Fieldnotes on Humanity

It seems Voice of America is finally close to being completely dismantled . Two days ago, a federal court in Washington, D.C., declared it would not intervene with presidential decisions. This means the court case that the Voice of America filed is no longer relevant. It is sad to see that VOA is going entirely, but it is probably good if the network is reshuffled and rebuilt, say, if it happens to return in four or so years from now.  The Afghanistan section was a total propaganda, the network did not have a good reputation in the past either, but in the aftermath of the US troop withdrawal and subsequent takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban, VOA both Dari and Pashto sections shifted their narratives and ways of covering the news to cater the Taliban's ideology. In other words, VOA was sliding towards becoming the mouthpiece of the extreme ideology of the Taliban from afar with the US taxpayers' money. During my fieldwork, I talked to two employees, both females, and both co...

There is an "Afghan" restaurant in Saskatoon, Canada. It is called "Kabuli Authentic Afghan Cuisine & Café" or " Kabuli Cafe ". It is located at 325 3rd Ave N, Saskatoon. My sister worked in this restaurant for a few months. She was underpaid, $12 an hour, while others were paid $15 and above. She was told that a trial was needed, and then she would be on payroll, which never happened. The owner still owes $450 and refused to pay my sister's salary, and she could not file a complaint because the restaurant owner refused to provide paperwork. I looked at a few transactions in my sister's bank account. To my surprise, the payment was accompanied by slurs and curses, which my sister did not understand because her English is not very good. One transaction with an optional message goes “here is your money, stupid woman.” When I told her what her boss wrote to her, she felt sorry about her and her situation. "Maybe her malicious comments had to...

Recently, I became aware that some individuals whose names appeared as authors of a notorious submission , one laden with falsehoods, accusations, and hatred against the Hazara community in Australia, have expressed remorse. Some even claim they were unaware that their names had been used at all. Assuming, for the sake of speculation, that some individuals were indeed unaware of their names being used, there are legal venues resolving the issue. I looked online and realized that if a person's name is used in a document (any) without knowing or giving consent, serious concerns might be raised regarding misrepresentation and harm.   Let's approach this issue with a few questions:  What can a person do when their name is used in a document, online or offline, without their knowledge or consent? What legal options are available, and who might be held accountable? In this case, Arezo Zoe Safi, a registered solicitor, and her cousin Atal Zahid Safi appear to be central figures in t...

In my earlier post , I forgot to mention an important point: Arezo Zoe Safi is actively spreading hatred and hostility toward the Hazara community in Australia. Arezo, who was born and raised in Australia and has likely only visited Afghanistan briefly, has no direct lived experience of the country’s ethnic tensions, yet she chooses to vilify Hazara advocates speaking out against systemic violence. She is the niece of Mohammad Masoom Stanekzai , a prominent Afghan politician who formerly led the National Directorate of Security (NDS) and later served as the acting Minister of Defense.  On her  Facebook page  in 2023, she, while unemotionally controlled, launched a disturbing attack against Sitarah Mohammadi, a respected Hazara lawyer and activist, questioning why Sitarah should be allowed to speak about the ongoing genocidal violence targeting the Hazara people. Arezo appears particularly outraged at any suggestion that Pashtun groups, among others, bear responsibili...

The guy got trounced. I’m talking about Zahid Safi, the same man who attempted to enter the Australian Parliament under false pretenses. He allegedly faked his MA degree , misled people about his business record , and has a troubling history of hostility toward the Hazara community. Most recently, he tried to win support from Bruce through fear and intimidation . But the residents saw through the facade and rejected him, sending a clear message: he is dangerous and unfit for public office. Earlier, I unintentionally predicted the outcome of the election in the Division of Bruce in one of my blog posts titled “ Fake it to break it ,” referring to a candidate whose credibility was questionable due to a pattern of deception. The Liberal Party's decision to endorse him was flawed from the beginning. Now, some within the party are calling for a “ serious review ” of what went wrong. But the core issue is already clear: you didn’t listen to the people. Members of the Hazara community in ...

In my previous post, when I wrote that Afghans brought the persecution of the Hazaras to Australia, there was a reason. Clear signs of this persecution have emerged. Just yesterday, The Guardian Australia reported that Zahid Safi's campaign team has escalated their tactics. According to journalist Henry Belot, the team is now pressuring members of the Hazara diaspora, claiming that voting for anyone other than the Liberal Party constitutes a betrayal of Abdur Rahman Khan, often referred to as "Afghanistan's Hitler." Zahid campaign volunteers, mostly made up of Pashtuns, have told the Hazaras that we have to resurrect Abdur Rahman Khan.  Labor alleges the volunteer told people that a vote for anyone other than the Liberals would betray Khan, and called for him to be “brought back”. Khan is linked to the Hazara genocide in the late 1800s. “I am concerned that the reason Liberal volunteers are invoking Abdur Rahman Khan’s name is to harass and intimidate members of the ...

Afghans, and more precisely, in this case, a small number of Pashtuns residents of Bruce, are now rallying to support Zahid Safi. His campaign has already taken a hit: the manager has stepped down following backlash over offensive online remarks, and notably, there’s no Australian presence within Safi's team. In Bruce, the Safi clan, a large network of families sharing the same last names, has stepped in. Wearing matching blue, round-necked T-shirts and covering their paunches with bold “SAFI” lettering, they pose with forced smiles for the cameras. It may look like a campaign gaining momentum, but beyond appearances, what’s missing is substance, brain power, integrity, and a genuine understanding of basic responsibilities, such as not lying, not discriminating against people based on their ethnicity or race. Someone should tell this guy to go to the community and apologize for your blatant racism and take down the submission. Learn some decency. Someone needs to say it plainly: d...