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AFGHANISTAN

AFGHANISTAN. Michael Brill Cassandra Cohen Jennifer Devine Snežana Vujović. women in burqhas. 9/11. taliban. the war on terror. the opium trade. Stereotypes. Most stereotypes of different cultures come from media What do we hear about Afghanistan?. Nelofer Pazira in Kandahar.

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AFGHANISTAN

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  1. AFGHANISTAN Michael Brill Cassandra Cohen Jennifer Devine Snežana Vujović

  2. women in burqhas 9/11 taliban the war on terror the opium trade Stereotypes • Most stereotypes of different cultures come from media • What do we hear about Afghanistan?

  3. Nelofer Pazira in Kandahar Different Perspective • New books and movies (The Kite Runner, Kandahar) • Kandahar - a story of an Afghan-Canadian woman • Most actors played the roles of themselves. • Since 9/11 movie has been widely shown

  4. Afghans in America • 1920s the first Afghans (mostly the upper classes and highly educated) reached U.S. • 1980s (period of Soviet invasion) - cosmopolitan and intellectual elite refugees • Since 1989 less educated, English non-proficient refugees (the family reunification criteria) • They settled in New York, Washington, D.C., San Francisco (55 to 67 %), and Toronto, Canada • Now Afghans could be found in every state

  5. Afghans in America • The early immigrants opened grocery stores, restaurants, television and radio programs in their language • No American Dream for recent immigrants (refugees) • They arrived here not through choice, but because of necessity • Little assimilation of Afghan into the American mainstream

  6. Health and Mental Issues • War trauma, family stress based on changing gender roles • 700,000 war widows • Elderly instead of entering in a period of respect enter into isolation • PSD very common • Children are in greatest risk • 1 million orphans; 500 thousand disabled; 300 thousand amputees [clip]

  7. Afghan women who seek work or education are subject to violence Education

  8. Food processing industry Handicraft Illegal poppy industry Employment

  9. Future for Afghanistan • Rebuilding Afghanistan may seem like an insurmountable task, but the cost of failure is another lost generation of Afghans • Can we afford it? • We need to connect with Afghan Americans • We need to understand their cultural background

  10. Crossroads of civilizations • Many different nationalities: Pashtun, Turkmen, Hazara, Tajik, Uzbek, Nuristani, Arab, Kirghiz, and Persian • Afghan = Pashtuns (50%) • Muslims (18% Shia, 82% Sunni) Land and People

  11. Language • Official languages - Pashto and Dari (Afghan Persian/Farsi) • Indo-European group • There are also numerous other languages • Written in Arabic alphabet with some modifications • Oral traditions are still very strong • Booksellers were prosecuted and books burned during the Taliban rule

  12. History • Invasions since the time of Alexander the Great • The only change, in the last one thousand years are the weapons used against them • Foreign armies defeated by fierce resistance from tribal groups, inhospitable terrains, and severe weather

  13. First American in Afghanistan • 19th century • Clash of the Russian and British empires • Josiah Harlan, Prince of Ghor, a Pennsylvania Quaker, had climbed up on an Afghani throne • Rudyard Kipling's "The Man Who Would Be King”

  14. Last 35 Years • In 1973 overthrow of last king, Zahir Shah, led to decades of unrest • 1979 Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan • The Reagan administration supported the Mujaheddin - among them Osama Bin Laden • 1989 the USSR withdrew in defeat • Americans lost their interest in Afghanistan

  15. The War on Terror • 1996-2001 Taliban on power • Safe heaven for Osama Bin Laden and other al-Qaeda leaders • After the 9/11 the US requested extradition of Bin Laden • October 2001 WAR ON TERROR • Taliban supporters regrouped since 2003 • Weak government and strong tribal practice of Islamic law (Sharia) Child Soldier in Afghanistan

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