Feb 7, 2013

Communing With Grandpa


Communing With Grandpa


I was just thinking to myself about my children and grandchildren.

When I was 18, I was always criticizing my grandfather who made his youngest daughter marry a blind, disable man telling my mom "Mom, if my grandpa was still alive, I would chop him."

Now, I am the father of a daughter who is 9 years old. I am wondering how my daughter and her children would ask me when I am 65 years old. I am pretty sure that they would say "dad/grandpa the USA and its coalition flooded billions of dollar and the government at that time was identified as the most corrupt government of the world. You had, to some extent, a good and safe country.

Why didn't you and your friends do anything to make a better, safer and more prosperous country for us? Now we have nothing. You and your friends saturated yourself and didn't care about us. How are you going to answer all my questions? It is time for me to put forward my question.

ANSWER ME GRANDPA".

How am I going to respond my grandchildren?

I am facebooking and writing this to you and doing nothing for them. Don't you think I should do something for them?

Please help me!!!!

Share it with your friends please. They may have something for me.

Feb 3, 2013

The Colors Have Come


The below is half of my newest short story translated by a friend. Remained half is going to be translated by the end of the week."

To ALL LADIES WHO HAVE BEEN THE SOURCE OF CHANGE, INSPIRATION OF CHANGE AND CHANGE AGENT.

"The Colors Have Come
The world color came to the tribe’s minds when tribal population found dean’s cloth dotted. At that time, the tribe had another name whose contemporary meaning is “grief and loneliness”. That happened one hundred years after Great Father founded the tribe. Everyone was interested in knowing why dean’s cloth has been tainted. Taint/dot had different senses for them, but since they have heard in their ancient stories that “if you saw someone from the tribe whose cloth has been transformed, you shall know that his life has come to the end.” It was oversensitive for them. He would lose his life.

“What does transformation mean?” a girl asked herself the question who transformed dean’s white cloth. Getting up in the morning, the girl went straight to the room in which her father left two little goats for her to raise. The two goats had different ages; the smaller from one mother, the bigger from another.

Her mother took her from the room making her sleep in her bed for many nights. The goats became her friends and fellows. She talked to them, fed them, hiked with them and went back home with them. She dressed the goats.

For the first time, she found her goats’ cloths dotted. They were passing the river. The girl jumped. The river was the only dirty place. Other places were all clean. The small goat barely jumped but the slope of its cloth got dotted and some big dots were found on it. At the same time, the bigger goat bounced toward the smaller goat robbing its cloth to the smaller’s. They robbed and kept robbing until their cloths’ color was changed. The girl starred at them in wonder. “You shouldn’t make your cloths muddy.

Now your cloths are untouchable and they shall be burned.” She shouted.

As she intended to catch them, they ran away. She got amazed. She went after them they never run away from me. Maybe they are playing with me. She ran after them in hurry. The closer she approached them, the faster they ran and the more they got away. Her doubt turned to certainty; they were escaping from her.

All of a sudden, the smaller goat stopped. Maybe it thought that it was the girl who raised them. The girl slowed down and reached the smaller goat. The bigger one stopped too. A telepathy between two peers. She immediately embraced the smaller goat. She squeezed it and felt cold and warmth of the smaller goat. Suddenly, she trembled and kept the goat away. She looked at her cloth and found her cloth muddy. She got upset. Now how she could tell her mother that three cloths have become unclean and untouchable? Looking more meticulously at her and the goats, she found that their color has been transformed. What was this color? Was it a color at all or that was just a dot?

On the way back to home, she just sought for an answer for the question. Later one, the answer led to make dean’s cloth dotted.

***

Dean invited the girl’s father time and again. He told him “the power inside your daughter’s eyes kills me.” Took a deep breath and went ahead “make your daughter my wife. Your grandchild would be the next dean. Make your daughter my wife and enjoy prosperity as long as you are alive.”

After many begs and threats, the father made his daughter dean’s wife. In the first night of marriage, the girl already burned dean’s all cloths except one he had on. The dean came to the room and shut the door behind the daughter and himself. He walked slowly to the girl, sat on the mattress and starred at the girl. His lip corner bounced once a while due to oldness. He sneezed and looked at the girl smiling.

The more he approached the girl, the more the girl moved back. As the dean found the girl did not subdue, he prolonged his hand grabbing the girl’s sleeve. The girl slapped the dean’s hand throwing out. Dean just smiled. He snaked a bit to the girl, but she didn’t move this time.

“honey, why do you want to stay away?”

She didn’t reply. Heading down, she didn’t look at him.

“raise your head up and look at me. We have an important work tonight. You are supposed to give birth to next dean.”

He put his hand on her shoulder. Her temperature accelerated. She felt cold although she already swelled. Dean’s hand was heavier than her father’s. She would weep if her father was next to her.

Suddenly, she came up with the question for which he could not have found the answer yet. What  color would it be if dean’s cloth was mudded? She just intended to ask the dean, but she changed her mind. “Did you want to say something? Tell me, now you are dean’s wife.” Dean said.

The girl started speaking gradually. “just wanted…” she said moving on the mattress. She paused and suddenly came up with something. “I ask you not to spend our first night on the mattress.” She said.

Dean’s lip corner bounced. “Do you know somewhere better?” he said smiling.

“hmmm… I assume it is nice out there. What about next to the river and trees?”
Dean paused a while. Why there?

“Why there?”

“I have loved there since childhood. I want to spend first night with my child’s parents there.”

“Agree. Let’s go.” He said with a big smile.

They both headed and got there. Both sat and laid down. There were not distant from the river. “Do you know that we should not undress except there?” Dean said.

She spread her hairs on the grass. “Yes, I know.” She replied.

Dean pillared his hand around the girl’s shoulders. She could smell stinky and disgusting exhale when dean breathe out.

“you ready, honey?”

She nodded.

Dean started. The girl even did not ouch.

Feb 2, 2013

Letter to International Friends of Mine


Second Letter to International Friends of Mine

In my first letter to international friends I brought up few points such as building friendship with Afghans,
Today I would like to share some other imprtant points by which Afghans and internationals can have healthy and constructively positive relationship. One of the piont is that Afghan intellectuals believe that our international friends have a up-down view. In other words; when a foreigner talks and treats an Afghan, s/he has a up-down look, meaning that the international friend consider the Afghan peer as someone who lives in society less developed and less civilized land whom are a burden to international’s country.

They look at Afghans in a way that Afghans are reponsible for any evil things happening in their country and Afghan government is the source of all curses.

Please international friends, change your view and look at your Afghan peers, only if you do not want a hell is generated out of their wrath.

The second piont that I would like to piont out in this letter is that I have witnessed and heard that our international friends tease, mock and make fun of Afghan traditions, beliefs and even appearance. And it is disgusting.

Someday ago, I went to an international friend’s for volunteer purposes; translation, finding connection and some other stuff. In there, there were some other cool internatioanl friends. They already had fun before I came up. But, after a while, they began making fun of their Afghan friends(?) that they are such stupid, they are lazy guys, look at their primitive belifs and etc. and in order to get approval, they told me “isn’t it right, Basir?” “you are an open minded guy, Basir and you don’t give a piece of shit to such fucking ideas.”

Though I really don’t give a penny to destructive ideas and beliefs, even trygin to restrcture those ideas and beliefs to a constructive ones in the best possible ways, I pondered over such selfish behavior.

Come on, international friends. Change your idea; look at us in a more human-centered way and treat your Afghan colleagues better if you want to stay with them peacefully. No more up-down view, no more teasing each other’s ideas, beliefs, traditions, appearance and etc.

We love to be in touch with you; we love to have friends out of you; we love to build our homeland (the earth) together and enjoy our lives together.

I don’t review what I am saying in order to be pure and express what I feel, think and concern about. 

Jan 24, 2013

Dr Sarmast's Music School

Afghanistan's Institute of Music helps revitalise a ruined culture and gives children a chance to transform their lives. Source Al Jazeera




Filmmakers: Polly Watkins and Beth Frey
In 2001, when the Taliban was toppled from power, Afghanistan's musical culture was left in ruins. Music gradually came back onto the streets and into people's lives, but by 2009 there was still no orchestra capable of playing the Afghan national anthem.
In that year, renowned musicologist Dr Ahmad Sarmast returned from exile in Australia, and the Ministry of Education charged him with establishing the first National Institute of Music (ANIM). Based in what had been Kabul's School of Fine Arts, ANIM got off to a slow start: the building was a ruin and there were virtually no instruments.

Dr Sarmast's Music School follows ANIM's progress over two years as, gradually, the school is repaired and made habitable. Fine instruments - many donated by foreign sponsors - flood in, and the school's 150 pupils gradually learn to play to professional standards.
Perhaps, most importantly, ANIM offers hope to some of the country's most deprived children; those snatching a meagre income from working on the streets who find - through music - a way to transform their lives.

Jan 21, 2013

Why Taliban targeted Department of Traffic?


I guess Taliban attacked Department of Traffic following the below aims:

1. Department of Traffic have recorded various information regarding the cars that Taliban have been using. 

2. This department have tracked what kinds of car, with what plate, color made by what countries and where they have enter through in Afghanistan. 

3. Department of Traffic has recently passed new law on plates, license and other stuff to not only control traffic jam, but also find terrorists much better.

Since we don't have electronic professional storing and recording systems, we might have lost bulks of information and records. That's why Taliban/insurgents targeted Department of Traffic, although it is said that they were aimed to fire on Border Police Department (that I doubt). 

Please share it if you think I evaluate well.

Jan 19, 2013

A Letter to my Joint Afghan and Non-Afghan Friends


A Letter to my Joint Afghan and Non-Afghan Friends

Here, I want to express my idea about foreigners and their existence in Afghanistan.

As an Afghan, who is concerned about his national territory and national independence, I am worried of international political interferences in my national political affairs. It is the same in any other country and has to be like this.

But as someone who is passionate for the future of his country, we need to have internationals and foreigners with us not only for broader communication and international relationship, but also to interact with them more friendly rather than diplomatically.

In almost all of Afghans minds, foreigners have a military face and appearance, since the US and its coalition have come to bring security through weapons and war against terrorism.

I believe that what foreigners need to know is "changing their face" from a POLITICAL and MILITARY one to a friendly, helpful and passionate one. I personally need foreigners to help me more academically. I want to find and visit them mostly as academicians, musicians, actors, peace-makers, poets, novelists, philosopher, theorist, filmmaker.

To my Afghan friends, even we should try to help them change their face; we shall ask them to be in a more favorite and friendly way (as mentioned above).

My foreigner friends (whoever you are, where ever you live, and whatever you do), if you want Afghans be your friends, change your face and grab my hand kindly.

I want to be your brother not your sworn enemy.

PLEASE SHARE IT IF YOU FOUND IT INTERESTING!

Jan 17, 2013

Sabrina Saqib speaks at Harvard Kennedy School

The Tipping Point: Elevating Women for Global Security
video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player

Rahaa Altalli from Syria, Wafa Bugaighis from Libya, Julia Duncan-Cassell from Liberia, Ja Nan Lahtaw from Myanmar, Sofi Ospina from Colombia, and Sabrina Saqeb from Afghanistan sit with Ambassador Swanee Hunt to discuss their experiences participating in the peace building process. This event was co-sponsored by the Center for Public Leadership, the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, and the Women and Public Policy Program.

Source: Harvard Kennedy School website


Dear friends,

We all know that Afghanistan is the country of problems and troubles. There have hypothesized different theories on how to RECONSTRUCT(?) Afghanistan, democratize it and find best solutions to solve her problems.

It is always believed that Afghans themselves can be the core element to solve the problems. And we have brought so many tangible changes in our daily lives. One of the means through and by which we have experienced the changes was SOCIAL MEDIA and particularly Facebook.

We have witnessed since last year the following changes brought through Facebook:

1. Shariati Professor
2. Two Hazara pilot girls
3. Hazara genocide in Quetta (Hazaras strike in Quetta made provincial governance collapsed)
4. Shojaee and Uruzgan
5. Taqi Bakhtiary
6. Number 39
7. Shakila murder (sexual abuse) and some others

Bringing changes need commitment, hardworking and financial as well as time energy. We Afghans have proven that we are committed, hardworkers and ready to spend our life time to have a secure and prosperous country.

As a friend, my concern, which looks like a question and recommendation, is that "why do not we take action seriously and well-planned for a while consecutively in order to bring desirable changes?" We just random write about political stuff and then stop it. We post and advocate for corruption one day, and after a while, we stop it.

Let's committed campaign for women rights to get it. Let's campaign for peace all of us to bring it. Let's campaign for "Transition Decade" all of us together and turn this nightmare to a nice and fruitful dream.