (2,108), 39 per cent up compared to the same period in 2010. A recent UN report suggests that “the focus of suicide attacks was no longer southern Afghanistan, the central region currently accounting for 21 per cent of such attacks”.

Attacks by the Taliban and other insurgent groups have intensified, and so have Afghan and NATO counter-attacks, producing a mounting civilian and combatant death toll. One only has to look at the recent Australian causalities. In a period of over two weeks three Australian soldiers have been killed and 10 wounded by both sides – by the Taliban and Afghan soldiers. So far the coalition military fatalities stand at about 2,800, including 32 Australians.

The Taliban and insurgent groups target government officials, civil servants, teachers, journalists and anyone who is seen to be supporting the government and foreign forces. Like all Afghans, Hazaras live in a volatile, rapidly changing and dangerous environment.

My own research on the situation of Hazaras on the ground in Afghanistan and Pakistan last year shows the opposite to the government’s advice that Hazaras are safe.

Hazaras suffered enormously under the Taliban rule. The Taliban branded the Hazaras, who are Shiite, not Sunni Muslims like them, “infidels”. They said that “Hazaras [are] not Muslim. You can kill them, it is not a sin.” Australians may be far more aware of the destruction of Buddha statues in 2001 by the Taliban rather the massacres of its people – the Hazaras. Thousands were killed in the town of Bamiyan and surrounding valleys between 1998 and 2001. For this reason, Hazaras were the first to support the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001 by Coalition forces and to back the new government and democratic process in the post-Taliban period.

In the post-Taliban period, the Hazara situation has improved in some respects; many participate in social, civic, political and social life and many Hazaras go to schools and universities, hold government jobs, or work for non-government organisations or the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

Many Hazaras I spoke to believe these improvements depend on the presence of the international community in Afghanistan. If the ISAF were to withdraw, many believe the situation would deteriorate for Hazaras. Discrimination against Hazaras is entrenched in Afghan culture, government departments and educational institutions, and many Hazaras stated they were treated as inferior and second-class citizens.

In 2010 Hazaras became politically marginalised in the Afghan government as Hazara nominees for ministerial posts failed to achieve the required vote of affirmation on three occasions in the Afghan parliament. Thus there is no Hazara minister represented in the current Karzai government, only acting ministers.

Under the Karzai administration, Hazara areas are receiving little benefit from the international aid to Afghanistan. In Bamiyan, and many other Hazara areas, there has been minimal reconstruction; local people blame this on the prejudices of the Afghan government against the Hazaras.

Hazaras remained prone to attacks by Kuchi in the central highlands in Behsud and Daimirdad districts, which is part of Maidan Wardak. Since 2004, the Kuchis, mainly Pashtun pastoralists, have attacked Hazara areas, killing and injuring tens of people, burning down their houses, destroying their harvests, and forcibly displacing thousands of people. The Afghan government has failed to protect Hazaras against the Kuchi attacks, and its inaction appears to have encouraged Kuchi incursions in the central highlands, which are believed to be supported by the Taliban. The man about to be deported is from Behsud.

Yet, the worst threats come from the Taliban. The increased Taliban activities in Afghanistan pose serious threats to the lives, security and freedom of Hazaras. They still live in fear of persecution from the Taliban and dread their returns. Most of the Hazara areas are sandwiched between areas controlled by the Taliban and are subject to constant searches, arrests, and attacks by the Taliban. In June 2011, in a particularly gruesome attack, nine Hazaras were beheaded in Uruzgan, revealing an ethnic motive behind the killings.

For many Hazaras in Pakistan, whether they be refugees or citizens, life has become increasingly dangerous. Hazaras in Quetta, in western Pakistan, are now under unprecedented terrorist attacks by a banned organisation, Lashkar-e-Jangavi, which is affiliated with the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Since 2003 nearly 500 Hazaras have been killed and over 1,500 injured as a result of targeted killing. The terrorist group specifically targets the Hazaras and pick them out from the non-Hazara population and kill them.

The government of Pakistan, in particular, the local government, does not protect the Hazara population or punish the perpetrators. In fact, some elements within the Pakistan government are seen to collaborate with and support the terrorists as they do in Afghanistan.

In light of the deteriorating security situation for Hazaras in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the Australian Government must halt its plans to send Hazaras back to danger.

Abdul Karim Hekmat is a long-time researcher on Hazaras and is the author of Unsafe Haven: Hazaras In Afghanistan And Pakistan.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE SOURCE

Australian Hazara Champion, now a Hollywood celebrity visits refugees and his fans in Europe

Talented Afghan- Hazara martial arts champion and actor Hussain Sadiqi, who is known in Australia as a new Jackie Chan is visiting refugees and his fans in European countries.

Read the full story on Hazara People.com and Hazara.it

Who is he going to deal with this time?!

a caricature by M. Amin Wahidi

Ai lettori della pagina italiana (Italian Hazaras su Facebook)

40 Ragazze (donne) *

Alcuni giorni fa una persona tra i destinatari del nostro comunicato stampa sulla manifestazione di Milano mi ha chiesto di spiegare”in che modo gli Hazara di distinguano dagli altri in Afghanistan” e le ho inviato via mail queste risposte.

Ora vorrei condividerle affinchè altri lettori possono leggerle. La mittente difendeva in modo miope i Pashtoon, poiché stata influenzata dalla propaganda dei leader Pashtoon, ma qui forneremo chiari esempi di come siano gli Hazara, sottolineando le differenze tra gli Hazara e i Pashtoon. Lo scopo principale di questi paragoni e risposte non è essere contro le altre etnie afgane ma rendere chiara la situazione dell’Afghanistan, rendere chiara agli stranieri la situazione dell’afghanistan, per meglio comprendere questo paese. Un altro fine è quello di distinguere chi commette buone azioni e chi no, per mostrare che ci sono i Talibani che risostiene e rimarcare che non tutte le popolazione dell’afghanistan sono talebane. Non è un operazione semplice distinguere tra bene e male giusto e sbagliato, ma spiegazioni,chiarimenti ed esempi possono essere d’aiuto. Come gli ebrei durante la seconda guerra mondiale, noi Hazara quali vittime sopravvissute e storici masacri ma massa, abbiamo il diritto di rispondere ai popoli del mondo la nostra storia e le nostre vicende, momorie e documenti sul nostro genocidio. Così come ai nostri successori, di generazione in generazione per rivelare le crudeltà commesse contro di noi. Vorremmo perciò chiedere ai lettori di condividere le nostre storie, scritti articoli con il maggior numero possibile di persone, cosi da astirare alla agoniata giustizia che indispensabile all’umanità e per una parte duratura tra i popoli.

1- Ghi Hazara non hanno gruppi aramati come i Pashtoon(Kuchi e Talebani) loro unico groppo armato, nato per difendersi per i talebani, stato il primo a unirsi al processo di disarmo, smobilitazione e reintegrazione (DDR process) dopo la caduta dei talebani nel 2001.

2- Loro invece hanno un’economia legale e la maggior parte degli abitanti dei villaggi fa l’agricoltore.

3- Gli Hazara non coltivano,come fanno i Pashtoon, l’oppio( che sostiene economicamente e alimenta la crescità del fondamentalismo, del stremismo e terrorismo in Afghanista).

4- Coltivano invece il grano per far fiorire un economia legale nel paese e aiutare il processo di pace.

5. Gli hazara non lapidano le donne come i Pashtoon.

6. Le mandano a scuola e le grantiscono loro il diritto di studiare per migliorare e servire la società

7. Gli hazara non tagliano le orcchie e il naso alle loro donne.

8. Consentano che esse migliorino e diventino leader nella società.(la maggior parte delle donne poliziotto è Hazara, la prima governatrice, il primo sindaco donna nella storia dell’Afghanistan è Hazara, le donne hazara si arruolano nella polizia nel esercito purchè ci siano opportunità per loro).

9. Gli Hazara non struiscono i bambini e le bambine a immolarsi.

10. Mandano i loro bambini a scuola per essere utile alla società

11. Gli hazara non commettono attacchi,suicid come fanno i Pashtoon(stremisti).

12.Protestano invece in modo civile, ad esempio ristrutturando le strade o mettendo un grande lampione alla piazza cittadina, come stato fatto a Bamyan.

13. Gli Hazara non bruciano le scuole o altri edifici pubblici.

14. Costruiscono invece le scuole. La maggior parte delle scuole private e dell’università appartiene agli Hazara. Più del 65% degli studenti classificatisi ai primi due posti nelle graduatorie di merito delle facoltà dell università di Kabul è Hazara, gli stessi che durante la monarchia(negli 1960s). Furono banditi dall’istruzioni superiore attraverso decreti governativi ufficiali. Ma ogni volta che viene data loro la possibiltà, hanno dimostrato di essere non solo pari ma addrittora superiori ad altre etnie nei risultati scolastici. Loro sostengono che l’istruzione è l’unica arma in loro possesso contro il fondamentalismo in Afghanistan.

15. Gli Hazara non permettono che i loro giovani abusino di sostanze stupifacenti, li inconraggiano invece a coltivare le arti, praticare sport. I loro atleti hanno vinto a livello internazionale molte medaglie, i loro artisti hanno ricevuto premi e riconoscimenti prestigiosi.

16. Nel governo come atto di razzismo i ministri Hazara sono stati tutti boicottati dall’entourage di Karzai, ma gli Hazara non hanno impugnato le armi per rivendicare i loro diritti ma hanno condotto battagli civili e manifestazioni contro il razzismo e dicriminazione.

17. Tutte le province hazara sono state collaborative e hanno cooperato al processo di pacificazione del paese ma il governo razzista le ha escluse da ogni forma di sviloppo e ricostruzione. Il governo razzista ha invece inviato i Kuchi a bruciare quelle zone per spostare lì, le farmacia rosso, orologio ,notte ,testa , emozione il fronte di guerra dal sud.

Con circa 6 millione di abitanti gli Hazara costituiscono approssimativamente il 20% della popolazione dell’Afghanistan ma a causa delle discriminazioni, meno del 2% dei fondi nazionali al sviluppo è destinato a loro.mentre l’Afghanistan è un paese multietinico e le risorse e i poteri devono essere suddivise sulla base dell’etnie come stabilito dalla conferenza di Bonn del 2001 dopo la conflitta dei Talebani.

Con gli accordi di Bonn la popolazione dell’Afghanistan ametto la parola fine alla guerra per iniziare una nuova vita in pace, giustizia ed uguaglianza.

La confereza di Bonn ha significato la fine di un periodo oscuro e l’inizio di uno più lumioso, ma molti dei punti sottoscritti alla conferenza sono stati disattesi dei ministri del governo Karzai. A fondamento degli accordi di Bonn stata stabilità uguaglianza e la giustizia sociale nella distribuzione del potere tra le etnie e nella distribuzione delle risorse del paese ma che dopo più di dieci anni ciò non si è ancora verificato.

18- Le notizie le informazioni riguardanti le zone di Hazara sono stati boicottati dal governo. Un paio di anni fa le auturità hanno gettato nei fiumi decine di libri e opere scritti d’autori Hazara, per vestire le loro voci .questo comparabile esattamente al rogo dei libri da parti dei nazzisti ma questa notizia è stata censorata dal governo afghano affinchè fosse paciuta ai media esteri. Per tutti questi soccitati motivi gli Hazara sono considerati gli outside(così sono stati definiti di un articolo di National Geographic) perché sono diversi, non sono come gli estrimisti Pashtoon perhcè non uccidono, non bruciano le scuole, non si immolano, non tagliano il naso alle loro donne, non coltivano l’oppio e non fanno esplodere l’edifici pubblici. Questo perché sono aperti alla dimocrazia, alla libertà , ai diritti umani, ai diritti delle donne, alle pari oppurtunià e alla giustizia per tutti. Sono soppravvissuti ai genocidi perpetrati nel loro paese e a ragione hanno così bisogno di pace e giustizie per lenire il loro dolore storico.

Perché credono che la libertà sia un diritto fondamentale dell’umanità e astirano a “Sub Lege Liberta” . c’è la necessità di una rivoluzione del popolo che risvegli le coscenze., è l’unico modo possibile per attuarla e tramite l’istruzione, la cultura e un processo che illumini il popolo. Gli Hazara stanno gia facendo questo, educano persino le donne più anziane dei villaggi a loro spese.

Per questo motivo sono stati ovunque fortemente discriminate, dalla politica ai servizi pubblici e ai diritti civici.

La lunga stora delle scriminazione da loro subite a radice lontane e persiste.

Uno degli esempi più semplici di come gli Hazara siano discrimanati è fornito dal bilancio nazionale .mentre un ministro pashtoon del gabinetto di karzai percepiva nel 2007 un spipendio mensile di tre mille dollori, nel stesso anno il fondo anuale a sostegno dell’agricoltura di una provincia Hazara (l’intera provincia abita da quarantamila perone) si aggirava sui 2500 dollori. Non è forse una lampante discrimanzione di un gruppo etnico. !

è sono una gioccia nel mare, affrontiano queste ingiustizie ogni giorno ovunque in Afghanistan, percio consederevole nome di Hazara chiede asilo e protezione in diversi paese del mondo.ma non abbiamo mai imbracciato le armi per rivendicare i nostri diritti alcontrario seguiamo di pacifichi ci sono lunghe estenuanti e turtuose ma sappiamo che un giorno raggiungeremo la prosperità , poiché dopo la notte viene sempre il giorno e noi sappiamo molto bene che nessuna tirannia vivrà in eterno, organizziamo manifestazioni sit in e seminari per rispondere ai popoli del mondo il nostro messaggio di giustizia e ugualianza in Afghanistan.

Nonostante queste ingiustizie atti di razzismo e ovvie discriminazioni nessuna Hazara mai si è immolato come forma di protesta al contrario gli Hazara hanno condotto seminari e proteste civiche per cercare altri modo di estirpare queste discriminazione dall’afghanistan. È meglio avere un sguardo lucido ed essere almeno apposto con le nostre coscenze. Nel fare emeregere queste situazione non intendiamo esprimere oddio contro gli altri gruppi etnici in Afgha…siamo tutti fratelli e sorelle e la nostra fratellanza quando ha senso quando ognuno ha diritti opputunità uguali che si basano sulle proprie capacità.

Abbiamo sempre ripetuto che l’uniche cose che noi vogliamo sono giustizie e ugualglianza. Non esistono fratelli maggiori e minori ma tutte le persone del afghanistan devono avere uguali diritti al fine di avere una afghanistan pacificato stabilmente, no a previleggi o a pregiudizzi legati a una specifica etnia.

In fine vorrei citare due motti di Mazari. Il leader Hazara che nei tre anni di resistenza degli Hazara che ha guidato per tre anni la resistenza degli Hazara della zona ovest di Kabul(1993-1995) ed di infine e in seguito stato ucciso dei talebani come prima vittima del terrorismo in Afghanistan.

“ Noi non siamo i nemici dei Pashtoon, non siamo amanti dei Tajiki ma siamo in favore della fratellanza che implichi ugualanza e giustizia per tutti. Abdul Ali Mazari

“Quello che vogliamo noi vogliamo essere Hazara e che questa non sia un crimine in questo paese” Abdul Ali Mazari

La vita è bellissima e gli Hazara la amano e vogliono vivere più lungo possibile e percio lottano per aiutare le altre etnie a sentire anche esse la bellezza come parte della vita e vivere così una vita migliore.

* Scriviamo sulla storia di 40 donne Hazara nei prossimi giorni.

A curiosity about the Hazaras of Afghanistan

The Hazaras in Antique Bamyan

A few days ago a person among the recipients of our press release for the demonstration in Milan had asked me to give explanation on “how the Hazaras are different from the others in Afghanistan” and I sent her these answers via mail. Now I would like to share it here as well, so the other readers would read it. The mail sender was somehow blindly defending the ethnic Pashtoon as she was influenced by the propaganda of the Pashtoon leaders but here we bring quite clear examples of how the Hazara people are. We highlight here the differences of the Hazaras with the Pashtoon.

The purpose of these answers and comparisons is not enmity or to be against the other ethnics of Afghanistan, but is to bring clarity on the situation of Afghanistan that would help the foreigners know this country better.

The other purpose of these answers is to separate who does good and who does bad things in Afghanistan, to show who are the Taliban, and who support them, and to say that all people of Afghanistan are not the Taliban. DISTICTION between good and bad, right and wrong is a difficult thing to do indeed, but explanations, clarity and examples would help do it better.

Like the Jews of the WWII, we Hazaras as victims and survivors of historical mass-massacres in Afghanistan deserve the right to relate our history and our stories, memories and documentations regarding our genocide to the people of the world, as well as to our own offspring, generation to generation to reveal the cruelty that was done against us.

Therefore we would like to ask the readers to share our writings, stories and articles to as many people as possible, so that we would reach to a desired justice that is the need for humanity and for a long term peace among the people.

1- The Hazaras do not have illegal armed groups such as (Kochis, Taliban) as the Pashtoons do. The only armed group they had to defend themselves against the Taliban attacks, was the first group who joined the DDR Process (Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration) after the defeat of the Taliban in 2001.

2- They instead have a legal economy and most of the villagers are farmers.

3- The Hazaras do not cultivate opium as the Pashtoon do (which economically help and nourish the growth of fundamentalism, extremism and terrorism in Afghanistan)

4- They instead cultivate grains to nourish a legal economy in the country and help the peace process.

5- The Hazaras do not stone the women as the Pashtoon do.

6- They send them to schools and give them the right to study and improve and serve the society.

7- The Hazaras do not cut nose and ears of their women.

8- They let them improve and become leaders in the society. (Most of women in police are the Hazaras. The first women governor, the first women mayor in the history of Afghanistan is a Hazara, the Hazara women join the police and the army of the country as long as there are opportunities for them.)

9- The Hazaras do not train the little boys and girl to commit suicide attacks.

10- They send their boys and girls to school to be useful in the society.

11- The Hazaras do not commit suicide attacks as the Pashtoon (extremists) do.

12- They instead protest in civic ways such as; paving the roads with mud, giving medals to donkeys and putting a big lantern on a city square, as the people did in Bamyan.

13- The Hazaras do not burn schools and other public buildings.

14- They instead make schools. Most of private schools and universities and Kabul belong to the Hazaras. More than 65 % percent of first and second position students in all faculties of Kabul University are the Hazaras while they were banned from higher education through official governmental decrees during the monarchy (in 1960s) but whenever there are equal opportunities for them, they have proved to be not only equal but even better than the other ethnics, in education. They say, the only weapon they have against the fundamentalism in Afghanistan is the education thus they do not have arms.

15- The Hazaras do not let narcotic addiction to come to their youth, instead they encourage the youth, for arts, sports and positive recreation activities, their athletes have brought many medals in international level for the country. Their artists have brought many prestigious awards and prizes for Afghanistan.

16- In the government, as an act of racism, the Hazara ministers were all boycotted by Karzai’s racist team, but the Hazara did not pick up guns to ask for their rights, they instead conducted many civic gatherings and demonstrations to protest against racism and discriminations.

17- The provinces of the Hazaras were all collaborative and cooperative with peace process of the country to have a peaceful life in the country, but they were all neglected by the racist government for any kind of development, reconstruction and improvements. Instead the racist government sent Kochis to burn those areas to shift the war there from south of the country to those areas.

With around six million people the Hazaras make roughly 20 % of population of Afghanistan but their share in the national development budget is something less than 2 % because of discrimination. While Afghanistan is a multiethnic country and the resources and the political powers are to be shared based on the population of the ethics as agreed in Bonn Conference in 2001 after the defeat of the Taliban. With Bonn agreement, the people of Afghanistan put an end to the war to begin a new life with peace, justice and equality. The Bonn conference was the end of a dark period and the beginning of a brighter one, but most of the articles agreed in that conference were neglected by the racist team of Karzai government. The base of Bonn agreement was equality and social justice among the ethnics in power sharing and sharing of the resources in the country which are not applied yet after ten years.

18- The news and information on Hazaras areas are being boycotted by the government. A couple of years back, the government officials threw hundreds of volumes of fiction and non fiction books written by the Hazara authors to the rivers, to calm their voice down, which is exactly comparable to book burning of Nazis but this news was censured by the Afghan Government not to reach to the international media.

For all these abovementioned reasons the Hazaras are considered to be “The outsiders” (as said in an article by National Geographic) because they are different, they are not like extremist PASHTOONS, because they do not kill, they do not burn schools, they do not commit suicide attacks, they do not cut the nose of the women, they do not cultivate opium, and they do not blast public buildings.

Because they are open to democracy, they are open to freedom, human rights, women’s rights and equal opportunity and justice for all. Because they are the survivors of historical genocides in their country thus they need peace, rehabilitation and justice to release from this historical pain.

Because they believe that freedom is a basic right for the human beings and to arrive to a “SUB LEGE LIBERTA” there is need of a public awaking revolution, that is only and only possible through education, literacy and a public brightening process and the Hazaras already do that, they educate even their elderly women in the villages by their own means of support.

Therefore they are very badly discriminated in all areas, from politics to the public services and civic rights. The long way of discrimination against them has an old root and it still exist.

One of the very basic examples for discriminations against the Hazaras in the National Budget of the country;

While a Pashtoon minister’s monthly salary in Karzai’s cabinet was 3,000 $USD in 2007, in the same year, the annual budget for the agriculture of a Hazara province (the whole province) with a population of 400,000 people was allocated 2,500 $USD!

Is it not a clear discrimination, injustice and act of racism against an ethnic?!!

It is only a drop from a big sea. We face the injustice all days anywhere in Afghanistan, therefore you see large number of Hazara refugees and asylum seekers in different countries but we never pick up guns to ask for our rights, instead we follow peaceful ways which are long, hard, exhausting but we know that we reach to prosperity one day, as THERE IS ALWAYS BRIGHTNESS AFTER EACH DARKNESS and we know very well that “NO TYRANY WOULD REMAIN FOR EVER” so we conduct demonstrations, gatherings and seminars to deliver our message of justice and equality in Afghanistan to the people of the world.

In spite of all these injustice, acts of racism and obvious discrimination against us none of the Hazaras commit suicide attacks to protest against this injustice, they instead held seminars and civic protests to look for ways how to eradicate discrimination from Afghanistan.

It is better to wash our eyes and see things through reality and to be honest with our consciences at least.

Revealing these realities, would never mean enmity with the other ethnics of Afghanistan. We all are brothers and sisters and the brotherhood is meaningful when every one has equal rights and opportunities based on their capacities.

We have all the time said, what only we want is, justice and equality! “No big brother, No small brother” but all people of Afghanistan would have equal rights and equality, that is how we could reach to a real and stable peace in Afghanistan.

No specific privileges and no prejudice just for belonging to a specific ethnic.

At the end I would like to bring two quotes from Mazari, the Hazara Leader during the three years resistance of the Hazaras in west of Kabul (1993-1995) who was then killed by the Taliban as the first victim of terrorism in Afghanistan.

“We are not the enemies of the Pashtoons, nor the fond of Tajiks, but we are in favor of a brotherhood based on which we all could reach to justice and equality!”

Abdul Ali Mazari- Hazara Leader, 1994 west of Kabul.

“What we want is being a Hazara would not be a crime anymore in this country!”

Abdul Ali Mazari- Hazara Leader, 1994 west of Kabul.

And one last thing:

LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL, THE HAZARAS LOVE IT AND WANT TO LIVE AS LONG AS POSSIBLE, AND THEREFORE, THEIR STRUGGLE IS TO HELP THE OTHER ETHNICS AS WELL TO FEEL THE BEAUTIFUL PART OF LIFE AND LIVE BETTER.