Posts
Greetings everyone,
This is not my holiday letter, but a recent editorial I wrote on the boycott of
stores that don't use 'Christmas-exclusivist' language in its advertising.
There were many more aspects of this issue I could have commented on, but I was
limited to 300 words. Ramadan has already passed, otherwise I would have
included Muslims specifically as well.
peace, and will write more on life and the New Orleans trip soon
Le Anne
--------------------------------------------
I am one Christian who would like to buck this year's fundamentalist trend by
wishing all of my neighbors 'Happy Holidays.' By this, I mean all the
holidays: Christmas, yes, but also Thanksgiving, New Year's, and Epiphany.
For six long weeks we have a number of holidays, or 'holy-days,' and I see
wise stewardship of resources in creating advertising that lasts an entire
season.
Where is the merit behind the extremists' claims of a war against Christmas?
I do not see what any truly faithless person would find meaningful in
celebrating our holy day anyway. However, I do see that Christmas can be a
means of grace, a doorway by which questions of faith behind traditions come to
be asked, and people search for meaning which goes deeper than piles of
gift-wrap.
If anything should be boycotted at Christmas, it is materialism itself, not
gestures of hospitality and welcome. Our retail centers are not, and should not
purport to be, Christian institutions. I do not go to Kmart seeking faith, I go
seeking socks. A quick review of Wal-Mart's exploitative personnel policies
certainly demonstrates it is not a Christian institution. But, the extremists
are not boycotting Wal-Mart for its treatment of its poor.
What disturbs me most about the 'inclusive greetings boycott' is the
implications of anti-Semitism. Hanukah is the most prominent non-Christian
holiday celebrated at this time. Why would we want to so forcefully exclude
Jews from our greetings of goodwill? Meanwhile, I would like to wish our Jewish
friends Happy Holidays as well.
Instead of picking this fight, I wish these extremists would get off their
behinds and focus on feeding the poor, caring for the sick, visiting those in
prison, and working for peace. That would be a useful Christian witness, any
time of year.
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Thursday, December 01, 2005
On Waiting
On Waiting
December 1, 2005
From the first phone call several nights ago saying my former teammates with
Christian Peacemaker Teams in Iraq had been taken hostage, I have been waiting
and hoping for good news.
Such waiting involves obsessive checking of email, scanning news headlines,
seeking details of exactly who was taken, and how, and who took them, and why;
later watching video clips of Jim and Tom, with their frightened faces staring
back at me. Waiting and hoping for good news, knowing it may not come.
Wondering if I could do any good, were I with them. Wondering if I will ever
see them again.
It would continue to be a week of phone calls in dark hours. Later, my family
called from the hospital saying my little niece had a serious and unknown
illness affecting her kidneys. I'd just seen her at Thanksgiving, healthy and
energetic as ever. Now back at school, I am too many hours and weeks away from
being able to return. I wait for their next call, when they have more news.
Waiting in such times recalls other difficult waits. In Iraq I waited for Jim
to return with the body of a team member killed in a terrible car accident,
while waiting at the hospital to see if our teammate injured in the same
accident would make it. I also remember the night when it was Jim who was
waiting for me to come home, hoping that I and my teammates had survived the
massive suicide bombings where we were so many hours earlier. How they knew all
day they could never hope to find us in the chaos and crowds and had no choice
but to wait. Later, there was my own waiting for the images of death I had
witnessed to fade from my dreams.
There was another night when I was waylaid coming home and my teammate thought I
had been taken hostage during those crisis months. I remember coming home and
being physically picked up and held on to as though I were the most precious
thing in existence. I remember also the Iraqi families we interviewed in our
human rights work, waiting for their disappeared loved ones to return from the
U.S. prison camps, alive or dead.
There is the waiting for long and painful ordeals to end, such as the one which
now leads me to leave my seminary and my denomination; waiting for justice,
waiting for an end to fear…and not knowing the future, or when or if a good
end will ever come. Hoping that strength of spirit and commitment to integrity
will outlast despair and isolation.
Someone in these past blurry hours told me I seemed like a very patient person.
I replied something to the effect that I hate waiting.
Advent is a season of waiting; waiting and hoping for good news which seems
almost foolish to expect. This Advent I wait for hostages, health, and justice.
Years ago people suffered and longed for good news, despite the odds of living
under occupation by the Roman Empire and the corruption of religious leadership.
This Advent season, what are you waiting for, even despite the odds?
In waiting, I felt somewhat guilty for talking, because I had no good news to
share. Why would anyone wish to hear? One friend responded that, “sometimes
when there is no good news is when it is most important to talk.†Later, in
relaying the difficulties of the week, Dr. Sawyer counseled that the burdens we
must carry do not have to be carried alone. That is true. Not only do we look
to God, we look to those who are open and prepared to wait with us in patience
and hope. Advent is also a season of waiting together, as faith communities, in
the darkness, anticipating the light.
Wednesday evening at the prayer vigil for the hostages which McCormick students
organized as part of the weekly Taize service, I felt much less alone here on
campus. And while thinking of Jim and Tom and the others waiting to be
released, I was grateful they had each other. Knowing their Catholic Worker and
Quaker backgrounds, I mentioned that they were likely waiting in prayer and
singing the same songs we were. (And that they were probably befriending their
captors). I prayed that they could feel and be carried by the prayers of us who
were watching and waiting with them.
As we wait together for deliverance, God waits with us, to turn human suffering
into healing and joy. Though the wait is long, we anticipate with hope the
Promised One, the source of unity, celebration, and new life. Blessings, and
peace.
Le Anne Clausen
December 1, 2005
From the first phone call several nights ago saying my former teammates with
Christian Peacemaker Teams in Iraq had been taken hostage, I have been waiting
and hoping for good news.
Such waiting involves obsessive checking of email, scanning news headlines,
seeking details of exactly who was taken, and how, and who took them, and why;
later watching video clips of Jim and Tom, with their frightened faces staring
back at me. Waiting and hoping for good news, knowing it may not come.
Wondering if I could do any good, were I with them. Wondering if I will ever
see them again.
It would continue to be a week of phone calls in dark hours. Later, my family
called from the hospital saying my little niece had a serious and unknown
illness affecting her kidneys. I'd just seen her at Thanksgiving, healthy and
energetic as ever. Now back at school, I am too many hours and weeks away from
being able to return. I wait for their next call, when they have more news.
Waiting in such times recalls other difficult waits. In Iraq I waited for Jim
to return with the body of a team member killed in a terrible car accident,
while waiting at the hospital to see if our teammate injured in the same
accident would make it. I also remember the night when it was Jim who was
waiting for me to come home, hoping that I and my teammates had survived the
massive suicide bombings where we were so many hours earlier. How they knew all
day they could never hope to find us in the chaos and crowds and had no choice
but to wait. Later, there was my own waiting for the images of death I had
witnessed to fade from my dreams.
There was another night when I was waylaid coming home and my teammate thought I
had been taken hostage during those crisis months. I remember coming home and
being physically picked up and held on to as though I were the most precious
thing in existence. I remember also the Iraqi families we interviewed in our
human rights work, waiting for their disappeared loved ones to return from the
U.S. prison camps, alive or dead.
There is the waiting for long and painful ordeals to end, such as the one which
now leads me to leave my seminary and my denomination; waiting for justice,
waiting for an end to fear…and not knowing the future, or when or if a good
end will ever come. Hoping that strength of spirit and commitment to integrity
will outlast despair and isolation.
Someone in these past blurry hours told me I seemed like a very patient person.
I replied something to the effect that I hate waiting.
Advent is a season of waiting; waiting and hoping for good news which seems
almost foolish to expect. This Advent I wait for hostages, health, and justice.
Years ago people suffered and longed for good news, despite the odds of living
under occupation by the Roman Empire and the corruption of religious leadership.
This Advent season, what are you waiting for, even despite the odds?
In waiting, I felt somewhat guilty for talking, because I had no good news to
share. Why would anyone wish to hear? One friend responded that, “sometimes
when there is no good news is when it is most important to talk.†Later, in
relaying the difficulties of the week, Dr. Sawyer counseled that the burdens we
must carry do not have to be carried alone. That is true. Not only do we look
to God, we look to those who are open and prepared to wait with us in patience
and hope. Advent is also a season of waiting together, as faith communities, in
the darkness, anticipating the light.
Wednesday evening at the prayer vigil for the hostages which McCormick students
organized as part of the weekly Taize service, I felt much less alone here on
campus. And while thinking of Jim and Tom and the others waiting to be
released, I was grateful they had each other. Knowing their Catholic Worker and
Quaker backgrounds, I mentioned that they were likely waiting in prayer and
singing the same songs we were. (And that they were probably befriending their
captors). I prayed that they could feel and be carried by the prayers of us who
were watching and waiting with them.
As we wait together for deliverance, God waits with us, to turn human suffering
into healing and joy. Though the wait is long, we anticipate with hope the
Promised One, the source of unity, celebration, and new life. Blessings, and
peace.
Le Anne Clausen
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Visiting the Islamic Women's Jurist Association
Visiting the Islamic Women Jurists’ Association
by Le Anne Clausen
“This week, you will be meeting with women judges, doctors, candidates for Parliament. This did not happen overnight,” said the judge when she first sat down with us at the Islamic Women’s Jurist Association. She wanted to be sure that we understood this completely. “There have been women judges in Afghanistan for thirty years, even though the number hasn’t been very high.” There are perhaps 45 or 50 in the entire country. The Taliban fired the women judges; after the regime fell, UNIFEM re-trained 100 female judges and lawyers to resume practice in the country.
The office was arranged like a typical house with a formal sitting room, and our plates were loaded up with fancy cookies and large cups of green tea while she spoke. The organization is presently working on about 150 cases regarding women’s rights or legal concerns, such as a divorced mother’s custody struggles. They are also providing computer and English courses for another 100 legal professionals; legal awareness training to 400 high school students and teachers in Kabul, and working to promote family law in the Afghan constitution, networking with human rights groups worldwide and participating in CEDAW (the Convention to Eliminate Descrimination Against Women) and projects on women’s rights within Islam. In these activities they were thinking ahead to the Parliamentary elections, to take place in September.
In Islam, women’s rights are set forth more specifically than in other religions, she said. “There is no difference, men and women are equal.” However, she feels outside propaganda enforces the rules wrongly.
The judge listed as examples women’s entitlement to extra respect and special rights as breastfeeding mothers; and that there is no limit against women’s vocation: “Aisha became a judge in family matters.” Men generally engage in heavier labor, and women respect men’s responsibility and role to feed their families. Fathers and husbands are responsible for feeding and caring for the women. Women have the right to keep their own money and property. The women’s vote she traces back to the 14th century as coming from Islam. It’s okay to get to know a potential husband in Islam before committing to the marriage contract, and under Afghan law it is permissible to break the engagement if it’s not a good match–something which she says many families do not understand.
The organization works primarily on women’s problems which are most urgent–such as necessitating leaving the home. In divorce, separation, and custody disputes, there are cases of adequate feeding, questions of property, and how to resolve marital problems. One option available is to have the young children stay with the mother while the husband provides for the family’s food. After age seven for boys and nine for girls, the children may be given to the father if the wife remarries. If she doesn’t remarry, the children should generally remain with the mother if they are happy and receiving a good education.
If the husband doesn’t pay child support, the community is to pressure him into doing so. If he has no job, then he should pay out of his property; if he has no property, then he must ask a male relative to assume the responsibility for him.
There are three female judges in the women’s court, judgements are carried out if two of the three judges agree. One judge presides at the panel, but all have equal status.
Shari’a law is considered a complete code and base system for civil law in Afghanistan. However, cases like adultery are considered as criminal acts. Muhammed also ruled that adulterers may be stoned, however, if the woman proclaims her innocence, the case and punishment falls under each country’s own laws. A woman must confess her guilt ten times according to Shari’a, to remove any doubt of her committing the crime. There are different rules and sentences depending on whether the woman is a virgin, a widow, or married–instead, she may be jailed for a time (one to twenty years) or have her independence restricted. This was still quite difficult for our group to hear.
The judge had something else for us to consider, however. “When foreign journalists come to Afghanistan, they only film the negative aspects, the dirty areas, the burqas. They never come to us, we who are successful women.”
When asked about the burqa, she said it was developed in the Turkish and Indian cultures, and no explanation or mandate for it can be found in the Qur’an or Shari’a law. “It is not Islamic or Afghan.” She believe’s the Islamic pilgrimage dress is the ideal–covering in simple clothing which covers the limbs and hair in modesty, but allows for freedom of movement–for both genders.
“We ask why women still wear the burqa, and they respond, ‘I got used to wearing it and now I’m uncomfortable going without it,’ or that their family or husband requires it, or for security reasons.” She says it is much more common among women living in the villages. Meanwhile, all of the women in the office were dressed in stylish long suits with long, loose shawl head coverings.
by Le Anne Clausen
“This week, you will be meeting with women judges, doctors, candidates for Parliament. This did not happen overnight,” said the judge when she first sat down with us at the Islamic Women’s Jurist Association. She wanted to be sure that we understood this completely. “There have been women judges in Afghanistan for thirty years, even though the number hasn’t been very high.” There are perhaps 45 or 50 in the entire country. The Taliban fired the women judges; after the regime fell, UNIFEM re-trained 100 female judges and lawyers to resume practice in the country.
The office was arranged like a typical house with a formal sitting room, and our plates were loaded up with fancy cookies and large cups of green tea while she spoke. The organization is presently working on about 150 cases regarding women’s rights or legal concerns, such as a divorced mother’s custody struggles. They are also providing computer and English courses for another 100 legal professionals; legal awareness training to 400 high school students and teachers in Kabul, and working to promote family law in the Afghan constitution, networking with human rights groups worldwide and participating in CEDAW (the Convention to Eliminate Descrimination Against Women) and projects on women’s rights within Islam. In these activities they were thinking ahead to the Parliamentary elections, to take place in September.
In Islam, women’s rights are set forth more specifically than in other religions, she said. “There is no difference, men and women are equal.” However, she feels outside propaganda enforces the rules wrongly.
The judge listed as examples women’s entitlement to extra respect and special rights as breastfeeding mothers; and that there is no limit against women’s vocation: “Aisha became a judge in family matters.” Men generally engage in heavier labor, and women respect men’s responsibility and role to feed their families. Fathers and husbands are responsible for feeding and caring for the women. Women have the right to keep their own money and property. The women’s vote she traces back to the 14th century as coming from Islam. It’s okay to get to know a potential husband in Islam before committing to the marriage contract, and under Afghan law it is permissible to break the engagement if it’s not a good match–something which she says many families do not understand.
The organization works primarily on women’s problems which are most urgent–such as necessitating leaving the home. In divorce, separation, and custody disputes, there are cases of adequate feeding, questions of property, and how to resolve marital problems. One option available is to have the young children stay with the mother while the husband provides for the family’s food. After age seven for boys and nine for girls, the children may be given to the father if the wife remarries. If she doesn’t remarry, the children should generally remain with the mother if they are happy and receiving a good education.
If the husband doesn’t pay child support, the community is to pressure him into doing so. If he has no job, then he should pay out of his property; if he has no property, then he must ask a male relative to assume the responsibility for him.
There are three female judges in the women’s court, judgements are carried out if two of the three judges agree. One judge presides at the panel, but all have equal status.
Shari’a law is considered a complete code and base system for civil law in Afghanistan. However, cases like adultery are considered as criminal acts. Muhammed also ruled that adulterers may be stoned, however, if the woman proclaims her innocence, the case and punishment falls under each country’s own laws. A woman must confess her guilt ten times according to Shari’a, to remove any doubt of her committing the crime. There are different rules and sentences depending on whether the woman is a virgin, a widow, or married–instead, she may be jailed for a time (one to twenty years) or have her independence restricted. This was still quite difficult for our group to hear.
The judge had something else for us to consider, however. “When foreign journalists come to Afghanistan, they only film the negative aspects, the dirty areas, the burqas. They never come to us, we who are successful women.”
When asked about the burqa, she said it was developed in the Turkish and Indian cultures, and no explanation or mandate for it can be found in the Qur’an or Shari’a law. “It is not Islamic or Afghan.” She believe’s the Islamic pilgrimage dress is the ideal–covering in simple clothing which covers the limbs and hair in modesty, but allows for freedom of movement–for both genders.
“We ask why women still wear the burqa, and they respond, ‘I got used to wearing it and now I’m uncomfortable going without it,’ or that their family or husband requires it, or for security reasons.” She says it is much more common among women living in the villages. Meanwhile, all of the women in the office were dressed in stylish long suits with long, loose shawl head coverings.
Visiting Rabia Balkhi Maternity Hospital
Visiting Rabia Balkhi Maternity Hospital
A Conversation with Dr. Arafat, Assistant Director
by Le Anne Clausen
If I’ve grown up in an age where fathers finally do not wait outside the delivery rooms, imagine the impact of seeing seemingly hundreds of men lined up outside a hospital, waiting for their female relatives to emerge! I observed very few men inside apart from the hospital staff, which I surmise would create a more comfortable environment for women patients in the various rooms of an open-ward hospital.
The hospital’s departments include obstetrics and gynecology, dermatology, and internal medicine. They handle about 150 ob/gyn and 60-70 other patient consultations a day. Five or six Cesarean sections are performed each day, and perhaps five tubal ligations per week for mothers who don’t want more children. In a country ranked second highest in the world for women dying in childbirth, this can be a life-saving procedure. Family planning consultations, birth control, and IUDs also available.
The hospital is short of medication, anesthesia, and sutures, so the staff gives writes prescriptions ahead of time and sends the patients or their families to buy the supplies in the bazaar. There are several building problems in this older facility, including regular septic system breakdowns and variable electricity. They now have a generator and oil to fuel it donated by the International Medical Corps.
Dr. Arafat notes that among the patients seen at the hospital are often mothers who are malnourished or anemic. “They don’t eat enough good food,” she says, in a country where produce can be prohibitively expensive. In addition, new mothers are discharged after three hours if there are no presenting problems, because there is no room to house them in the facility. This can be quite difficult on women who have traveled from distant areas to receive care.
Patient mortality rates are quite high. Twenty-nine died after leaving the hospital due to complications. Death rates among the poor and villagers are much higher due to lack of access to healthcare. The hospital receives many patients in bad shape, she said, who are difficult to treat. Some die before admission, during the taking of vitals, sometimes arriving after receiving faulty operations elsewhere.
As a charity hospital, there is no charge to patient except transportation and prescriptions. According to the director, most of the funding comes from the Ministry of Health. Rabia Balkhi, the hospital’s namesake, was a tenth-century Afghan princess renowned for her poetry.
A Conversation with Dr. Arafat, Assistant Director
by Le Anne Clausen
If I’ve grown up in an age where fathers finally do not wait outside the delivery rooms, imagine the impact of seeing seemingly hundreds of men lined up outside a hospital, waiting for their female relatives to emerge! I observed very few men inside apart from the hospital staff, which I surmise would create a more comfortable environment for women patients in the various rooms of an open-ward hospital.
The hospital’s departments include obstetrics and gynecology, dermatology, and internal medicine. They handle about 150 ob/gyn and 60-70 other patient consultations a day. Five or six Cesarean sections are performed each day, and perhaps five tubal ligations per week for mothers who don’t want more children. In a country ranked second highest in the world for women dying in childbirth, this can be a life-saving procedure. Family planning consultations, birth control, and IUDs also available.
The hospital is short of medication, anesthesia, and sutures, so the staff gives writes prescriptions ahead of time and sends the patients or their families to buy the supplies in the bazaar. There are several building problems in this older facility, including regular septic system breakdowns and variable electricity. They now have a generator and oil to fuel it donated by the International Medical Corps.
Dr. Arafat notes that among the patients seen at the hospital are often mothers who are malnourished or anemic. “They don’t eat enough good food,” she says, in a country where produce can be prohibitively expensive. In addition, new mothers are discharged after three hours if there are no presenting problems, because there is no room to house them in the facility. This can be quite difficult on women who have traveled from distant areas to receive care.
Patient mortality rates are quite high. Twenty-nine died after leaving the hospital due to complications. Death rates among the poor and villagers are much higher due to lack of access to healthcare. The hospital receives many patients in bad shape, she said, who are difficult to treat. Some die before admission, during the taking of vitals, sometimes arriving after receiving faulty operations elsewhere.
As a charity hospital, there is no charge to patient except transportation and prescriptions. According to the director, most of the funding comes from the Ministry of Health. Rabia Balkhi, the hospital’s namesake, was a tenth-century Afghan princess renowned for her poetry.
Searching for Christians in Afghanistan
Searching for Christians in Afghanistan
by Le Anne Clausen
When my co-directors at Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) returned from their month-long delegation to Afghanistan in early 2002, they reported that they had been in contact with the indigenous Christian population. The church was not out in the open given the climate of persecution against non-Sunni religious groups, but they were indeed there.
Since then it’s been difficult to find solid information about the Christians and their history there. During my travels, I was repeatedly told that only foreign aid workers were Christians, and this seemed to be an answer given out of genuinely not knowing rather than out of animosity or denial.
A search of websites of mainline denominational relief organizations does not turn up information on the indigenous Christians. However, a number of evangelical Christian or ‘persecuted-Christian’ advocacy websites have picked up on their story and it is possible to glean some idea of their life from these sources. ‘Christianity Today’ magazine has also picked up on some of these stories.
According to the ‘Christian Oneness’ organization website,[1] the best estimate of Christians native to Afghanistan is around 3,000, although the information is dated and other numbers range from 1,000-10,000. This population is centered in Kabul and other large cities. The site asserts, “Persons who convert to Christianity in the countryside do not survive.” Formal public church meetings in Afghanistan were forbidden in 1976. “Everything that is happening is happening underground.”
No information exists on denominations among the current Christian population. The two missionary influences have been Western diplomats from 1850–1976, and the Assyrian church, some 1100 years ago. At that time, “there were missionaries in all of the cities along the Silk Road, but their flocks in the Afghan cities were always small and did not survive the intervening centuries.”
On persecution of Christians today, Christian Oneness writes, “though the legal system no longer imposes criminal sentences on Christians, it also does not interfere when a Christian’s family or tribe murders him for apostasy from Islam. The situation for native Christians in Afghanistan has not been much better under American occupation or the new elected (but firmly Islamic) regime than it was under Taliban rule.” Foreign aid workers who are Christian are, however, somewhat more free to operate than they were under the Taliban.
A problem with much of this information is that it seems to be coming from sources not very familiar with the country and its history. Christianity Today based one article on a pastor who had only spent ten days inside the country, and did not specify the auspices under which he was travelling. The pastor is quoted as saying, “For Afghan Christians, living in the country "is absolutely unsafe. If family members find out that you're Christian, they will force you to leave the faith or kill you.”[2]Another foreign Christian leader, writing anonymously from Afghanistan for another article in Christianity Today, expressed his hopes for more specific protections for Afghan Christians:
“In this new constitution in Afghanistan, we would like to see Christians being respected as a religious minority. In the old constitution, only the Jews, Hindus, and Sikhs are mentioned as a minority. If an Afghan were asked whether there are Afghan Christians in his nation, he would always firmly deny it. Afghans know now that many Afghans have become Christians. If they should mention them as a protected minority in the new constitution, it would be a very important step toward religious freedom. Such inclusion would not erase religious persecution. Afghans would still face a lot of dangers for leaving their faith, but at least there would be official acknowledgment of Afghan Christians, who could then claim their rights.”[3]
In a third Christianity Today article, written after the new Afghan constitution was passed, describes its shortcomings in providing such protections:
“Nina Shea, a member of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, says the Bush administration did not push hard enough for language beyond an allowance of religious exercise.
"The U.S. government seemed to think that if you could go to church you were free," she said. "There was no concept that religious freedom means educating your children in the faith or being able to possess religious literature, Bibles, being able to designate your leaders, being able to meet with co-religionists, being able to carry out charities, being able to raise money, or to take collections."[4]
Given such circumstances for the Afghan Christian community, and the experiences of foreign Christians there, I wonder, what are the future imperatives for Christian-Muslim dialogue in Afghanistan? Is there a future for Christian-Muslim dialogue in Afghanistan? What will it look like? Why should energy be directed towards it? The review of current literature on Christians in Afghanistan was not encouraging. The websites with the most information on the indigenous church also included statements such as:
“In both countries, the source of the violent turmoil is spiritual; it is not the people or their leaders but the ancient spirits that inform and incite them and that have been given power by millenia of living in darkness. (Recall that Babel was in what is now Iraq, that Lucifer himself is identified as the "King of Babylon" at one place in Scripture, and that Afghanistan has historically been one of the most closed areas on Earth to the Gospel.)...“In both countries, the only hope for peace is the light of Christ reflected by their Christian minorities. Military might cannot defeat spiritual darkness (as the Crusades proved).”[5]
I believe these attitudes will only serve to foster support for more violence, from the ‘Christian’ superpower of the United States, as well as retaliatory persecution by armed Muslim groups against the indigenous Christians, and possible continued attacks against ‘non-Muslim’ elements from outside that may influence the country: aid workers, military, or attacks on the United States and other ‘Christian’ countries.
Still, in my travels I observed much energy for discussion between Christians and Muslims, and found myself how important it is to hear how issues are framed and perceived by differing parties to the dialogue. In our visit to the madrasa, the imam clearly articulated his understanding of the reasons for Islam’s opposition to homosexuality, a paradigm which, now stated, can be brought forth for fruitful discussion or debate. I found the paradigm to be similar to some of the Jewish and Christian Biblical texts that are considered sources for forming our internal debates on the ethics of homosexuality: questions of nature, disruption of relations with women, the perception that homosexuality is only an act between two males, devoid of a loving and/or consensual relationship. I challenge both the paradigms and the resulting conclusions, but at least with this information from the conversation, I have a starting point for articulating my part of the debate. This is a considerable improvement over the blanket ‘homosexuality is evil’ that I’ve heard previously, followed by the blanket ‘Islam is therefore inherently evil and backward’ lobbed back by the other side.
Also in my travels, in a group of many feminist activists, human rights activists, and GLBT activists, I found a sentiment that sought to ‘liberate’ women, GLBT people, and other suffering groups from the oppression of Islam, while the very people we were meeting with, Afghan feminists and human rights workers, were saying their Muslim faith was inherent to their feminism and commitment to justice and could not be separated from their struggle or identity. This summarizes for me the major disconnect I have felt between the Western (Christian, Jewish, or secular) left and activists of the East. While well-intentioned, our illiteracy in matters of Muslim faith and practice hinders our ability for constructive dialogue. I have not found many activists where I’ve been that can speak knowledgeably on either Christianity or Islam, when the local people are far more conversant, and eager to converse, in both. I don’t believe everyone has to have a master’s degree in religion in order to be constructive, but some background is essential to any significant progress.
What about the role of evangelism?
I came across a Christianity Today interview with Georg Taubmann, the director of Shelter Now, who was arrested along with the two now-famous young women in his organization engaging in evangelism. I found his perspective, compared to that of the two women, to be far more constructive towards positive future dialogue (transcript follows):[6]
Dayna and Heather told us (CT, July 8, 2002, p. 26) some workers with Shelter Now were like-minded in wanting to do evangelism. They said that was why they were there. Can you comment on that?
I do not use this word evangelism, and I never use especially the word mission...In Kabul, a lot of educated people who love us, who think we are honest people, come to us. You don't have to go out and do what we call evangelistic things. You just need to live your life as a Christian, and this attracts people, and they want to know more about what you believe in. People simply ask you, "Are you Muslim? Why are you not a Muslim?" And then you can talk. And it's plain to them why you're not a Muslim and what you believe in.
Taubmann also said he was not informed that Dayna and Heather were going to show the film which ultimately got them arrested:
“I wish I had been informed...I really want to know what people are doing. We are getting new people in. I don't know what people have in their minds when they come here, what they have heard. They don't know the culture. I don't want to say that Dayna and Heather were kind of wild people that just went around and did all kind of things. I think these girls tried hard. They didn't go around and show the Jesus film all over.”
The directors’ awareness and ability to mediate his own faith with the tense situation seem to be an appropriate response to approaching interfaith dialogue. The CPT delegates found that the various denominational relief organizations were able to be open about their faith background, without engaging in proselytization. The organizations were respected for the work they were doing in the country. The pastor featured in the Christianity Today article also said foreigners
"...are received well. The Afghan people are so open and readily converse about religious matters. They love to talk about God. It's very natural to discuss religious values. He recommended that foreign Christians move to Afghanistan to serve as teachers, administrators, and relief and medical workers.”
While his purposes are different, the strategies may be useful for building dialogue. I have considered, in my overflowing wish list, returning as a volunteer with Afghans For Tomorrow to dialogue and write about my experiences from there. Mennonite Central Committee has a project in Iran that might be equally useful in Afghanistan, recruiting a married Christian couple to spend three years at a Muslim seminary, learning the language and engaging in dialogue.
Christian Peacemaker Teams proposed, now several years ago, developing a long-term team for Afghanistan, to monitor U.S.-perpetrated human rights abuse and build peaceable relationships between North Americans and the Afghan people. However, they found themselves at the time prevented from doing so by logistical problems such as travel, translation, and rent. While the opportunity for this has passed within the organization, the idea still has merit. Short-term delegations of dialogue-friendly Christian scholars, clergy, and laypeople can also go far towards building understanding in the West about Afghanistan within its Muslim identity.
Employing careful dialogue and communication methods such as these, increasing positive exchanges between Afghan Muslims and North American Christians who are not seeking to proselytize can help build the trust needed to counter negative images of Western Christianity as portrayed by our military human rights abuses. They may also eventually open up space for the tiny local Christian community to worship freely again some day.
[1] “Christians in Afghanistan,” http://www.christian-oneness.org/announcements/Afghanistan.htm
Accessed September 17, 2005
[2] “Land of Warlords,” by Mark Stricherz, in Christianity Today, September 9, 2004
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2004/010/5.22.html
[3] “Letter from Kabul,” anonymous by Christian leader in Afghanistan, in Christianity Today,
April 21, 2003 http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2003/116/11.0.html
[4] “Afghan Constitution Provides Little Protection for Religion,” by Rob Moll in Christianity Today,
January 15, 2004 http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2004/102/42.0.html
[5] http ://www.christian-oneness.org/announcements/Afghanistan.htm Accessed 9/17/05
[6] “Return to Kabul,” interview by Stan Guthrie, in Christianity Today, January 17, 2003
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2003/001/7.52.html
by Le Anne Clausen
When my co-directors at Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) returned from their month-long delegation to Afghanistan in early 2002, they reported that they had been in contact with the indigenous Christian population. The church was not out in the open given the climate of persecution against non-Sunni religious groups, but they were indeed there.
Since then it’s been difficult to find solid information about the Christians and their history there. During my travels, I was repeatedly told that only foreign aid workers were Christians, and this seemed to be an answer given out of genuinely not knowing rather than out of animosity or denial.
A search of websites of mainline denominational relief organizations does not turn up information on the indigenous Christians. However, a number of evangelical Christian or ‘persecuted-Christian’ advocacy websites have picked up on their story and it is possible to glean some idea of their life from these sources. ‘Christianity Today’ magazine has also picked up on some of these stories.
According to the ‘Christian Oneness’ organization website,[1] the best estimate of Christians native to Afghanistan is around 3,000, although the information is dated and other numbers range from 1,000-10,000. This population is centered in Kabul and other large cities. The site asserts, “Persons who convert to Christianity in the countryside do not survive.” Formal public church meetings in Afghanistan were forbidden in 1976. “Everything that is happening is happening underground.”
No information exists on denominations among the current Christian population. The two missionary influences have been Western diplomats from 1850–1976, and the Assyrian church, some 1100 years ago. At that time, “there were missionaries in all of the cities along the Silk Road, but their flocks in the Afghan cities were always small and did not survive the intervening centuries.”
On persecution of Christians today, Christian Oneness writes, “though the legal system no longer imposes criminal sentences on Christians, it also does not interfere when a Christian’s family or tribe murders him for apostasy from Islam. The situation for native Christians in Afghanistan has not been much better under American occupation or the new elected (but firmly Islamic) regime than it was under Taliban rule.” Foreign aid workers who are Christian are, however, somewhat more free to operate than they were under the Taliban.
A problem with much of this information is that it seems to be coming from sources not very familiar with the country and its history. Christianity Today based one article on a pastor who had only spent ten days inside the country, and did not specify the auspices under which he was travelling. The pastor is quoted as saying, “For Afghan Christians, living in the country "is absolutely unsafe. If family members find out that you're Christian, they will force you to leave the faith or kill you.”[2]Another foreign Christian leader, writing anonymously from Afghanistan for another article in Christianity Today, expressed his hopes for more specific protections for Afghan Christians:
“In this new constitution in Afghanistan, we would like to see Christians being respected as a religious minority. In the old constitution, only the Jews, Hindus, and Sikhs are mentioned as a minority. If an Afghan were asked whether there are Afghan Christians in his nation, he would always firmly deny it. Afghans know now that many Afghans have become Christians. If they should mention them as a protected minority in the new constitution, it would be a very important step toward religious freedom. Such inclusion would not erase religious persecution. Afghans would still face a lot of dangers for leaving their faith, but at least there would be official acknowledgment of Afghan Christians, who could then claim their rights.”[3]
In a third Christianity Today article, written after the new Afghan constitution was passed, describes its shortcomings in providing such protections:
“Nina Shea, a member of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, says the Bush administration did not push hard enough for language beyond an allowance of religious exercise.
"The U.S. government seemed to think that if you could go to church you were free," she said. "There was no concept that religious freedom means educating your children in the faith or being able to possess religious literature, Bibles, being able to designate your leaders, being able to meet with co-religionists, being able to carry out charities, being able to raise money, or to take collections."[4]
Given such circumstances for the Afghan Christian community, and the experiences of foreign Christians there, I wonder, what are the future imperatives for Christian-Muslim dialogue in Afghanistan? Is there a future for Christian-Muslim dialogue in Afghanistan? What will it look like? Why should energy be directed towards it? The review of current literature on Christians in Afghanistan was not encouraging. The websites with the most information on the indigenous church also included statements such as:
“In both countries, the source of the violent turmoil is spiritual; it is not the people or their leaders but the ancient spirits that inform and incite them and that have been given power by millenia of living in darkness. (Recall that Babel was in what is now Iraq, that Lucifer himself is identified as the "King of Babylon" at one place in Scripture, and that Afghanistan has historically been one of the most closed areas on Earth to the Gospel.)...“In both countries, the only hope for peace is the light of Christ reflected by their Christian minorities. Military might cannot defeat spiritual darkness (as the Crusades proved).”[5]
I believe these attitudes will only serve to foster support for more violence, from the ‘Christian’ superpower of the United States, as well as retaliatory persecution by armed Muslim groups against the indigenous Christians, and possible continued attacks against ‘non-Muslim’ elements from outside that may influence the country: aid workers, military, or attacks on the United States and other ‘Christian’ countries.
Still, in my travels I observed much energy for discussion between Christians and Muslims, and found myself how important it is to hear how issues are framed and perceived by differing parties to the dialogue. In our visit to the madrasa, the imam clearly articulated his understanding of the reasons for Islam’s opposition to homosexuality, a paradigm which, now stated, can be brought forth for fruitful discussion or debate. I found the paradigm to be similar to some of the Jewish and Christian Biblical texts that are considered sources for forming our internal debates on the ethics of homosexuality: questions of nature, disruption of relations with women, the perception that homosexuality is only an act between two males, devoid of a loving and/or consensual relationship. I challenge both the paradigms and the resulting conclusions, but at least with this information from the conversation, I have a starting point for articulating my part of the debate. This is a considerable improvement over the blanket ‘homosexuality is evil’ that I’ve heard previously, followed by the blanket ‘Islam is therefore inherently evil and backward’ lobbed back by the other side.
Also in my travels, in a group of many feminist activists, human rights activists, and GLBT activists, I found a sentiment that sought to ‘liberate’ women, GLBT people, and other suffering groups from the oppression of Islam, while the very people we were meeting with, Afghan feminists and human rights workers, were saying their Muslim faith was inherent to their feminism and commitment to justice and could not be separated from their struggle or identity. This summarizes for me the major disconnect I have felt between the Western (Christian, Jewish, or secular) left and activists of the East. While well-intentioned, our illiteracy in matters of Muslim faith and practice hinders our ability for constructive dialogue. I have not found many activists where I’ve been that can speak knowledgeably on either Christianity or Islam, when the local people are far more conversant, and eager to converse, in both. I don’t believe everyone has to have a master’s degree in religion in order to be constructive, but some background is essential to any significant progress.
What about the role of evangelism?
I came across a Christianity Today interview with Georg Taubmann, the director of Shelter Now, who was arrested along with the two now-famous young women in his organization engaging in evangelism. I found his perspective, compared to that of the two women, to be far more constructive towards positive future dialogue (transcript follows):[6]
Dayna and Heather told us (CT, July 8, 2002, p. 26) some workers with Shelter Now were like-minded in wanting to do evangelism. They said that was why they were there. Can you comment on that?
I do not use this word evangelism, and I never use especially the word mission...In Kabul, a lot of educated people who love us, who think we are honest people, come to us. You don't have to go out and do what we call evangelistic things. You just need to live your life as a Christian, and this attracts people, and they want to know more about what you believe in. People simply ask you, "Are you Muslim? Why are you not a Muslim?" And then you can talk. And it's plain to them why you're not a Muslim and what you believe in.
Taubmann also said he was not informed that Dayna and Heather were going to show the film which ultimately got them arrested:
“I wish I had been informed...I really want to know what people are doing. We are getting new people in. I don't know what people have in their minds when they come here, what they have heard. They don't know the culture. I don't want to say that Dayna and Heather were kind of wild people that just went around and did all kind of things. I think these girls tried hard. They didn't go around and show the Jesus film all over.”
The directors’ awareness and ability to mediate his own faith with the tense situation seem to be an appropriate response to approaching interfaith dialogue. The CPT delegates found that the various denominational relief organizations were able to be open about their faith background, without engaging in proselytization. The organizations were respected for the work they were doing in the country. The pastor featured in the Christianity Today article also said foreigners
"...are received well. The Afghan people are so open and readily converse about religious matters. They love to talk about God. It's very natural to discuss religious values. He recommended that foreign Christians move to Afghanistan to serve as teachers, administrators, and relief and medical workers.”
While his purposes are different, the strategies may be useful for building dialogue. I have considered, in my overflowing wish list, returning as a volunteer with Afghans For Tomorrow to dialogue and write about my experiences from there. Mennonite Central Committee has a project in Iran that might be equally useful in Afghanistan, recruiting a married Christian couple to spend three years at a Muslim seminary, learning the language and engaging in dialogue.
Christian Peacemaker Teams proposed, now several years ago, developing a long-term team for Afghanistan, to monitor U.S.-perpetrated human rights abuse and build peaceable relationships between North Americans and the Afghan people. However, they found themselves at the time prevented from doing so by logistical problems such as travel, translation, and rent. While the opportunity for this has passed within the organization, the idea still has merit. Short-term delegations of dialogue-friendly Christian scholars, clergy, and laypeople can also go far towards building understanding in the West about Afghanistan within its Muslim identity.
Employing careful dialogue and communication methods such as these, increasing positive exchanges between Afghan Muslims and North American Christians who are not seeking to proselytize can help build the trust needed to counter negative images of Western Christianity as portrayed by our military human rights abuses. They may also eventually open up space for the tiny local Christian community to worship freely again some day.
[1] “Christians in Afghanistan,” http://www.christian-oneness.org/announcements/Afghanistan.htm
Accessed September 17, 2005
[2] “Land of Warlords,” by Mark Stricherz, in Christianity Today, September 9, 2004
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2004/010/5.22.html
[3] “Letter from Kabul,” anonymous by Christian leader in Afghanistan, in Christianity Today,
April 21, 2003 http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2003/116/11.0.html
[4] “Afghan Constitution Provides Little Protection for Religion,” by Rob Moll in Christianity Today,
January 15, 2004 http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2004/102/42.0.html
[5] http ://www.christian-oneness.org/announcements/Afghanistan.htm Accessed 9/17/05
[6] “Return to Kabul,” interview by Stan Guthrie, in Christianity Today, January 17, 2003
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2003/001/7.52.html
Visiting the Afghan Women's Network
Visiting the Afghan Women’s Network
by Le Anne Clausen
The Afghan Women’s Network is a busy organization, running a library and net café for women; Women to Women International assists them with capacity building such as developing leadership and committees, parliamentary procedure, and training advocates for women and children in prison. We met with a young woman leader of the organization, who stressed the problems which women continue to face in Afghanistan today, as well as the value of understanding Islam as a solution to these issues rather than the problem.
Our speaker painted a grim picture of continuing problems for women in Afghanistan. Women face prostitution, rape, forced marriages. Economic and educational deficiencies drive the marriages between older men and young girls. Families don’t often want to take their problems outside the home to seek assistance. Sometimes families will bring troubled women to ‘holy gurus,’ leaving them for several weeks, where they have been sexually abused according to complainant’s reports. Suicides are rising.
Prostitution is hidden, not visible out on the streets. Street children are also vulnerable to prostitution. “The Afghan women’s NGOs are not currently able to address this situation, but the UN might,” she said.
The Network provides legal support for women who lack the finances. The situation for women in prisons, often for family law matters such as adultery or domestic disputes, is dire. There is no health care or education for women or their children with them in the prisons. There is violence between women prisoners, as well as self-inflicted violence.
Commanders or warlords and their families enforce tribal law throughout the country. “Since the beginning of Afghanistan’s history, women have faced problems. The laws of the Qur’an are not followed.
“Much un-Islamic behavior is carried out in the name of Islam. We respect what our religion says, not more. Arranged marriage is only semi-Qur’anic; independent women and men can choose their own spouses. Arranged marriage is different from forced marriage, where the girl is not happy.
“We want to keep our own culture, not to Westernize or modernize, but to eliminate the negative aspects of our culture. We need to be truly Afghan. The negatives are in the cultural traditions, not in our religion. We need to improve families, respect our elders, develop the hospitals and schools. She sees it as imperative to get women’s outreach workers beyond Kabul, though it is risky to do so. Many women staff have been killed and threatened.
Still, it is important to show the positives along with the negatives. AWN is comprised of 72 women’s NGOs, including 20,000 members. “Three or four years ago, women couldn’t go to the hospital or to school, now they also vote. It’s not 100% successful, there’s a lot more work to do, but we have several women candidates for the upcoming Parliamentary elections.”
by Le Anne Clausen
The Afghan Women’s Network is a busy organization, running a library and net café for women; Women to Women International assists them with capacity building such as developing leadership and committees, parliamentary procedure, and training advocates for women and children in prison. We met with a young woman leader of the organization, who stressed the problems which women continue to face in Afghanistan today, as well as the value of understanding Islam as a solution to these issues rather than the problem.
Our speaker painted a grim picture of continuing problems for women in Afghanistan. Women face prostitution, rape, forced marriages. Economic and educational deficiencies drive the marriages between older men and young girls. Families don’t often want to take their problems outside the home to seek assistance. Sometimes families will bring troubled women to ‘holy gurus,’ leaving them for several weeks, where they have been sexually abused according to complainant’s reports. Suicides are rising.
Prostitution is hidden, not visible out on the streets. Street children are also vulnerable to prostitution. “The Afghan women’s NGOs are not currently able to address this situation, but the UN might,” she said.
The Network provides legal support for women who lack the finances. The situation for women in prisons, often for family law matters such as adultery or domestic disputes, is dire. There is no health care or education for women or their children with them in the prisons. There is violence between women prisoners, as well as self-inflicted violence.
Commanders or warlords and their families enforce tribal law throughout the country. “Since the beginning of Afghanistan’s history, women have faced problems. The laws of the Qur’an are not followed.
“Much un-Islamic behavior is carried out in the name of Islam. We respect what our religion says, not more. Arranged marriage is only semi-Qur’anic; independent women and men can choose their own spouses. Arranged marriage is different from forced marriage, where the girl is not happy.
“We want to keep our own culture, not to Westernize or modernize, but to eliminate the negative aspects of our culture. We need to be truly Afghan. The negatives are in the cultural traditions, not in our religion. We need to improve families, respect our elders, develop the hospitals and schools. She sees it as imperative to get women’s outreach workers beyond Kabul, though it is risky to do so. Many women staff have been killed and threatened.
Still, it is important to show the positives along with the negatives. AWN is comprised of 72 women’s NGOs, including 20,000 members. “Three or four years ago, women couldn’t go to the hospital or to school, now they also vote. It’s not 100% successful, there’s a lot more work to do, but we have several women candidates for the upcoming Parliamentary elections.”
Visiting the Aschiana Children's Network
Visiting Aschiana Childrens’ Center
by Le Anne Clausen
We met the director of Aschiana in a dark room, empty of furniture except for a few rusted folding chairs. He took the broken one while giving the older participants in our group the better ones and those of us who were younger took the windowsill. It was a stark backdrop for the stark realities he was dealing with.
‘Aschiana’ means ‘nest,’ a meaning which is likely not lost on the beneficiaries of this massive shelter network, which provides housing and schooling for more than 900 street children in Kabul. However, the main program itself is now looking for safe shelter, having been recently evicted from its rented facilities, which we were now visiting. The landowner plans to sell the property to a luxury hotel chain. Now they have divided the displaced children among three other facilities, which means “three times the rent, three times the staff, and three times the vehicles,” according to the director.
As a stopgap measure, UNICEF provided rent for two centers, for four months of rent. European Union funding bolstered the budget through June. Still the need is unmet; it’s tough to take out a lease for less than one year. Rent is the biggest problem for the program, as rates are considerably inflated in Kabul.
Due to the high numbers of children, the center runs two shifts and provides lunch to each. They used to serve meat and fruit, but now they can only afford rice and beans. Individual soldiers from ISAF (International Security Force in Afghanistan) will take up collections for the center, but they do not receive funding from the government.
On another day, we visited a different shelter under the Aschiana network and found the children there thriving in the basic yet well-kept facility, studying painting, calligraphy, Dari, English, and the standard school curriculum. “If they learn painting, they can establish their own shop for income,” said the site director. There are also workshops at the school for fixing electrical appliances and carpentry. They hope to resume a bike-repair workshop when they have enough money and space, and add music and theater. They also teach banking and business education, and teachers offer weekly parent workshops on health, parenting, and basic educational tutoring for parents who did not attend school themselves.
The director emphasized that in addition to vocational training, they are also preparing students for university education. He expressed hope that some of his brighter students, female and male, would be going on to become engineers. While the center teaches both male and female students now, the director was jailed under the Taliban for tutoring girls during that time. This forced them to suspend the program until the regime was deposed.
50% of Afghanistan’s population is under 19 years old, and most are uneducated. According to the UN’s most recent statistics, there are 40-60,000 children out on the streets. 20,000 are thought to be in Kabul, and the number is rising. Many have lost at least one parent and are helping to support the family at the expense of their education. Usually they beg or collect scrap paper for fire kindling if they have no other skills. Our group of foreign visitors attracted dozens of such children at each place we stopped. Some of the children are sponsored and don’t have to work at the end of the day; others go out to peddle after classes. The school offers instruction on running a small business to these children so they can save for themselves and gain financial stability that can help them finish their education. These children will sell books or magazines and the center sets up savings accounts complete with bankbooks, if students wish.
Corruption in the local and international aid community was repeatedly mentioned as a major concern during our stay. The director estimated that 90% of Afghan NGOs soak up donations in ‘administrative costs.’ International NGOs, such as the U.S. Creative Associates, live in luxury while the people around them remain in poverty. These organizations are also accused of not hiring qualified Afghans to do the work at a living wage, instead of importing highly-paid foreigners and leaving Afghans out of work. The director suggests that two steps towards increased accountability include NGOs being required to produce financial statements and to be open with and about their donors.
The director was also skeptical about the merits of development funding being put into women starting businesses out of their homes. “Everyone already does it. They are subsidizing our cottage industry businesses, instead of helping the underprivileged or providing appropriate vocational training. These programs have lost the original intent of micro-credit,” which would be to give a more equitable starting ground to disadvantaged populations trying to support themselves without the ability to receive standard bank credit. The director believes it would be better to gather all similar microcredit networks together under the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and take the next step towards women’s rights. This might mean getting them out of their houses and establishing their freedom to fully participate in employment and civil society without threats to their security.
by Le Anne Clausen
We met the director of Aschiana in a dark room, empty of furniture except for a few rusted folding chairs. He took the broken one while giving the older participants in our group the better ones and those of us who were younger took the windowsill. It was a stark backdrop for the stark realities he was dealing with.
‘Aschiana’ means ‘nest,’ a meaning which is likely not lost on the beneficiaries of this massive shelter network, which provides housing and schooling for more than 900 street children in Kabul. However, the main program itself is now looking for safe shelter, having been recently evicted from its rented facilities, which we were now visiting. The landowner plans to sell the property to a luxury hotel chain. Now they have divided the displaced children among three other facilities, which means “three times the rent, three times the staff, and three times the vehicles,” according to the director.
As a stopgap measure, UNICEF provided rent for two centers, for four months of rent. European Union funding bolstered the budget through June. Still the need is unmet; it’s tough to take out a lease for less than one year. Rent is the biggest problem for the program, as rates are considerably inflated in Kabul.
Due to the high numbers of children, the center runs two shifts and provides lunch to each. They used to serve meat and fruit, but now they can only afford rice and beans. Individual soldiers from ISAF (International Security Force in Afghanistan) will take up collections for the center, but they do not receive funding from the government.
On another day, we visited a different shelter under the Aschiana network and found the children there thriving in the basic yet well-kept facility, studying painting, calligraphy, Dari, English, and the standard school curriculum. “If they learn painting, they can establish their own shop for income,” said the site director. There are also workshops at the school for fixing electrical appliances and carpentry. They hope to resume a bike-repair workshop when they have enough money and space, and add music and theater. They also teach banking and business education, and teachers offer weekly parent workshops on health, parenting, and basic educational tutoring for parents who did not attend school themselves.
The director emphasized that in addition to vocational training, they are also preparing students for university education. He expressed hope that some of his brighter students, female and male, would be going on to become engineers. While the center teaches both male and female students now, the director was jailed under the Taliban for tutoring girls during that time. This forced them to suspend the program until the regime was deposed.
50% of Afghanistan’s population is under 19 years old, and most are uneducated. According to the UN’s most recent statistics, there are 40-60,000 children out on the streets. 20,000 are thought to be in Kabul, and the number is rising. Many have lost at least one parent and are helping to support the family at the expense of their education. Usually they beg or collect scrap paper for fire kindling if they have no other skills. Our group of foreign visitors attracted dozens of such children at each place we stopped. Some of the children are sponsored and don’t have to work at the end of the day; others go out to peddle after classes. The school offers instruction on running a small business to these children so they can save for themselves and gain financial stability that can help them finish their education. These children will sell books or magazines and the center sets up savings accounts complete with bankbooks, if students wish.
Corruption in the local and international aid community was repeatedly mentioned as a major concern during our stay. The director estimated that 90% of Afghan NGOs soak up donations in ‘administrative costs.’ International NGOs, such as the U.S. Creative Associates, live in luxury while the people around them remain in poverty. These organizations are also accused of not hiring qualified Afghans to do the work at a living wage, instead of importing highly-paid foreigners and leaving Afghans out of work. The director suggests that two steps towards increased accountability include NGOs being required to produce financial statements and to be open with and about their donors.
The director was also skeptical about the merits of development funding being put into women starting businesses out of their homes. “Everyone already does it. They are subsidizing our cottage industry businesses, instead of helping the underprivileged or providing appropriate vocational training. These programs have lost the original intent of micro-credit,” which would be to give a more equitable starting ground to disadvantaged populations trying to support themselves without the ability to receive standard bank credit. The director believes it would be better to gather all similar microcredit networks together under the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and take the next step towards women’s rights. This might mean getting them out of their houses and establishing their freedom to fully participate in employment and civil society without threats to their security.
Talking with Reza at AINA, Kabul
Talking With Reza at the AINA Media Center
by Le Anne Clausen
“When you go home, just give a realistic report of this alarming situation,” he said. “If you forget again, it will explode again. Next time, it won’t be the Twin Towers, but all of New York.”
He is Reza Deghati, the famed photojournalist of National Geographic, perhaps best known for his coverage of Afghan Anti-Taliban warlord Ahmad Shah Massoud, who was assassinated September 9, 2001. Now he spends his time at the AINA Media Center in Kabul, a nonprofit organization devoted to developing Afghan civil society through mass communication.
“The whole media can be run at cost of one bomb,” he said. He was quite blunt throughout our group visit in the courtyard of the center.
Why devote so much rehabilitation energy and resources to a media project, we asked. He responded the way a seasoned war photojournalist might. Wars continue to cause two types damage: the physical buildings and bodies–which one can photograph; and the deeper, main form of damage that perpetuates war–the identity and cultural destruction, the wounding of souls.
“You can build schools and hospitals in two or three months, but that doesn’t change people, they will just use schools and hospitals to build better wars. The Taliban trained in schools and were treated in the hospitals we built,” he says of the last round of U.S. invasion/ reconstruction/ abandonment, a quarter-century ago.
“These facilities get built because you can photograph them and get more money. Magazines are not photo-worthy.” Reza is especially passionate about the children’s magazine they produce, Parwaz (Dari for ‘to fly or rise’), which is distributed in schools throughout the country. It includes colorfully illustrated articles on science, culture, foreign language vocabularies, health, civic education, and letters sent in from young readers. The magazine is produced on heavy paper because the copies are passed through many hands, reaching unschooled children and their families as well. It only costs eighty cents a copy to produce, yet the project is in financial jeopardy, even despite the personal investment of Reza and other affiliated journalists.
“The children here have heard shooting from their first day of life. With this we can take them out of the confined world of war, and open the universe to them.” He sees it as treating the wounded souls through a form of peace education. “Material things can always be destroyed in war. What’s in your mind can’t be taken away, and this is the importance of this education.”
Reza sees new hope in the new generation of Afghans. AINA seeks to reach the ‘third generation,’ through societal, deep long term change, understanding the costs of war, instilling culture and pride.
Their other projects include eight mobile cinemas which go out to the villages to women audiences, showing educational films on women’s health and human rights. The documentaries are a strategy for educating populations who are largely illiterate. Also, he says, “Posters are not effective for women in burqas. On the street, you can’t see them if you can’t look sideways [due to the restrictive garment].”
The documentaries rely on Afghan folk stories to communicate today’s necessary messages. These are not new ideas, but forgotten ones. The cinema operators, men who are recruited from the target villages, show the films to the village elders ahead of time, and they routinely approve screenings for the rest of the population. “They never saw cinema before, it’s a medium that really sticks,” he says. In one day, they could reach all the women of the village in their own language. Topics include the need for peace education, ‘let the Loya Jirga work’--the more fighting the more scars destruction; sending daughters to school, and sending women who need medical care to the hospital, among others.
“This isn’t propaganda,” he says. They train volunteers at the center in drama in order to produce the films. The entire cost for the program is only $15,000--not $15 million, like the UN posters project. Still, there is not enough funding to keep going–even though they have all the equipment, and use workers from each village to develop the relationships necessary to being effective. They have not been able to stir up enough interest from donor agencies.
The journalist with his decades of experience left us with a last sobering thought. “The Taliban are regaining their footing among the people here because the U.S. and others said, “get rid of the Taliban, and we’ll bring you x, y, z...” But they have turned their backs on us and broke their promises.”
by Le Anne Clausen
“When you go home, just give a realistic report of this alarming situation,” he said. “If you forget again, it will explode again. Next time, it won’t be the Twin Towers, but all of New York.”
He is Reza Deghati, the famed photojournalist of National Geographic, perhaps best known for his coverage of Afghan Anti-Taliban warlord Ahmad Shah Massoud, who was assassinated September 9, 2001. Now he spends his time at the AINA Media Center in Kabul, a nonprofit organization devoted to developing Afghan civil society through mass communication.
“The whole media can be run at cost of one bomb,” he said. He was quite blunt throughout our group visit in the courtyard of the center.
Why devote so much rehabilitation energy and resources to a media project, we asked. He responded the way a seasoned war photojournalist might. Wars continue to cause two types damage: the physical buildings and bodies–which one can photograph; and the deeper, main form of damage that perpetuates war–the identity and cultural destruction, the wounding of souls.
“You can build schools and hospitals in two or three months, but that doesn’t change people, they will just use schools and hospitals to build better wars. The Taliban trained in schools and were treated in the hospitals we built,” he says of the last round of U.S. invasion/ reconstruction/ abandonment, a quarter-century ago.
“These facilities get built because you can photograph them and get more money. Magazines are not photo-worthy.” Reza is especially passionate about the children’s magazine they produce, Parwaz (Dari for ‘to fly or rise’), which is distributed in schools throughout the country. It includes colorfully illustrated articles on science, culture, foreign language vocabularies, health, civic education, and letters sent in from young readers. The magazine is produced on heavy paper because the copies are passed through many hands, reaching unschooled children and their families as well. It only costs eighty cents a copy to produce, yet the project is in financial jeopardy, even despite the personal investment of Reza and other affiliated journalists.
“The children here have heard shooting from their first day of life. With this we can take them out of the confined world of war, and open the universe to them.” He sees it as treating the wounded souls through a form of peace education. “Material things can always be destroyed in war. What’s in your mind can’t be taken away, and this is the importance of this education.”
Reza sees new hope in the new generation of Afghans. AINA seeks to reach the ‘third generation,’ through societal, deep long term change, understanding the costs of war, instilling culture and pride.
Their other projects include eight mobile cinemas which go out to the villages to women audiences, showing educational films on women’s health and human rights. The documentaries are a strategy for educating populations who are largely illiterate. Also, he says, “Posters are not effective for women in burqas. On the street, you can’t see them if you can’t look sideways [due to the restrictive garment].”
The documentaries rely on Afghan folk stories to communicate today’s necessary messages. These are not new ideas, but forgotten ones. The cinema operators, men who are recruited from the target villages, show the films to the village elders ahead of time, and they routinely approve screenings for the rest of the population. “They never saw cinema before, it’s a medium that really sticks,” he says. In one day, they could reach all the women of the village in their own language. Topics include the need for peace education, ‘let the Loya Jirga work’--the more fighting the more scars destruction; sending daughters to school, and sending women who need medical care to the hospital, among others.
“This isn’t propaganda,” he says. They train volunteers at the center in drama in order to produce the films. The entire cost for the program is only $15,000--not $15 million, like the UN posters project. Still, there is not enough funding to keep going–even though they have all the equipment, and use workers from each village to develop the relationships necessary to being effective. They have not been able to stir up enough interest from donor agencies.
The journalist with his decades of experience left us with a last sobering thought. “The Taliban are regaining their footing among the people here because the U.S. and others said, “get rid of the Taliban, and we’ll bring you x, y, z...” But they have turned their backs on us and broke their promises.”
Finding Rumi in Afghanistan
Finding Rumi in Afghanistan
by Le Anne Clausen
We were surprised and fascinated to learn that within our guest house existed a longtime scholar of Sufism in Afghanistan, in the person of our guide’s father-in-law. Now serving daily as a guard for the guest house, he assisted in producing two Canadian film projects on the topic.
The father of Sufism, Maulana Jalaluddin Mohammed Rumi Balkhi, indicates a tribal name of Balkhi, ‘of Balkh,’ in Afghanistan. He was born there in 1207 CE and remained until the family moved to Baghdad to continue his father’s academic theological career. “Sufi is nothing more than another face of Islam,” summarizes our scholar. In the development of Sufi spirituality, he distinguished between exoterism, or the external respect of law as followed by adherents of a religion; and esoterism, or appreciation of the internal aspects of Qur’an–from which Muslim mysticism comes.
Rumi’s father was given the title, Sultan Ulama, or “King of Theology,” acknowledging his prominence as an exoterist. When the family moved to Konya, Turkey, for his father to continue teaching, Rumi met famous the dervish, Shamis Tabrez. The encounter changed Rumi completely, shifting him into Esoterism and Sufism. Rumi, who was following in his father’s footsteps, quit teaching as before. He began to explore chanting, music and dance not used in exoterism. Flutes took on special importance in his spirituality. A guiding reference is found in La Masnerii, the main collection of Rumi’s work: “Listen to the sound of the flute, how it tells its sorrows...”
Sufism sees humankind as cut off from its origins and always in search of it. This is the ‘purification of the ego’–the ego always in progression. In the first stage of the progression, the soul is consumed with evil and the desire for wrongdoing. By force of meditation, one can arrive at the second stage of reproaching oneself, asking, ‘Why do I do this?’ The third stage, fulfillment, evolves perfectly towards contentment. It’s also to achieve contentment that we work to achieve perfection of the ego, which is the goal of Sufism
Meditative chant and dance are some of the various methods used towards goal. The variations occur among the different schools of Sufism. The Naqshbandia use meditation and silence. The Qadriya originated in Baghdad, and practice mediation with vocal repetition of the 99 names of God, and movement. The Teshtia use music and voice together, meditation, and celebrations yearly in India and New Delhi. In Sufism, dance is not regarded as a material body performance but as meditation. These are the main schools; others pay attention to the breathing patterns or looking where one is putting his feet. The varieties spread among different countries, including those in Northern Africa.
Rumi’s impact is still alive today in Afghanistan. Although exact numbers are not available, a sizable minority of Sunni in Afghanistan still adhere to the Hanafi school of Sufism.[1]
[1]http://encyclopedia.laborlawtalk.com/Discrimination_against_non-Muslims_in_Afghanistan, 9/17/05
by Le Anne Clausen
We were surprised and fascinated to learn that within our guest house existed a longtime scholar of Sufism in Afghanistan, in the person of our guide’s father-in-law. Now serving daily as a guard for the guest house, he assisted in producing two Canadian film projects on the topic.
The father of Sufism, Maulana Jalaluddin Mohammed Rumi Balkhi, indicates a tribal name of Balkhi, ‘of Balkh,’ in Afghanistan. He was born there in 1207 CE and remained until the family moved to Baghdad to continue his father’s academic theological career. “Sufi is nothing more than another face of Islam,” summarizes our scholar. In the development of Sufi spirituality, he distinguished between exoterism, or the external respect of law as followed by adherents of a religion; and esoterism, or appreciation of the internal aspects of Qur’an–from which Muslim mysticism comes.
Rumi’s father was given the title, Sultan Ulama, or “King of Theology,” acknowledging his prominence as an exoterist. When the family moved to Konya, Turkey, for his father to continue teaching, Rumi met famous the dervish, Shamis Tabrez. The encounter changed Rumi completely, shifting him into Esoterism and Sufism. Rumi, who was following in his father’s footsteps, quit teaching as before. He began to explore chanting, music and dance not used in exoterism. Flutes took on special importance in his spirituality. A guiding reference is found in La Masnerii, the main collection of Rumi’s work: “Listen to the sound of the flute, how it tells its sorrows...”
Sufism sees humankind as cut off from its origins and always in search of it. This is the ‘purification of the ego’–the ego always in progression. In the first stage of the progression, the soul is consumed with evil and the desire for wrongdoing. By force of meditation, one can arrive at the second stage of reproaching oneself, asking, ‘Why do I do this?’ The third stage, fulfillment, evolves perfectly towards contentment. It’s also to achieve contentment that we work to achieve perfection of the ego, which is the goal of Sufism
Meditative chant and dance are some of the various methods used towards goal. The variations occur among the different schools of Sufism. The Naqshbandia use meditation and silence. The Qadriya originated in Baghdad, and practice mediation with vocal repetition of the 99 names of God, and movement. The Teshtia use music and voice together, meditation, and celebrations yearly in India and New Delhi. In Sufism, dance is not regarded as a material body performance but as meditation. These are the main schools; others pay attention to the breathing patterns or looking where one is putting his feet. The varieties spread among different countries, including those in Northern Africa.
Rumi’s impact is still alive today in Afghanistan. Although exact numbers are not available, a sizable minority of Sunni in Afghanistan still adhere to the Hanafi school of Sufism.[1]
[1]http://encyclopedia.laborlawtalk.com/Discrimination_against_non-Muslims_in_Afghanistan, 9/17/05
the Hazara Shi'a of Afghanistan
Discovering the Hazara Shi’a of Afghanistan
by Le Anne Clausen
In my travels, I heard repeatedly that the Hazara are traditionally considered to be the descendants of Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan. I did observe that their features are indeed distinctly East Asian, as compared to the more Arab or Middle Eastern appearance of other ethnic groups within Afghanistan. They are typically concentrated in or come from Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh, and the aptly-named Hazarajat areas of the country. ‘Hazara’ is considered both an ethnic and religious distinction, as most Hazara are Shi’a. Not all Shi’a in Afghanistan are Hazara,[1] but they constitute the vast majority of the adherents. Shi’a make up 15% of the country’s religious population.
On the street, I observed Hazara working as gardeners, or as a sort of ‘hidden’ servants or even in roles similar to an ‘untouchable’ caste. Where I did not observe them was owning many shops or even waiting in restaurants. The currently popular novel by Khaled Husseini, The Kite Runner,[2] describes Hazara life similarly: the dominant class has generally considered them stupid, backwards, overly pious; and they are subject to mistreatment both individually and as a group.
This is certainly evidenced by the reports of human rights violations against the Hazara. Taliban leaders studied under the Sunni Deobandi seminaries in Pakistan “sought to ‘purify’ Islam by discarding supposedly un-Islamic accretions to the faith.”[3] Two fatwas were issued in Afghanistan’s history against the Hazara. The latter, issued by the Taliban reads,
The second fatwa, issued in 1998 by the Taliban Mullah Manon Niazi in Mazhar-i Sharif, blames all Hazara for the brutal deaths of Taliban soldiers the year before, when a failed attempt to capture the key northern city ended in the massacre of some 2,000 Taliban soldiers. "Hazaras! Where will you escape? If you jump in the air, we will still grasp your legs; if you sink into the earth, we will catch hold of your ears." The decree reads on: "Hazaras are not Muslim. You can kill them and it is not a sin."[4]
However, the earlier was issued in 1892 by the Emir Abdurrahman Khan, as:
“a detailed set of instructions to Afghan mullahs to drill home the message to all Afghans that Shi'a Muslims will not be tolerated. ‘With a view to bringing this stray flock to the true faith, I have ordered that [Shi'a] should be preached to and exhorted to give up their false religion. If they do not listen to the advice and preaching of the Sunnis, it will be absolutely necessary that they are put to death.’”[5]
Thus was the stage set for discrimination against the group prior to the rise of the Taliban, which Husseini also describes in the early chapters of his novel.
January 2001 saw the Taliban massacre of several hundred civilians at Yakaolang in central Afghanistan, after they took over new territories previously held by other warlords. The same report also cites forced expulsions and harassment of Hazara as Taliban forces conquered and occupied new areas.
Human Rights Watch states that the conflict between Hazara and Taliban is political and military as well as religious, and that religion is a significant, though not necessarily exclusive reason for repression. The organization also states that the Hazara have carried out human rights violations of their own.[6]
More recently, in January 2003, Hazara have had nearly 200 shops in the Lashkar Gah municipality confiscated and were denied the right to build a mosque there also. “While the Human Rights Commission and the UN had reached an agreement in February 2003with the Governor to compensate Hazara shopkeepers with land elsewhere in Lashkar Gah, the Governor had only partly honored this agreement by the end of period covered by this report.”[7]
In August 1998, Taliban forces carried out a massacre against the inhabitants of Mazar-i-Sharif, primarily populated by Hazara Shi’a, killing thousands of civilians and prisoners. The massacre was considered revenge for a 1997 massacre of Taliban forces.[8] In September 1998, 500 more Hazara were killed at Bamiyan; Hazaras regained control of the city in April 1999 after a long guerrilla campaign. However, the Taliban recaptured Bamiyan in May 1999 and killed more Shi’a residents[9]
I found several dozen websites memorializing these events, set up by individual Hazara, particularly young people. Hazara.org included an open posting page which expressed anger at being treated worse than the many other ethnic groups in Afghanistan, as well as calls for peace and unity in the country. Hazara.net is “dedicated to the souls of hundreds of thousands of Hazara men, women, and children who have lost their lives to religious persection during the 19th through 21st centuries in Afghanistan, Pakistan and elsewhere,” and contains a variety of human rights advocacy and cultural information. The ‘Nation of Hazara’ site emphasizes the community’s Shi’a religious heritage.[10] Otherwise, information is somewhat difficult to find, including only a handful of mostly out-of-print books.
So where does this leave me? I went to Afghanistan looking for the Shi’a, and I encountered this group of people with a long and difficult history. Still, I cannot speak on Afghanistan without doing justice to them, just as I find I cannot speak on Islam and Muslims without doing justice to the Shi’a tradition and people’s history of persecution. The history of a people’s suffering cannot whitewash their own violent actions, although proportion of violence done must be communicated authentically. I think the next step for me academically is to explore further the growth of Shi’ism beyond the Arab/Middle Eastern context into other nations and ethnicities.
[1]Afghanistan: International Religious Freedom Report, U.S. State Dept. Bureau Of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2004/35513.htm Accessed 9/17/05
[2]Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. New York: Riverhead Trade, 2004.
[3] “Status of Religious Freedom in Afghanistan,” article in Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Status_of_religious_freedom_in_Afghanistan. Accessed 9/17/05
[4] “The Issue at Hand,” interview by Nyier Abdou, Al-Ahram Weekly, November 17, 2001. http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2001/561/7war2.htm
[5] ibid.
[6] “Massacres of Hazara in Afghanistan,” produced by Human Rights Watch, http://www.hrw.org/reports/2001/afghanistan/afghan101-02.htm. Accessed 9/17/05.
[7] See ft. 1, “Afghanistan: International Religious Freedom Report,” 2004.
[8] ibid.
[9] “Abuses of Religious Freedom,” article in http://encyclopedia.laborlawtalk.com/Discrimination_against_non-Muslims_in_Afghanistan, accessed September 17, 2005
[10] http://members.tripod.com/MillateHazara/
by Le Anne Clausen
In my travels, I heard repeatedly that the Hazara are traditionally considered to be the descendants of Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan. I did observe that their features are indeed distinctly East Asian, as compared to the more Arab or Middle Eastern appearance of other ethnic groups within Afghanistan. They are typically concentrated in or come from Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh, and the aptly-named Hazarajat areas of the country. ‘Hazara’ is considered both an ethnic and religious distinction, as most Hazara are Shi’a. Not all Shi’a in Afghanistan are Hazara,[1] but they constitute the vast majority of the adherents. Shi’a make up 15% of the country’s religious population.
On the street, I observed Hazara working as gardeners, or as a sort of ‘hidden’ servants or even in roles similar to an ‘untouchable’ caste. Where I did not observe them was owning many shops or even waiting in restaurants. The currently popular novel by Khaled Husseini, The Kite Runner,[2] describes Hazara life similarly: the dominant class has generally considered them stupid, backwards, overly pious; and they are subject to mistreatment both individually and as a group.
This is certainly evidenced by the reports of human rights violations against the Hazara. Taliban leaders studied under the Sunni Deobandi seminaries in Pakistan “sought to ‘purify’ Islam by discarding supposedly un-Islamic accretions to the faith.”[3] Two fatwas were issued in Afghanistan’s history against the Hazara. The latter, issued by the Taliban reads,
The second fatwa, issued in 1998 by the Taliban Mullah Manon Niazi in Mazhar-i Sharif, blames all Hazara for the brutal deaths of Taliban soldiers the year before, when a failed attempt to capture the key northern city ended in the massacre of some 2,000 Taliban soldiers. "Hazaras! Where will you escape? If you jump in the air, we will still grasp your legs; if you sink into the earth, we will catch hold of your ears." The decree reads on: "Hazaras are not Muslim. You can kill them and it is not a sin."[4]
However, the earlier was issued in 1892 by the Emir Abdurrahman Khan, as:
“a detailed set of instructions to Afghan mullahs to drill home the message to all Afghans that Shi'a Muslims will not be tolerated. ‘With a view to bringing this stray flock to the true faith, I have ordered that [Shi'a] should be preached to and exhorted to give up their false religion. If they do not listen to the advice and preaching of the Sunnis, it will be absolutely necessary that they are put to death.’”[5]
Thus was the stage set for discrimination against the group prior to the rise of the Taliban, which Husseini also describes in the early chapters of his novel.
January 2001 saw the Taliban massacre of several hundred civilians at Yakaolang in central Afghanistan, after they took over new territories previously held by other warlords. The same report also cites forced expulsions and harassment of Hazara as Taliban forces conquered and occupied new areas.
Human Rights Watch states that the conflict between Hazara and Taliban is political and military as well as religious, and that religion is a significant, though not necessarily exclusive reason for repression. The organization also states that the Hazara have carried out human rights violations of their own.[6]
More recently, in January 2003, Hazara have had nearly 200 shops in the Lashkar Gah municipality confiscated and were denied the right to build a mosque there also. “While the Human Rights Commission and the UN had reached an agreement in February 2003with the Governor to compensate Hazara shopkeepers with land elsewhere in Lashkar Gah, the Governor had only partly honored this agreement by the end of period covered by this report.”[7]
In August 1998, Taliban forces carried out a massacre against the inhabitants of Mazar-i-Sharif, primarily populated by Hazara Shi’a, killing thousands of civilians and prisoners. The massacre was considered revenge for a 1997 massacre of Taliban forces.[8] In September 1998, 500 more Hazara were killed at Bamiyan; Hazaras regained control of the city in April 1999 after a long guerrilla campaign. However, the Taliban recaptured Bamiyan in May 1999 and killed more Shi’a residents[9]
I found several dozen websites memorializing these events, set up by individual Hazara, particularly young people. Hazara.org included an open posting page which expressed anger at being treated worse than the many other ethnic groups in Afghanistan, as well as calls for peace and unity in the country. Hazara.net is “dedicated to the souls of hundreds of thousands of Hazara men, women, and children who have lost their lives to religious persection during the 19th through 21st centuries in Afghanistan, Pakistan and elsewhere,” and contains a variety of human rights advocacy and cultural information. The ‘Nation of Hazara’ site emphasizes the community’s Shi’a religious heritage.[10] Otherwise, information is somewhat difficult to find, including only a handful of mostly out-of-print books.
So where does this leave me? I went to Afghanistan looking for the Shi’a, and I encountered this group of people with a long and difficult history. Still, I cannot speak on Afghanistan without doing justice to them, just as I find I cannot speak on Islam and Muslims without doing justice to the Shi’a tradition and people’s history of persecution. The history of a people’s suffering cannot whitewash their own violent actions, although proportion of violence done must be communicated authentically. I think the next step for me academically is to explore further the growth of Shi’ism beyond the Arab/Middle Eastern context into other nations and ethnicities.
[1]Afghanistan: International Religious Freedom Report, U.S. State Dept. Bureau Of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2004/35513.htm Accessed 9/17/05
[2]Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. New York: Riverhead Trade, 2004.
[3] “Status of Religious Freedom in Afghanistan,” article in Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Status_of_religious_freedom_in_Afghanistan. Accessed 9/17/05
[4] “The Issue at Hand,” interview by Nyier Abdou, Al-Ahram Weekly, November 17, 2001. http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2001/561/7war2.htm
[5] ibid.
[6] “Massacres of Hazara in Afghanistan,” produced by Human Rights Watch, http://www.hrw.org/reports/2001/afghanistan/afghan101-02.htm. Accessed 9/17/05.
[7] See ft. 1, “Afghanistan: International Religious Freedom Report,” 2004.
[8] ibid.
[9] “Abuses of Religious Freedom,” article in http://encyclopedia.laborlawtalk.com/Discrimination_against_non-Muslims_in_Afghanistan, accessed September 17, 2005
[10] http://members.tripod.com/MillateHazara/
A Blind Imam in a Kabul Madrasa
A Blind Imam in a Kabul Madrasa
by Le Anne Clausen
The imam sees it as his responsibility to serve the people of Afghanistan. He does a lot towards this goal, with 760 students attending classes. Female students come in the afternoons; boys in the morning. Students may or may not attend another school. “There is no discrimination here,” he says, “Children and adults can both attend at no cost.” The madrasa teaches Qur’an, tenets of the Muslim faith, and writing. “We also teach them to know themselves,” he says. “The mosque is essential, the education of youth begins there. It is a place of education and prayer.”
We were in for a long and later tense conversation, after the imam chided us for not asking more than polite questions. His answers about the tough controversial issues of our day gave me much to think about, especially in understanding how Islam might frame the root issues. It was a hot and dusty afternoon, and we sat on the floor in a simple receiving room. This imam was known for being enthusiastic about talking with foreigners, and I was quite grateful afterwards for the time. I have grouped his thoughts throughout the afternoon by the variety of topics covered.
On Violence:
“The first principal in Islam is to have character, so we cannot push people to be violent,” he said. “Violence is always used by people to do wrong. The justice of God is like the sun. Anyone who is aware of it will believe in it.
“Violent crime must be abolished, human rights must be respected. In Afghanistan, it is because of ignorance that we have seen so much war. One example is how the story of the desecration of the Qur’an at Guantanamo Bay. The manner in which the story was disseminated led to many deaths; they should have focused on bringing the perpetrators to justice in the U.S., not on destroying Afghans.
“We need prominent teachers, to teach wisdom and nonviolence, and the students will succeed in rejecting violence.
“If we give too much money to an ignorant person, he will do wrong and hurt others. But if we give it to the wise, they will use it for scholarship, to buy books, and so forth.
“Moderation is needed in Afghanistan. The violence is very bad. We need moderation in all things, especially conflict. If I use violence to punch a wall, I hurt myself also. The Qur’an advises using negotiation to resolve disputes.”
On Interfaith Relations:
“Islam and Christianity are the same, if anyone tries to divide them, that is neither Christian or Muslim. The prophets are the same, though people try to make them seem separate. The Qur’an came into the society which existed at the time, it mentions the Torah and the Bible, Christians and Jews. The Qur’an was sent to everybody, all groups. I challenge anybody to differentiate between Jesus, Moses, and Mohammed. Islam doesn’t accept differences. If prophets sent by the same God, how can they be different? I wonder myself, how can these teachings be brought together in a universal, unifying way?”
On Jihad:
“I am trying to improve myself first. When you struggle for something, you have to start with yourself. Anyone who wants to engage in jihad needs to start with self. The goal is to orient the self to God first, then others; to help others is neccesary to being closer to God.”
Of the Future Role of Women in Afghanistan:
“God can see every person oriented to equality. Women will have a future. Without this, both men and women will be without a future. Everyone must participate in building this future, not just one group.”
“If wisdom is pursued, then women’s rights will be respected. We will not be destroyed by Islam but by ignorance.
“God created man and woman and each person and we must decide our own lives for ourselves. Women have the right to assert their desire to work. Men still have the responsibility to provide for the family, he can’t shirk this. Kids do need a lot of attention, though, with breastfeeding in particular, but women still have the right to work outside the home. Women of course do work hard in the home already.
“Islam gives women three personal rights men do not have: property rights, a right to one third of the brother’s inheritance, which she can even bring into and keep if she marries; and half of her future husband’s property should be the right of the wife.
“Women’s rights are not respected in advertising, women should be sacred, not exploited.
“I am against the practice of rejecting women. Islam states that men and women should before marrying come to a good understanding of one another, with witnesses of the community surrounding and supporting them. If a man rejects his wife, there are tough consequences.
“Women’s rights are not that of bed to bed, that is, sexual freedoms, but of marriage, to enter into it with respect and understanding. Beyond the property women bring into a marriage, the man must provide for her well-being. She deserves respect; Islam doesn’t promote disrespect. This is the command of Jesus and Moses and Mohammed and Abraham and all prophets, that God commands all to do so.”
On Marriage and Divorce:
“In Islam, a man may have only one wife except in necessitating circumstances. Marriage is for life. Both parents benefit from children, it is mutual. Without family structure, we are doomed to fail. Divorce is difficult. A man has no right to deceive his wife, and vice versa; it is sinful for either to commit adultery. In this world we need love which is strong and clean, with people divorcing here and there, life is without purpose. Kids need education, and to be cared for. Love parents, because when they are old and powerless, love benefits them. Life is to be spent for one another. If there is lots of love in this world, it will abound in goodness.”
On Homosexuality:
“Islam is strongly opposed to homosexuality and believes it should be punished, because women’s rights are not respected in this way. If homosexuality is natural, why were women created? Islam has punishments for those who disrepect rights. Women are good; men’s and women’s characters complement one another. A man should not deprive a woman of sexual relations. The traditional punishment is to put them underneath a wall for this.”
On Domestic Violence:
“Neither men nor women should be violent towards each other. This world is created for love. Women shouldn’t leave without their rights, her property, and so forth. She is entitled, accounts must be settled.”
On Abortion:
“If intentional, abortion is a crime, and an example needs to be made of the perpetrator. All children have the right to live as well. This is democratic. Freedom to exist is democratic. It is not democratic to kill children or the elderly. The reason for such abortion is to cover up adultery, this isn’t an excuse. You should not be unfaithful without consequences. In other matters, the husband and wife should agree, as the child is the fruit of both. You can’t live without kids. The elderly don’t become young again.”
Should religious leaders (not) be involved in politics? What are their responsibilities?
“This is a Western concept; answer depends on the leaders themselves, so far I have not seen positive acts or examples here. Leaders seem to be after material goods and pacification of the masses. In scholarship, nothing should be falsified away from the truth, instead of making political alliances, should be pursuing wisdom in leadership.”
Who are the wise leaders in the world?
“I’m not that wise.”
by Le Anne Clausen
The imam sees it as his responsibility to serve the people of Afghanistan. He does a lot towards this goal, with 760 students attending classes. Female students come in the afternoons; boys in the morning. Students may or may not attend another school. “There is no discrimination here,” he says, “Children and adults can both attend at no cost.” The madrasa teaches Qur’an, tenets of the Muslim faith, and writing. “We also teach them to know themselves,” he says. “The mosque is essential, the education of youth begins there. It is a place of education and prayer.”
We were in for a long and later tense conversation, after the imam chided us for not asking more than polite questions. His answers about the tough controversial issues of our day gave me much to think about, especially in understanding how Islam might frame the root issues. It was a hot and dusty afternoon, and we sat on the floor in a simple receiving room. This imam was known for being enthusiastic about talking with foreigners, and I was quite grateful afterwards for the time. I have grouped his thoughts throughout the afternoon by the variety of topics covered.
On Violence:
“The first principal in Islam is to have character, so we cannot push people to be violent,” he said. “Violence is always used by people to do wrong. The justice of God is like the sun. Anyone who is aware of it will believe in it.
“Violent crime must be abolished, human rights must be respected. In Afghanistan, it is because of ignorance that we have seen so much war. One example is how the story of the desecration of the Qur’an at Guantanamo Bay. The manner in which the story was disseminated led to many deaths; they should have focused on bringing the perpetrators to justice in the U.S., not on destroying Afghans.
“We need prominent teachers, to teach wisdom and nonviolence, and the students will succeed in rejecting violence.
“If we give too much money to an ignorant person, he will do wrong and hurt others. But if we give it to the wise, they will use it for scholarship, to buy books, and so forth.
“Moderation is needed in Afghanistan. The violence is very bad. We need moderation in all things, especially conflict. If I use violence to punch a wall, I hurt myself also. The Qur’an advises using negotiation to resolve disputes.”
On Interfaith Relations:
“Islam and Christianity are the same, if anyone tries to divide them, that is neither Christian or Muslim. The prophets are the same, though people try to make them seem separate. The Qur’an came into the society which existed at the time, it mentions the Torah and the Bible, Christians and Jews. The Qur’an was sent to everybody, all groups. I challenge anybody to differentiate between Jesus, Moses, and Mohammed. Islam doesn’t accept differences. If prophets sent by the same God, how can they be different? I wonder myself, how can these teachings be brought together in a universal, unifying way?”
On Jihad:
“I am trying to improve myself first. When you struggle for something, you have to start with yourself. Anyone who wants to engage in jihad needs to start with self. The goal is to orient the self to God first, then others; to help others is neccesary to being closer to God.”
Of the Future Role of Women in Afghanistan:
“God can see every person oriented to equality. Women will have a future. Without this, both men and women will be without a future. Everyone must participate in building this future, not just one group.”
“If wisdom is pursued, then women’s rights will be respected. We will not be destroyed by Islam but by ignorance.
“God created man and woman and each person and we must decide our own lives for ourselves. Women have the right to assert their desire to work. Men still have the responsibility to provide for the family, he can’t shirk this. Kids do need a lot of attention, though, with breastfeeding in particular, but women still have the right to work outside the home. Women of course do work hard in the home already.
“Islam gives women three personal rights men do not have: property rights, a right to one third of the brother’s inheritance, which she can even bring into and keep if she marries; and half of her future husband’s property should be the right of the wife.
“Women’s rights are not respected in advertising, women should be sacred, not exploited.
“I am against the practice of rejecting women. Islam states that men and women should before marrying come to a good understanding of one another, with witnesses of the community surrounding and supporting them. If a man rejects his wife, there are tough consequences.
“Women’s rights are not that of bed to bed, that is, sexual freedoms, but of marriage, to enter into it with respect and understanding. Beyond the property women bring into a marriage, the man must provide for her well-being. She deserves respect; Islam doesn’t promote disrespect. This is the command of Jesus and Moses and Mohammed and Abraham and all prophets, that God commands all to do so.”
On Marriage and Divorce:
“In Islam, a man may have only one wife except in necessitating circumstances. Marriage is for life. Both parents benefit from children, it is mutual. Without family structure, we are doomed to fail. Divorce is difficult. A man has no right to deceive his wife, and vice versa; it is sinful for either to commit adultery. In this world we need love which is strong and clean, with people divorcing here and there, life is without purpose. Kids need education, and to be cared for. Love parents, because when they are old and powerless, love benefits them. Life is to be spent for one another. If there is lots of love in this world, it will abound in goodness.”
On Homosexuality:
“Islam is strongly opposed to homosexuality and believes it should be punished, because women’s rights are not respected in this way. If homosexuality is natural, why were women created? Islam has punishments for those who disrepect rights. Women are good; men’s and women’s characters complement one another. A man should not deprive a woman of sexual relations. The traditional punishment is to put them underneath a wall for this.”
On Domestic Violence:
“Neither men nor women should be violent towards each other. This world is created for love. Women shouldn’t leave without their rights, her property, and so forth. She is entitled, accounts must be settled.”
On Abortion:
“If intentional, abortion is a crime, and an example needs to be made of the perpetrator. All children have the right to live as well. This is democratic. Freedom to exist is democratic. It is not democratic to kill children or the elderly. The reason for such abortion is to cover up adultery, this isn’t an excuse. You should not be unfaithful without consequences. In other matters, the husband and wife should agree, as the child is the fruit of both. You can’t live without kids. The elderly don’t become young again.”
Should religious leaders (not) be involved in politics? What are their responsibilities?
“This is a Western concept; answer depends on the leaders themselves, so far I have not seen positive acts or examples here. Leaders seem to be after material goods and pacification of the masses. In scholarship, nothing should be falsified away from the truth, instead of making political alliances, should be pursuing wisdom in leadership.”
Who are the wise leaders in the world?
“I’m not that wise.”
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Real Curves
(in response to the Dove ads on the ‘campaign for real beauty:’
www.campaignforrealbeauty.com )
Real curves.
These real women have real curves. Not:
plasticized sexualized injected artificial heightened so-called 'liberated' sucked-in plucked colored-in obliterated violated under-the-knife hollow, lost, Styrene?
no extremes.
Just real curves,
comfortable in their skin.
Real curves.
These women have real curves. Not:
covered up romanticized burqa chador gloved hands so-called 'modest' invisible obliterated hit-with-rods immolated hollow, lost, "serene?"
no extremes.
what’s ideal?
There’s a spectrum in this mess, and in the middle must lie something
Real.
www.campaignforrealbeauty.com )
Real curves.
These real women have real curves. Not:
plasticized sexualized injected artificial heightened so-called 'liberated' sucked-in plucked colored-in obliterated violated under-the-knife hollow, lost, Styrene?
no extremes.
Just real curves,
comfortable in their skin.
Real curves.
These women have real curves. Not:
covered up romanticized burqa chador gloved hands so-called 'modest' invisible obliterated hit-with-rods immolated hollow, lost, "serene?"
no extremes.
what’s ideal?
There’s a spectrum in this mess, and in the middle must lie something
Real.
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Salaam min Kabul!
Salam min Kabul!We have arrived safely in Afghanistan and are staying in a guest house run byAfghans for Tomorrow, a grassroots organization which runs schools forgirls/women and agricultural restoration projects. This place is nothing likewhat we see in the media or even in the 'enlightened' pop culture books on theshelves now. I think I'm in love with yet another country. This may be a bitlong because I probably can't write again while traveling. Read on for firstimpressions of Kabul, and last impressions of Beirut!A quick lesson regarding women: only 1/3 to 1/2 of the women in Kabul whom I'veseen on the streets (lots) are still wearing the burqa. Most women have adopteda knee-length dress and thin pants, much like what we would call 'Indian' or'Chinese' dress, and prefer the long shawl-hijabs draped loosely over theirheads. Others wear tailored suit jackets with long flowing skirts, like inHebron. Some women will wear them around their necks but not over their headsaround the office, and only put them on in the street. This was true at theairport also. Others wear the long coats like in Palestine, or the cape-likeabayas of Iraq, or the long body shawls of Iran or Pakistan. There's a lot ofvariety. So far we've met tons of women movers and shakers, as well asstudents, and will be meeting many more. Those women who do wear the burqa doso either because of family requirements or out of long-term habit. Some womenwho need to beg for money wear it to preserve their dignity and anonymity.There are also security reasons, such as traveling in areas where there is highcrime/ on the open road. Men used to be required under the Taliban to wear longbeards, and about half of them have shaved theirs now. Most men, young and old,wear traditional dress of the knee length shirts, baggy pants, vests, and ashawl. The headwear variety is fun: turbans; drivers' caps, fez, white skullcaps, baseball hats, or nothing at all. There is a headdress like thePalestinian keffiyah but it's plaid rather than houndstooth. I realize that forsome of you whom I'm writing to, this last paragraph will make no sensewhatsoever. The rest of you hopefully will at least remember my pictures.At our guest house, the cooks, housekeeping staff, launderer, and gardeners areall men. The house is very tidy, the food delicious (lots of garlic) and ingeneral I like the idea of domesticated men. Perhaps this idea will catch onsoon in the U.S. ;)Our guide, Walid, who is a French professor at the University of Kabul and the Uof Colorado, says that the situation is better than it was a year ago, inregards to general security in Kabul, etc. We can't really travel outside thecity, though. For the destruction which is still visible everywhere,particularly in our area of West Kabul, he says 'This is nothing'--all of thearea where we are was completely destroyed during the war. Many of thecollapsed buildings are still present. There are even more bullet holes in thebuildings here than in Beirut.It seems that massive international humanitarian aid is what is driving theprogress of reconstruction. People are generally not happy with the U.S.presence, though it is far less noticeable than it was in Iraq. Of the war,Walid says, "Afghan expatriates are generally happy that the US finally decidedthat the Taliban wasn't such a good ally." Basically, people have felt used bythe US for a long time, first as pawns in the war against the USSR, and now asagainst the Taliban.The infrastructure is similar to that currently of Iraq, with no electricity orrunning water, or closed sewage systems. You have to be a little careful not tofall in the deep open gutters. It gets dark at 7:30 and they turn on thegenerator until 9, then it's lights out until daybreak at 4:00. They pump waterfrom the well and we shower with a bucket and dipper, not unlike my time inHebron. Cellphones are everywhere and internet cafes are cropping up, though Imay not be writing again from here--like Iraq, areas frequented by foreignerscan be targets. So for once I will play it a little bit safe, no?Afghans, as I've heard before I came and as reiterated now, want Americans toknow that they are not in the Middle East, and they are not Arabs. They arePersians, and this is the far east. Some of Arabic cultural practices aresimilar, others are very different. More like Iraq than Palestine, and heavilyinfluenced by India. The facial features of the people are more Asian thanArabic also. Our guides say that the difference between Arabic and Persian(Farsi, Dari, and Pashtun) is like that between English and French. There aremany shared words and similarities, but if you don't know both languages, youcan't communicate. I understand quite a bit, but people don't understand me.Not that my Arabic is that great.Nonetheless, Walid says many people who visit here via Global Exchange or othergroups come back to volunteer, most often in training the teachers in English.I haven't made any commitments yet, but I really loved the girls' schools whichwe visited today. I made friends quickly. If anyone is interested, I can sendyou the information to volunteer!In the AFT schools, they use a new method for teaching Qur'an, which emphasizesless the memorization of verses and more the critical interpretation skills forunderstanding the scripture. Basically, it's the switch that we made a fewyears ago in confirmation teaching. They also use this curriculum to teachPersian literacy. They teach a full college-prep curriculum as well asvocational skills, recognizing that some girls want to go on to become doctorsand engineers, and others may get married and can only work a trade from theirhomes while keeping the house. Several of the girls were denied educationpreviously, and are starting first grade at age 18. However, they studydouble-time and complete two grade levels per year. It includes English andcomputer skills. Amazing.For fun today, we also went to the Baghe Barbur gardens, a palace, mosque andwalled garden built by the founder of the Moghul empire in the 16th century.Beautiful! It was on the front lines during the civil war and heavily damagedin '93, but is being rebuilt (like Syria and Lebanon's ancient sites) by the AgaKhan Trust.--------I did get in a really nice visit to the Near East School of Theology and theAmerican University of Beirut. AUB has a master's program in Near East Studies(Arabic, history, and literature, etc). and NEST has a one-year exchange inChristian-Muslim Studies. Both programs are really compelling. I just have tothink about what's possible for me. The last few days I spent in Beirut reallyendeared me to the city. At NEST, I also ran into Dina Tannous' cousin Ashraf,who is in his first year there. He is eager to visit the US again and spendmore time with the ELCA youth programs. He had also thought about going toWartburg or LSTC. What a neat guy! He's brilliant and extremely good-natured.At NEST I also learned that they used to have a seminary branch in Iran until afew years ago, and still receive Protestant seminary students from Iran mostsemesters. I spent a long afternoon there, a generous hour with the presidentof the school (a mid-career Lebanese woman named Mary Mikhael) and after lunchis coffee hour(s) with both students and faculty every day. Dr. Awad is a NewTestament professor whom I made friends with very quickly. I'd love to take hisclass sometime. He was really open with the students and they felt free todebate back and forth on both politics and Biblical studies alike--something Iloved about Wartburg and have very sadly missed since coming to LSTC, to be veryhonest. But I still would miss people at school if I were to leave any timesoon. So, I'll at least slug out another year or so at LSTC and then who knows?There is time to think and listen to the spirit. And I still have to fit in ayear in Hyderabad in India at the Henry Martyn Institute eventually....I'm looking forward to a week at home in Iowa after my return, then coming backto school to tutor incoming international students and pull togetherpresentations about these countries. I hope to hear from you all, and I boughttea and will plan a welcome-back tea party at my apartment sometime soon!peace,Le Anne
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Greetings from Beirut!
June 8, 2005
Marhaba min Beirut!Well, the group which I led is on their way home. Just a few days to go beforeI fly to Kabul, and I'm getting excited. I guess if I don't get this letterwritten now it might not happen, especially since Afghanistan will be sointense. Really, I'm trying to rest up before I get there. Along with learningthose Persian languages, watching al-Jazeera, and reading _From Beirut toJerusalem_ , a big thick book with tons of detail on the history of Lebanon andSyria. Tomorrow I'm meeting people at the Near East School of Theology near ourhotel for lunch and a get to know the school visit. Hmm... do I see 'exchangestudent' in my future? Seminary on the Mediterranean does have a certainappeal....anyway, there is a possibility that I could lead the next trip here inthe fall, which I would love. I feel very much at home here, and could loveboth these countries almost as much as I love Palestine.My friend Natalie from seminary quotes a t-shirt which says 'Beirut..I love it!'but wasn't sure if I should come. I have found the city to be a psychologicalwonder. It is being quickly rebuilt, and has a very easy-going, Mediterraneanstyle to it, sidewalk cafes and flowers and brick-paved pedestrian zones; I havefelt very safe and welcome here. However, every last block of the city stillhas bullet holes. Churches, mosques, hotels, schools. Haute coture boutiques.Government buildings. Skyscrapers. The physical scars remain, though the cityis very much alive. Of course, I think a lot of pain still ebbs beneath thesurface of the people, as well as fear. It could all happen again. That wasthe fear of this spring. I wish I had more time here to talk to people, but atleast I'm making friends I can write to later. Meanwhile, to see whatincredible destruction took place before and how much has been rebuilt gives memuch hope for Baghdad. I don't know about Fallujah. What we did there was evenworse than Sabra and Shatila. But hope for Baghdad is enough.I realize now my first message from the trip simply disappeared. This toldabout my experiences in South Lebanon, (yes, that South Lebanon), being asked tospeak on short notice at a press conference on South Lebanese Independence Day,and being on pan-Arabic TVand radio. This was a bit anxiety-producing as thepress conference had been called by a certain sheikh in a certain politicalmovement known in the area... If you read Arabic, you might find an article inal Mustaqbul paper from two weeks ago; basically I said that I believe humanrights and nonviolence are essential for children grow up with hope for apeaceful future. Later, we were treated to lunch in a beautiful restaurant inthe hills. It was a reasonably pleasant and safe trip there overall.I also wrote of our visit to the Sabra and Shatila Palestinian refugee camps,the ones which Israeli-backed Christian militias entered and massacred thousandsof people in 1982. There is an enclosed garden now over the site of the massgrave which holds many of the bodies, which had lain in the streets several daysafter they were killed. We also passed a small mosque which had been so full ofbodies that they had to turn it into a masoleum. A few years ago I learned thedefense mechanism of never imagining my own family members in a situation whereI would lose them in war. It is too hard to cope with the overwhelming emotionsof such a place as it is.But life in the camps goes on. We also met with the Najdeh association forwomen, which includes vocational training and domestic violence programs inseveral of the camps throughout Lebanon. The woman in charge, Leila, knows myformer boss from Nazareth, Aida. It's a small world. We're invited backtomorrow as well. Leila's relatives all moved to Canada a while ago, but sheremains to be a leader, "until we can all go back to our homes," she said.Amazing strength.The last thought is that a new friend yesterday told me I speak Arabic'cocktail': a little Palestinian, a little Iraqi, a touch of Jordanian; myArabic teacher is Syrian, my textbook is Egyptian, and now I'm in Lebanon. BonApetit!I'll try to write more in a few days, so much is going on that it is hard to putit all down at once. I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer!peace,Le Anne
Marhaba min Beirut!Well, the group which I led is on their way home. Just a few days to go beforeI fly to Kabul, and I'm getting excited. I guess if I don't get this letterwritten now it might not happen, especially since Afghanistan will be sointense. Really, I'm trying to rest up before I get there. Along with learningthose Persian languages, watching al-Jazeera, and reading _From Beirut toJerusalem_ , a big thick book with tons of detail on the history of Lebanon andSyria. Tomorrow I'm meeting people at the Near East School of Theology near ourhotel for lunch and a get to know the school visit. Hmm... do I see 'exchangestudent' in my future? Seminary on the Mediterranean does have a certainappeal....anyway, there is a possibility that I could lead the next trip here inthe fall, which I would love. I feel very much at home here, and could loveboth these countries almost as much as I love Palestine.My friend Natalie from seminary quotes a t-shirt which says 'Beirut..I love it!'but wasn't sure if I should come. I have found the city to be a psychologicalwonder. It is being quickly rebuilt, and has a very easy-going, Mediterraneanstyle to it, sidewalk cafes and flowers and brick-paved pedestrian zones; I havefelt very safe and welcome here. However, every last block of the city stillhas bullet holes. Churches, mosques, hotels, schools. Haute coture boutiques.Government buildings. Skyscrapers. The physical scars remain, though the cityis very much alive. Of course, I think a lot of pain still ebbs beneath thesurface of the people, as well as fear. It could all happen again. That wasthe fear of this spring. I wish I had more time here to talk to people, but atleast I'm making friends I can write to later. Meanwhile, to see whatincredible destruction took place before and how much has been rebuilt gives memuch hope for Baghdad. I don't know about Fallujah. What we did there was evenworse than Sabra and Shatila. But hope for Baghdad is enough.I realize now my first message from the trip simply disappeared. This toldabout my experiences in South Lebanon, (yes, that South Lebanon), being asked tospeak on short notice at a press conference on South Lebanese Independence Day,and being on pan-Arabic TVand radio. This was a bit anxiety-producing as thepress conference had been called by a certain sheikh in a certain politicalmovement known in the area... If you read Arabic, you might find an article inal Mustaqbul paper from two weeks ago; basically I said that I believe humanrights and nonviolence are essential for children grow up with hope for apeaceful future. Later, we were treated to lunch in a beautiful restaurant inthe hills. It was a reasonably pleasant and safe trip there overall.I also wrote of our visit to the Sabra and Shatila Palestinian refugee camps,the ones which Israeli-backed Christian militias entered and massacred thousandsof people in 1982. There is an enclosed garden now over the site of the massgrave which holds many of the bodies, which had lain in the streets several daysafter they were killed. We also passed a small mosque which had been so full ofbodies that they had to turn it into a masoleum. A few years ago I learned thedefense mechanism of never imagining my own family members in a situation whereI would lose them in war. It is too hard to cope with the overwhelming emotionsof such a place as it is.But life in the camps goes on. We also met with the Najdeh association forwomen, which includes vocational training and domestic violence programs inseveral of the camps throughout Lebanon. The woman in charge, Leila, knows myformer boss from Nazareth, Aida. It's a small world. We're invited backtomorrow as well. Leila's relatives all moved to Canada a while ago, but sheremains to be a leader, "until we can all go back to our homes," she said.Amazing strength.The last thought is that a new friend yesterday told me I speak Arabic'cocktail': a little Palestinian, a little Iraqi, a touch of Jordanian; myArabic teacher is Syrian, my textbook is Egyptian, and now I'm in Lebanon. BonApetit!I'll try to write more in a few days, so much is going on that it is hard to putit all down at once. I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer!peace,Le Anne
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Greetings from Syria!
Marhaba min Syria!I am not sure if my last note got through from Beirut--the internet has beenpretty shaky traveling around. Of course, problems are not anything new forusers of our seminary system ;) We have just arrived in Aleppo after comingyesterday from Lebanon and having seen the Krak des Chevaliers and today thecitadel of Aleppo. You might call this the 'Crusaders and Muslims' warfaretour of the Middle East, for all the archaeological sites that have beenexcavated and restored in these two countries. I feel I now know more thanI ever wanted to about the use of boiling oil, particularly from theCrusaders but indeed on both sides. But remants of former militaryinfrastructure does make a good backdrop for discussing the political issuesof today, of which we have been doing plenty also. I think I learned morein the past week than I did all last year. (The visual aids do help).This has been the most amazing 'insider's view' of both countries, not justpolitically and religiously but also in the history and culture. The guesthouses and restaurants where we've been include carefully restored old Arabhouses. There is often Arabic signs with French subtitles in the museumsand streets, so I am getting plenty of practice in both languages. Iespecially appreciate the practice in reading the elaborate Islamiccalligraphy on the fortresses, since this was not exactly covered in ourclassroom textbook!To see Syria and Lebanon with so much restoration of the historic sites andpreservation of Arab culture, I have a lot of hope for some time in thefuture for Palestine. It is truly amazing here. Of course, Palestinianshave done so much already to preserve their culture and history,particularly in the major cities. To explain more, large quarters ofBeirut, Hama, and other places were completely destroyed, or at leastheavily damaged; acres of olive trees and other agriculture devastated--andnow, after the war, and granted, with a lot of financial backing, so muchhas been rebuilt. Even the olive trees are coming up again in parts ofSouthern Lebanon. This is not a reason to become complacent about humanrights abuses in Palestine or the rest of the Middle East, but it is acomfort when I hear word of yet more tragedy taking place. But in reality,the only loss in war which truly cannot be replaced is the people. That isstill hard for me to deal with.I am still enjoying being a trip leader for the group of ten, despite thepresence of two very hard-to-please women (read: perpetually grouchy).Everyone else is great, very flexible. And that mediates the other two. Wealso have a local guide, a Palestinian refugee whose family was originallyfrom Nablus who grew up in Damascus, with a very good sense of humor andcharm. He is from the Hinnawi family, and knows exactly where his houseused to be, near the Palestine Hotel in the old city of Nablus. I haveprobably passed it myself several times during my visits there. We stayedup quite late last night talking about the invasion of Nablus, when I wasassigned there to document the atrocities.All the Palestinians we have met in both countries have been very openabout their frustrations that the Right of Return for the refugees has beenso ignored in the past several years due to the fighting within Israel andPalestine. The situation in Lebanon is more desperate for refugees [nolegal work permits, ability to own property outside the camp, or money forhigher education], but even still, Hussein would go immediately if given thechance to return--and he is a very successful business owner and universitygraduate. I mentioned in my last letter that we visited Sabra and Shatilarefugee camps just outside Beirut last week; we will visit another camp nearDamascus. We will also meet with Armenians here to learn more about thegenocide and how they have coped in the diaspora.We will be in Syria until the 6th, when we return to Beirut, then I'll havea few more days to cram-learn Dari and Pashto before heading on to Kabul. Idon't know if I'll ever get to make another trip to Afghanistan (so I'll bestocking up on extra rolls of overpriced film here), but I would very muchlike to return to Syria and Lebanon again, and I may try to wrangle a dealto lead the next group in October during fall term break.I hope you are all having a good Memorial Day weekend if you are readingthis from the U.S. Hope to write more soon!peace,Le Anne
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Syria, Lebanon, Afghanistan...leaving Monday
Syria, Lebanon, Afghanistan; Leaving Monday
May 17, 2005
Greetings everyone,Where do I begin? There's been lots of changes in just the past couple days.On Friday, our Iran visas for the entire group were denied by the embassy. Thiswas really disappointing since I was doing lots of research and preparation togo, and I was especially looking forward to studying a Shi'a dominant (both inpopulation and in politics) society such as Iran. However, the Afghanistanvisas have cleared. Since people had already blocked out the time on theirschedules, it seemed best to try and arrange an alternate delegation for thetime which would have covered Iran. Saturday, Ladhan proposed that we go aheadto Syria and Lebanon as was planned for when I would have been on spring breakbut things were crazy there then. I agreed to go--two great countries to learnabout and speak on when I return home. So, that would be three countries in onemonth--Syria, Lebanon, and Afghanistan. Intense, but very exciting.Sooo...Ladhan called again today, and has asked me to be the delegation leaderfor the Syria and Lebanon part of the trip. Someone else will take over inAfghanistan. This is because I speak Arabic, am familiar with the politicalsituation, particularly surrounding Palestinian refugees and Israel, and haveled several delegations to the Middle East before for CPT. Wow! I'm lookingforward to it. Mostly I will be doing the group facilitating stuff and helpingprepare the folks for cultural issues, etc., I am very excited that GlobalExchange uses local alternative tour guides on their trips to arrange all thelogistics (transport, housing, food, meetings, etc.) I used to handle all thatas well--uff da! But I love it and I can tell my energy level is getting backup to where it used to be. I miss this line of work!My supervisor for my summer job which starts July 5 (orienting new internationalstudents and working on their ESL) was a missionary's kid in Lebanon and Syria.He really encouraged me to go, and said he would be there himself if not forwork commitments right now. My Arabic professor this past year also is fromSyria. They're both giving me plenty of helpful tips and people to meet.McCormick seminary (our joint campus) has a strong connection to the Near EastSchool of Theology in Beirut, so that is a comfortable connection, too. (And apossible future work or study site, I also hope!)I leave Monday, the flights are getting arranged, I'm packing up, throwing apotluck Saturday night here to welcome my brothers (James and Andrew who arecoming for the next two years and for the summer respectively) and say goodbyeto folks for the month, and get them all excited about the trip (hopefully theycan help with speaking connections after I return). Between legs, I get 3-4days to relax in Beirut, which is a truly beautiful city. Then we fly to Kabul.I still return around the 23rd of June.James and Andrew will be feeding my cat and hopefully enjoying abundant workopportunities around campus for the summer. It will be nice to have twohouse-sitters, and I know the single seminary women are a tad curious also ;)There may be more to report soon, and I am enjoying the responses. I'll let youknow how it goes!peace,Le Anne
May 17, 2005
Greetings everyone,Where do I begin? There's been lots of changes in just the past couple days.On Friday, our Iran visas for the entire group were denied by the embassy. Thiswas really disappointing since I was doing lots of research and preparation togo, and I was especially looking forward to studying a Shi'a dominant (both inpopulation and in politics) society such as Iran. However, the Afghanistanvisas have cleared. Since people had already blocked out the time on theirschedules, it seemed best to try and arrange an alternate delegation for thetime which would have covered Iran. Saturday, Ladhan proposed that we go aheadto Syria and Lebanon as was planned for when I would have been on spring breakbut things were crazy there then. I agreed to go--two great countries to learnabout and speak on when I return home. So, that would be three countries in onemonth--Syria, Lebanon, and Afghanistan. Intense, but very exciting.Sooo...Ladhan called again today, and has asked me to be the delegation leaderfor the Syria and Lebanon part of the trip. Someone else will take over inAfghanistan. This is because I speak Arabic, am familiar with the politicalsituation, particularly surrounding Palestinian refugees and Israel, and haveled several delegations to the Middle East before for CPT. Wow! I'm lookingforward to it. Mostly I will be doing the group facilitating stuff and helpingprepare the folks for cultural issues, etc., I am very excited that GlobalExchange uses local alternative tour guides on their trips to arrange all thelogistics (transport, housing, food, meetings, etc.) I used to handle all thatas well--uff da! But I love it and I can tell my energy level is getting backup to where it used to be. I miss this line of work!My supervisor for my summer job which starts July 5 (orienting new internationalstudents and working on their ESL) was a missionary's kid in Lebanon and Syria.He really encouraged me to go, and said he would be there himself if not forwork commitments right now. My Arabic professor this past year also is fromSyria. They're both giving me plenty of helpful tips and people to meet.McCormick seminary (our joint campus) has a strong connection to the Near EastSchool of Theology in Beirut, so that is a comfortable connection, too. (And apossible future work or study site, I also hope!)I leave Monday, the flights are getting arranged, I'm packing up, throwing apotluck Saturday night here to welcome my brothers (James and Andrew who arecoming for the next two years and for the summer respectively) and say goodbyeto folks for the month, and get them all excited about the trip (hopefully theycan help with speaking connections after I return). Between legs, I get 3-4days to relax in Beirut, which is a truly beautiful city. Then we fly to Kabul.I still return around the 23rd of June.James and Andrew will be feeding my cat and hopefully enjoying abundant workopportunities around campus for the summer. It will be nice to have twohouse-sitters, and I know the single seminary women are a tad curious also ;)There may be more to report soon, and I am enjoying the responses. I'll let youknow how it goes!peace,Le Anne
Thursday, May 12, 2005
Iran? Afghanistan? What?
Greetings everyone,I recently realized how long it has been since I've written. There's been lotsof changes since February, and I've had my nose to the grindstone in many ways.Now on a cold rainy day, after my Israel's Prophets final exam and before I wrapup a couple papers tonight, it's more than time to catch up.The big--and somewhat urgent--news is that I've decided to take up my friendLadan's invitation to participate in a delegation to Iran and Afghanistan laterthis month after classes let out (May 23--June 23), provided the visas comethrough. Since I am considered to be a "well-known activist" (who, me?),meaning that if you Google my name lots of articles come up, it is notguaranteed I'll get into Iran. But I shouldn't have any problem enteringAfghanistan, and the delegation there would be ten days in Kabul. It would be along letter to attach the trip information below, but most of it is online athttp://www.globalexchange.org./I was really hoping to have more definitive information on the visas beforewriting and getting everyone riled up, but I have a feeling things are runningmore on Eastern time than Western time--meaning I'll know whether I get to go atjust past the last minute but everything will still be okay. When I get back,I'll have fresh material and focus for public speaking, presentations, andwriting articles. I wonder if I will be the first Lutheran-girl-peace-activistever in these two countries? At first, this was going to be a trip to Syria andLebanon over my spring break, but things got riled up there just in time topostpone that to a time when I was already back in classes. So...next bestthing, no?I'm working the trip into an independent-study course for seminary by focusingon Christian-Muslim relations in both countries; the role of religiousminorities, women, and the impact of U.S. foreign policy and military activity(i.e., how does the church need to respond?); and the PowerPoint and thearticles and a reflective journal will serve as tests and papers. The schoolapproved that last Friday. I am hoping to recoup some of the extra travelexpense through my speaking and article writing afterwards also, and I wouldgreatly appreciate your contacts!I got to know Global Exchange (which is also the founder of the 'Code PINK'women's antiwar movement) a few years ago while in Palestine when I took a groupof theirs down to Gaza for a long weekend. I was really impressed by theirorganization and the number of places they are involved, as well as theiradvocacy efforts in the U.S. And the number of women in their leadership roles.I don't know how much I shared earlier that I resigned from CPT in December dueto a losing two-year struggle with sexual harrassment and sexism in theorganization. It was incredibly tough to leave, and I'd wanted to spend manymore years with them, though it was proving quite toxic to do so. Perhaps thisis a next step in getting back in the international sphere. I am still lookingforward to working for ELCA Global Missions after seminary, and have had somereally encouraging, inspiring talks with people in their offices about thefuture. However, that is still a few years away yet.It will be kind of good to get off-campus and off-country for a while thissummer. There are many things I enjoy about seminary, and I've been about asactive on campus as a student can be. I spend most of my time with theinternational students and the students from McCormick (Presbyterian) seminary,as well as the peaceable folks on campus. However, I was quite surprised, thendisillusioned, and then have become quite activist about the levels of fear,silencing, control, and power displays on campus. Yikes! Theupperclass(wo/men) let me know about it real quick. I never expected such athing from an ELCA seminary, let alone this particular one which has areputation for being 'open-minded.' The seniors and PhD students tell me it'sbeen this way for a while. It's a culture of not sticking your neck out orspeaking up about issues in the classroom or in the community, and I feel quitecompelled to work to change that in whatever way I can. It's meant doing a lotof what I spent the past four years doing: Listening to peoples' stories ofpainful experiences here; looking for patterns; going to talk to faculty andadministrators; and writing plenty of articles for the student paper. Andstaying involved in the groups that are making a difference. It's wasn'tsomething I was expecting to do, for sure, and I remember feeling like I quitebacked into it by accident--which is what happened with the Middle East, anyway.That work has meant some incredibly lonely and frustrating moments this pastyear, but also lately is starting to show its fruits. I went to our first-yearclass retreat, and most of the other folks who attended were not my usual'crowd'--the white, younger students who haven't spent much time outside thecountry or in other cultures, and associate mainly with folks like themselves oncampus--yet each one of them in our 'affirmation' afternoon told me specificallythat I was doing something important and necessary for our campus and communityand I needed to keep on going. Wow! There are more people beginning to speakout and organize too on addressing the issues here, and that is giving me muchhope for a healthier school. Last week, I was surprised to get nominated toevery position in student government that was open in my class for next year; Iaccepted for the spots I thought I could do the most good; and I learned thisafternoon I only missed being elected class co-convener (president) by a hair.Fortunately, two close buddies did win and I've spent a lot of time talking overissues with them and I believe they'll be good for us for next year. And I gota little email pep-talk from an outgoing co-pres about the necessity of mycontinuing to be the rugged grassroots agitator on campus still. Hmmm.......Back from a quick phone break where one of said above buddies just called up andsaid the two of them are scared they got the job and maybe they should hand itover?! And an invitation to chat/celebrate/cross-stitch tonight. The papersare almost done, and then I have much housecleaning, winter-put-away-ing, andsibling-welcoming to do. James is moving in with me for the next few years toget his B.A; Andrew is coming for at least part of the summer to work; Tom iscoming for a few visits. I should yet make it home for a couple little visitsthis summer.It is indeed a strange world. Made stranger by a new adorable kitten. But thisletter is long enough and I promise to write again soon. From outside thecountry, if possible!peace,Le Anne
Thursday, January 27, 2005
Winter in Chicago
Greetings everyone!It is snowing heavily once again and I am procrastinating from goingoutside from this computer lab, although my waiting unfinishedpapers are in an equally warm and snug room once I get there.Brrr...I have just finished a J-Term class on the Bible and Qur'an, andthis past weekend got to participate in a consultation on the ELCA'spolicies on Palestine and Israel. It was a good reunion of all the Lutherans I have known from working over there as well as here onthis issue, and I left the meeting feeling pretty optimistic that our church is getting on the right path for addressing the conflict. I am less optimistic about the state of our Lutheran-Jewish dialogue, because the groups that we dialogue with are the ones that support and justify Israeli violence, not the ones looking for nonviolent conflict resolution. Our Palestinian dialoguepartners actively support nonviolence. Something else to wrestle with, but I feel I made that point clear in the meetings. I am headed back to the church headquarters tomorrow for lunch (!) with a woman in the global ministries department who wants to hear all about what I was doing in the middle east. Free lunch, churchwide, talking about the mideast? These are all the components necessaryto my having a stellar day. Yippie!Alright, time to brave the blizzard. Have to carry the garbage out,down three flights of icy stairs, too. Grrr.peace,Le Anne
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