5 Ways How Afghans Can Help Asylum Seekers

1.       Afghan Civil Society and pressure groups should immediately meet with UN office in Kabul, working on an urgent plan where the UN, international community and the countries with flows of asylum seekers must accept the asylum seekers without question, with the motto “The Migration Is My Right”, which is confirmed in Human Right Declaration.

2.       Afghan Government + local civil society meeting with embassies of abovementioned countries to accept the asylum seekers.

3.       Suggest “One Soldier, One Refugee” agreement. In other words, any country which deployed army to the countries where from the asylum seekers are coming should accept one asylum seeker in an exchange to one soldier from those Western countries. Because such countries inflamed and mongered war in Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and etc.

4.       Afghan civil society activists and organizations should contact with Western organizations, charities and influential people to provide shelter and food for the asylum seekers.

5.       Collect financial and non-financial assistance to the asylum seekers through public gathering, meeting with business figures and the central government

How Bradley Manning and Julian Assange Changed My Mind

Born and raised in Iran – where my mind was bombarded that Iran is the Promised Land – I was looking for freedom, of any kind at the ideal level, but I was told that you have freedom because you are a Muslim.

Upon return to Afghanistan being introduced to social media tools, particularly Facebook, and the advent of new free media, I was told that Afghanistan has the most liberal media networks in the region.

After 2008 and the official launches of information by WikiLeaks, I was wondering what real freedom is; is it the Promised Land or access to the most liberal media networks in the region or something else. Since then, freedom has been scratching my mind and I today claim that I have found what freedom, and freedom of speech in particular.

To let you know how I see freedom of speech and how I found it, I need to tell you a story. Two years ago, for the first time, I read an article and watched a movie released by WikiLeaks. I ponder over with myself that how the administrator(s) of a website can have access to the information that have shocked me, and maybe the world. My curiosity began beeping and I went to internet to find more about WikiLeaks, who is/are administrating it, how they got access to so-called unclassified information.

Reading articles, watching documentary and art movies and contemplating over the importance and role of what WikeLeaks have done (unleashing 2 million letters and documents), once I said to myself “hey Basir, you have been looking to breath someday in a free world in where you could experience the government accountable and transparent to you and to your dreams. Now you have it. But how? By accessing to information; access to real and out of box information is the fundamental piece of real freedom.” My mind blossomed and got happy. “Yes Basir, that’s what you have been looking for. This is FREEDOM”.

Now, despite the fact that I am far away to Bradley Manning and Julian Assange – two young guys that helped me find my everlasting dreams – I want to send my heartfelt message to both of them. I want to say “thanks Bradley brother and Julian brother for what you have been doing. You saved my life by turning my mind; now, it is my turn to try to save your life. I am with you and I love you.”

Hunger Strike and 6 Corrupted Parliamentarians

Today is the 8^th day of hunger strike in Kabul. Yesterday and the before, different student groups  announced their support from this newly civil movement by commencing hunger strike in other provinces of the country like Bamian, Daikundi, Herat and Balkh. So far, the health condition of a dozen of students reported deteriorating, being hospitalized.

One of the, ridiculously interesting, characteristics of Afghans is that if somebody did something, other would do the same without any logical contemplation behind his/her action. Now too many Afghans are joined or joining hunger strike while central government has started distributing election cards for citizens.

From one hand my Facebook wall and the walls of most of friends of mine is scribbled away by photos and pieces of writing depicting the hunger strike and what is going on second after the second. From the other hand, a dozen of days ago, Minister of Finance addressed six parliamentarians from different provinces as corrupted high rankings. However, this call turned to a controversial topic for a few days.

Now, I am writing this demonstrating that we shall not chase only one specific social or political issue while parliamentarians are still freely walking on the streets teasing Afghan citizens in their hearts. When we face to an issue, we should not turn our back to another issue – that might be more important than the other one.

I believe that this is a well-organized short term plan from parliament and even central government aiming at draw public and media attention from corruption to civil movements. 

To The Next Generation by Basir Bita

رویاهایم تنها در چشمان تو به واقعیت می پیوندند

I can only find my dreams real in your eyes

با حسی از امید به دیدن آنها

With a sense of hope to see

بلند شدم و تو دستانم را فشردی

I got up and you hold my hands

قلبم را با عشقت فشار بده

Squeeze my heart with your love

خونم را به عطر مبدل کن

Turn my blood to perfume.

دیگر زمزمه نکن

Stop whispering,

با من حرف بزن

Talk to me

تو اولین برف در بیابان منی

You’re the first snow of my desert life

گریه تا من پربار شوم

Weep until I get fruitful

و آنگاه که پر بار شدم

And when I am fruitful

تو در زیر سایه ی مرطوبم در تابستان زندگی ات بیاسای”

You will rest under my wet shadow in the summer of your life

Still Love

Based on the cultural values of my country, white and black make an ancient contradiction. Here is a contradiction of two black and white hearts in which you still find love. 

Last night I was asked to visualize my imagination, I came up with this painting. Thanks my friend who invited me. 

Humanity is still alive.

International Funds Keeps Me Uncreative

International Funds Keeps Me Uncreative

In this small text, I would like to share one of my thoughts concerning all money and funds that have been flowing to Afghanistan, but Afghanistan is only one example. What I am trying to say here is based on my experience, what I have seen and read. I cannot say for sure that how much money the USA and its allies have spent in Afghanistan to so-called reconstruct it. But, what I can say for sure is that one of the reasons superpowers care about is rising of new global geniuses who would deform “new world orders” and construct them into new form.

Superpowers spend lots of money in their countries, exploiting researchers, scholars, theorists on HOW TO BE MORE CREATIVE and all those guys build up new theories, technologies and etc. They don’t know that their governments only care about to find the holes and gaps inside and outside the creativity aiming to, first, fill them up preventing other countries.

Here, what I am trying to bring up is that superpowers, through funds, deposits, gratuitous money to developing countries, want to keep developing countries uncreative. All these monies stop residents of developing countries dependent on floods of free-of-charge money. And researchers have proven that financial dependence stops human brain’s capacity to ponder over. When a boy just like me in Afghanistan is busy enough with making money, ridiculous politics, senseless Free Market, global democracy mottos and too many other preoccupations, how am I going to be creative thinking of how to build my world the way I desire?

No way! All the people I know in my country are stuck with making money; for them, money speaks first. “2014 has become a nightmare from which we cannot wake up safely” this is what they think. Friends of mine are fleeing the country, businesspeople are withdrawing their money investing in other countries, politicians are dealing over a vague and unclear future for Afghans.

I think that if we Afghans were allowed at the beginning of scenario to think creatively, or we were taught and guided how to think constructively creative with an aim to help each other to join the world to forward-look, we would have a better status quo. 

Karzai's Usual Political Game

I can vividly remember last presidential election in Afghanistan.

Karzai has started a huge new political game in Afghanistan. Now Karzai has ordered that international forces shall leave Wardak province, while annual Kochi-Hazara battle is going to be flamed by earlier new solar year. Hazara leaders, all media outlets and Hazara intellectual will be geared and involved with this yearly issue.

From the other hand, now there is going to be a big issue with so-called(?) Kankoor,, entry exam for university. Some say that Hazara committed fraud in Kankoor. Karzai is utilizing this opportunity for his political interests.

Since a couple of days ago, Karzai ordered that we have to publicize and develop our own franca-linguas (Farsi and Pashto). I have seen in modern and traditional media that they have started covering this issue and taking stand against or for this president's decree.

Moreover, a new wave of suicide attacks have been committed and are on the way aiming to keep media and public busy with stale and banal stuff like abovementioned issues.

Then, he will fulfill his huge plan. This plan has been commenced since two years ago.

Letter to Zuckerberg

Last night at 9 o’clock I was watching the Militarization of Science and Space, a nicely intellectual speech by Noam Chomsky at Auditorium of Massachusette Institute of Technology. I met a close non-Afghan friend of mine last night discussing with two more Afghan friends, a little bit, on social media and its impacts on mobilizing youths through social media tools and what Afghan friends of mine have been campaigning and doing through Facebook in particular to reach their voices to international community. Chomsky lectured about how economy and tycoons are using military sphere to dominate science and space.

Meanwhile, this idea came to my mind that “how Zuckerberg, as the founder of Facebook, can help Afghans bring a remarkably big social change in Afghanistan; of course I mean peace which is from my point of view Afghans’ current greatest wish?” I came to the conclusion that Zuckerberg can send a daily message expressing his interest in peace-building in the world, particularly in Afghanistan, to all Facebook users. He can build a fan page making everyone on the Facebook a member and mobilizing them to campaign for peace activism. I assume that if he sends all Facebookers a message in daily basis to take a step for peace, then we will be reminded of the importance of peace in the world, and Afghanistan specifically.

If you have any other idea(s), please share it with me to establish a globally effective and useful idea. Or you can share this post on your Facebook account and other social media tools to reach our voices to Zuckerberg. On that time, his attention might be drawn to peace and peace-building, although I am pretty sure that Zuckerberg, as a young man in the US, has already had this idea, but he was looking forward to hearing from the people around the world how they feel if he starts sending only one message per day to all Facebook users.

Maybe it is out of his personal/financial interests, but his name will be shining in the history of humanity and non-violence just like Mahatma Gandhi . Please jot down your ideas, concerns and solutions to get this goal. We need to reach our voices to Zuckerberg that “Mr. Zuckerberg, please us and it is your human responsibility to assist the people of the world to live a more peaceful globe.