Fieldnotes on Humanity

In my previous blog post , I argued that Iran has not been successful in exerting its influence through the Hazaras in Afghanistan, despite its strong historical, cultural, linguistic, and religious ties with them. In this post, I will elaborate my argument about the extent to which some historical events, particularly during the Taliban regime contributed to Hazaras’ awareness, which eventually led to changes in their attitudes and their political behavior toward Iran. In the next blog post I will review some opposing arguments, but first, let me straighten out why this political divorce have happened and why the Hazaras are mistrustful of Iran. To find an adequate reason to why Hazaras refused and warded off Iran’s infiltration and noxious intention of fueling anti-American sentiment in Afghanistan, we have to look at some historical events that led to such drastic changes. In November 1998, when the Taliban force took over the city of Mazar-e Sharif for the second time, the chau...

Two years ago, in February 2013, I gave a talk at the Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies (CREEES ) at Stanford University on how Iran’s soft power is in decline in Afghanistan, and how it has overly been inclined to resort to hard power. (Here, you can read a short synopsis of my talk’s proposed content .) While some may argue that Iran’s influence is undeniable and perhaps, is more profound than we think, here, I will explore the relationship of Iran with the Hazaras of Afghanistan, especially in the post-Taliban era to determine the extent of Iran’s influence in the country. I will argue that Iran has not been successful in pursuing its goals appertaining to its foreign policy in Afghanistan because it has lost one of the most useful and traditionally accessible avenues for channeling its influence to the country. This avenue could not be anything else, but the Hazara people who are historically, culturally, linguistically, and religiously closer than anyone e...

Across ages, we are being amused at expressing worthlessness and we are the opener of pages of the stories of nothingness You could expect nothing from us, but name we are the messengers of the world of nothingness عمریست که سرگرم ِ بیان ِ هیچیم طومارگشای  داستان ِ هیچیم با نامی از آن میان، ز ما قانع باش ما قاصد ِ پیغام ِ جهان ِ هیچیم ’aumr î st k î sargarm-e bay â n-e heech îm tum â r gush â yee d â st â n-e heechim b â n â mi az â n m îy â n, zi m â qane ’a b â sh m â q â sed-e paigh â m-e jah â n-e heech îm                                                                       By Mirza Bidel                                   ...

هرکه رفت از دیده داغی بر دل ما تازه‌ کرد در زمین نرم نقش پا نمایان می‌ شود Harkî raft az dîdah dâghe bar dîl-e mâ tâzah kard dar zamîn-e narm naqsh pâ nomâyân meshawad whoever left us  ailed us,  like fresh wounds in our heart  And like the footprints left in the sand                                                                          Poem by Mirza Bidel                                                                       Translated by Nasim ...

O the consumer of the residue of imagination, blessing is something else You are being vain with illusion; the truth is something else The paradise that is adorned with gems and gold reflects your avarice -- the paradise is something else ای زلـّه کش ِ خیال! نعمت، دگراست مغرور توهّمی، حقیقت دگر است خـُلدی که به گوهر و زر آراسته اند مجموعۀ حرص تست، جنت دگر است   Ai zalla-kashî khiyâl, ne’mat digar ast maghror-e tawahumî, haqîqat digar ast kholdî ki ba gawhar wa zar ârâsta-and majmo’aee heers-e tust, janat digar ast                                                                             Poem by: Mirza Bidel                              ...

قناعت ساحل امن است افسون طمع مشنو مبادا کشتي درويش در کام نهنگ افتد qanā’at sāhīl amn ast afsūn-e tam’a mashnaw mabādā keshtīyi dervish dar kām-e nahang oftad Contentment is a safe shore; don't be bewitched by cupidity Lest the dervish’s ship fall prey to the whale.                                                                                   Poem by: Mirza Bidel                                     ...

You cannot quaff the ocean  if you are not a whale You cannot prance through mountains if you don't have the will of a tiger The sea of time and place, for you, is but one gulp  Oh, the patience of inspiration boundlessness is desired دریا نکشی، اگر نهنگی نکنی بر کوه نتازی، ار پلنگی نکنی یک جرعۀ تست، قلزم ِ کون و مکان ای حوصلۀ خیال تنگی نکنی Dary â nakash î, agar nahang î nakun î bar kooh nat âz î, ar palang î nakun î yak jur'a-e tust, qulzam-e kown wa mak ân ai hawsêla-e kh î y âl tang î nakun î                                                                                  ...

به هزار کوچه دویده ام، به تسلی نرسیده ام ز قد خمیده شنیده ام، که چو حلقه شد به دری رسد Ba hazār kūcha daw ī dam-am, ba tasallī narasidam-am Z ī qad khamida shin ī da-am, k ī chū halqa shud ba dar ī rasad Running into thousands of streets brought me no tranquility I heard from an elder that the one who turns to a ring reaches the door.                                                                                Poem by: Mirza Abdul Qadir Bidel                                                         ...

Bidel, the way to honor lies in humbleness This path has led the new moon to its totality بيدل دليل مقصد عزت تواضع است زين جاده، ماه نو به جهان كمال رفت Bidel, dalil-e maqsad-e ezat tawāz‘a ast zin jādeh, māhi naw ba jahān-e kamāl raft                                                                  Poem by: Mirza Abdul Qadir Bidel                                                                                  ...

Karim Khalili, the second Vice President of Afghanistan and Karzai’s crony has the audacity to call on UN to verify the authenticity of the audiotape that Abdullah Abdullah’s team has claimed he was involved in electoral fraud . For the past 13 years, Khalili has done nothing to his oppressed minority and long persecuted ethnic group “Hazara,” rather than acting as a subservient to Karzai and delivering Hazara votes to him. To my dismay, I discovered that Afghan officials from top to bottom have no moral obligation towards people and their votes. The audiotape is a clear evidence of Khalili’s involvement in the electoral fraud. In the audiotape, from his disgruntled tone of voice and his embarrassment of the result of the first round election, the phrases that he uses, and from his utterance, it is crystal clear that the voice belongs to him. An individual who feels morally obligated and responsible towards his action, must have certain capacity; unfortunately, Afghan officials lac...

Happy New Year and Happy Nowruz. In 2010, I wrote an article for CNN explaining how Nowruz is celebrated throughout Afghanistan . Also, what a happy coincidence that - probably for the first time in the history - Nowruz concurring with two other important, and exciting days: The International Day of Happiness and Spring Equinox. Here's an excerpt of the article on CNN: One of most famous of Nowruz traditions among Afghans is to forget and forgive mistakes of one another and start the New Year with new hopes and new goals. During the first three days of the year, families and relatives meet and visit each other’s houses. These are parts of Afghan traditions that date back centuries. For further reading please go the main article .

I published this on my photoblog , and today, I thought, why shouldn't I post it here as well. Well, this headless person who plays this piece of music on Rabab is me. I improvised this melody while I was procrastinating with my homework. I recorded it last year when I was in college and presented it to a friend. I’m a beginner and pardon me for any mistake if you noticed. Rabab is one of the most respected instruments in Afghanistan and in fact, it was originated in Herat, western Afghanistan, and then spread throughout Indian subcontinent. Those who are familiar with the history of the Mongol Invasion of India, especially, with the Delhi Sultanate in 1200, and the spread of Islamic mysticism through Afghan Sufis, they can understand the influence of this mystic instrument on Indian music as well. Rabab - though slightly different in shape - is widely used in Indian classical music today, which has also an immense influence on Afghan classical music. It is...

  One of the instruments that constantly comes in Rumi poetry is Rubab. In Rumi's time, Rubab was one of the main instruments that was played in Khanqah (the Sufi lodges). Up to the present time, Rubab remains an influential instrument in Khanqahs, and other Sufi gatherings in Afghanistan. He probably liked Rubab because of its rhythmic sounds. It produces the sound of ecstasy, it echoes, it bounces, and rebounds, and one can imagine how it would have sounded in a sufi lodge with a high ceiling, and how the sounds and melodies reverberated through the souls of Sufis.  Here what Rumi says about the sounds of Rubab:                   "Do you know what the voice of the rabab is saying?                   Come follow in my steps and find the way;                 ...

An uninformed individual might be better respected, and revered than an ill-informed individual who tries to knowingly spread incorrect information based on speculation. An uninformed individual cannot test the plausibility of an assumption, or, claim that is being made in a topic. Moreover, this uninformed individual cannot be blamed for being ill-informed; rather, the source of the misinformation should be blamed. To be precise, recently, an article was published on The Wall Street Journal which was titled: Afghan Hazaras Emerge as Power Brokers in President Elections . It is well-written, and it is worth reading, but not everything has said is necessarily true. Halfway down the article, you will find this line: “ The destruction by al Qaeda of Bamiyan's historic Buddha statues in 2001 .” When I read this, I thought this must be an unintentional mistake. I tweeted the article, a few minutes later, my tweet was retweeted by Nathan Hodge, one of the writers of the piece. Then...

Charismatic quality will be a driving force for candidates for the upcoming presidential election in Afghanistan. A charismatic leader can unite Afghanistan which badly suffers from disunity, while a charismatic leader can also disastrously drive Afghanistan into a complete opposition direction. In the west, sometimes, a leader does not have to be charismatic. A good example would be Angela Merkel, probably, she is one of the most uncharismatic leaders in the world, but the most powerful women in Europe.  Despite the lack of charismatic quality, she remains the most popular and dominant figure who last year won the third term as a federal leader in Germany. People in Germany complain about her lack of sociability, her outfit and call her ‘boring’ and ‘snoring.’ In 2010, German philosopher Jürgen Habermas complained that modern Germany had a yearning for "charismatic figures who stand above the political infighting." On the hand, Barak Obama, the most powerful man in th...

Your day starts with rejection that sinks you deep in dejection. You are being half-hearted, and gradually start depriving your hope. A feeling of desperation, and defeat vapor in you, and fleetingly cloud your sight; despair is the word that you could name it. But, no, that is not true. I should not feel that way. After all, tomorrow, when the sun rises, I will put on my new shoes, and rise again. I will forget what befell me, it will not hurt me, and I must remember that this is the beginning of the first season. I blame the malignity of the time, but I have the temerity to challenge the fate, if, there is one. Oh, I must not forget that this is the first chapter; I should note that, in the end, the defeat is an experience toward victory.

Women who participated in Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai's presidential campaign in Kabul. The photo is taken from his facebook page For the first time in the history of Afghanistan, a hope ignited for Afghan women to be totally liberated from sexual oppression, imposed by their men. On Thursday, February 27, Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, a potential contender for the upcoming Afghan election in April 5, talked to an audience of women who were all in burqas. Under a tight security measure - fearing of women being stolen - the ceremony was held at the Intercontinental Hotel of Kabul and hosted thousands of women from all over Afghanistan. Wrapped in a khaki Afghan shawl, Ashraf Ghani, emerged with his entourage and went directly to the podium, where a banner proclaimed “ tāhāwūl and tādāwūm ” (change and continuity). Gazed at his audience while clearing his throat; after resting his elbows on the podium, he started: “Sisters and mothers, you all have endured pains to come to Kabul, and prono...

You with your lightening-speed of fingers on the strings of guitar dazzled millions of people around the world; with your rhythms of flamenco, you knocked on the doors of millions of hearts. You transcended beyond the borders; through your magical fingers on guitar, you talked to every individual in the same understandable language and in the same level, either rich or poor, they all equally enjoyed your music. Like sun, your music illuminated the hearts and lasted deeper than sun. Today, thousands of your fans are grieving for your unexpected death. Paco De Locia died today, he was born in a poor family, and as a poor boy he could not finish his school, but later, as an accomplished guitarist, he brought technical skills of flamenco tunes into a sublime perfection, which rose him a world-renown guitarist. Rest in peace, Paco de Lucia, my favorite guitarist!

Anahita Ulfat in traditional Hazaragi dress performing live on stage  Solemnly, but smiley, Anahita in her unique traditional Hazara dresss, gently walks up onto stage. When she turns her charming smiley face towards the audience, her beauty pervades gloom all over the place, and as soon as she starts singing, the audience goes wild. Anahita sings with a vital rebellious voice against discriminatory attitudes towards her ethnic group. With her voice, she expands the horizon of hope for the Hazara women, for those who have long dreamt to bid defiance to limitations, and ignoring. Anahita Ulftat is back on the stage of Afghan Star, the Afghanistan’s pop idol that broadcasts on a local TV channel, “Tolo TV.” She is a Hazara girl from Ghazni who rings the bravery bill of all Hazara women. With her unique serene gesture, but exciting voice, she melodizes unwritten songs; songs of silence, songs of an oppressed minority that for centuries has been deprived from their basic rights....

The photo is taken in Kabul suburbs -2008 Sunk deep into an ocean of thought, Afghans are famous to be natural born thinkers. As you can see in this photo, three Afghans who are probably in their 50s have glued their gazes at the patterns of the colorful carpet. The man with a Kandahari hat thinks how drops of ocean have ended up into his cup and turned into tea that would finally goes into his body. He floats deep into a dream of joy because he finally comes into the conclusion that the water has come from ocean, which Afghanistan lacks. The other person in the middle has stuck his tea cup into his right cheek and wonders how in the heck humans learned to draw such complicated patterns on the carpet underneath him. The third person, on the right, has broadened his look to a horizon which is not usual to Afghans. Afghans do not to have horizon, at all; even the most basic and needed ones; for example, horizon of having peace, live a better life, and hoping a better future for ...

This is a correction note on my earlier post " America's drone war stoned by Afghans " on January 29. In that post, I made a reference to a news on Iranian government's propaganda channel, Press TV. It said that the American drone had crashed in Herat, without naming a source. Later, I investigated and found out that the drone was crashed in Jalalabad city, in eastern Afghanistan which is populated by Pashtun tribe. The drone was crashed after technical problems and before the Taliban notice the drone was taken away from the area by U.S. forces. Those who follow the news on the Middle East and Afghanistan know that Iran has a hostile foreign policy towards the U.S. presence in Afghanistan and in the Gulf. Being under a direct control of the government, Iranian media use any opportunity to galvanize Afghans against the U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Why does Iran want to sabotage the U.S. presence in Afghanistan? The answer is simple: Iran thinks the United States m...

This photo belongs to my trip in Daykudni, in winter 2008. I don't remember where exactly this place is but it was a deep valley adjacent to Ashtarlai district. A long-forgotten memory stirred in me this morning; one of those that creates tumult in you and sinks you into an anguished mood. One of those memories that wraps you in a velvet of agony. Then, you are torn inwardly, and left with shredded memories that you are trying recollect when you of course cannot. Just like tattered cloths that cannot be patched, some memories cannot be healed, they rather torment you from inside. Precisely, this is what I felt this morning and here is the story: In the winter of 2008, I with a friend - who was a documentary filmmaker - made a trip to central part of Afghanistan "Hazarajat" (where the Hazaras are living). Two days before, a storm of heavy snow hit the area and there was over a foot and half of snow blanked in all places. My friend and I were sluggishly ascending the...

A fallen tree in my neighborhood In my room, pots are for collecting the leaking water from ceiling The last snow storm dumped more than a foot of snow across Midwest and East Coast of the United States on Tuesday. Then, on Wednesday, thick coating of ice covered all over the place. Early in the morning, I woke up with the sound of drops of water falling on my pillow. I cast a fleeting look at the ceiling, it was leaking and from its corner the water was pouring down. I collected pots and pans from my kitchen to prevent further damage to the floor. Then, I tried to call my landlord, my phone was dead, and there was no power to charge my phone. I rushed out of the house to get access to power and charge my phone. At the door, not knowing that ice has covered the stairs and the patio, I made a nice slide, but thankfully fell on the snow; otherwise, I might have broken a limb, like many trees that lost their limbs. As I hit the sidewalk, limbs of trees were lying on sidewalks, ...

Today, January 2, Afghanistan's presidential election campaign kicked off. There are 11 candidates from different ethnic groups, different backgrounds, and with different plans. The 2014 Afghanistan’s presidential election is a historic by its sheer nature; the election if peacefully and not violently goes, it will definitely propel the country into a hopeful future. The 2014 election is an examination of Afghan people, examination of their tolerance of accepting each other in a brotherly manner, and forgetting their ethnic, and religious differences that would put their fate in peril. The election will test the Afghan people’s understanding of the last 13 years of rule of democracy, desire for a better life, and their willingness to move forward, and put an end to their miserable past.  The upcoming election will also examine how much they have learned from the last 13 years of relatively peaceful atmosphere in the country with the support of foreign troops. The presidentia...

Apparently this drone has crashed three weeks ago. According to PressTV, the unmanned drone has crashed in western province of Herat . From people's words in the video, it appears that the incident has happened in a Pashtun area. Nothing has yet said or published online by American officials in Afghanistan to disclose any details about the incident. The militants has claimed they have shot it down and then they have taken away the wreckage of aerial vehicle. Since the incident happened in Herat province, which is coterminous with Iran, it might be possible that the Taliban have sold it to Iran. If the Taliban have not sold it to Iran, then, one would wonder, what use the wreckage of drone may have to the Taliban? Apparently nothing and they may destroy it by throwing stones at it, as they do in this video. A friend of friend who had shared this video on his facebook page sarcastically titled "the stranded pilgrim." According to some, this beast has done a great job...

Today, I took my bike out to ride around the block for fun, slipped twice and fell off on the street, made people laugh and it was all entertaining and enjoyable. It feels great to bike in a foot of snow, but be careful: if you're going to do it, lower the seat just enough to keep your balance. You also need to have mud or studded tires to prevent sliding. Heaps of snow is going to blanket the entire East Coast of the United States tonight. It has been snowing since Tuesday morning with a slightly frigid chill that is sweeping across the Northeast. Tomorrow, a bitter cold is expected to follow after the sky satiates itself from shedding its frozen tears on to earth. Today, I was feeling nostalgic for those snowy days in the most remote village in central Afghanistan. The snowstorm of today reminded me of the heavy snowfall, up to 3 and sometimes 4 feet of snow, in my village. I recall the winters when the slow, steady snow sometimes lasted five days. I recall the winter...

By: Massoud Hossaini / AP The Taliban attack on a Lebanese restaurant, the “Taverne du Liban” in Kabul, which took 21 lives, 13 foreigners, and 8 Afghans, caused a great grief to many families inside and outside Afghanistan. The question that should be asked the Afghan security apparatus and President Hamid Karzai would be: “How is it possible that the three suicide attackers penetrated one of the most highly secure areas in Kabul?” The government has already suspended three police chiefs who were obviously responsible for Wazir Akbar Khan’s security breach. With no doubt one of these police chiefs must be responsible for allowing the attackers to pass through the security barricades, several check points, and finally infiltrate into the building. It is quite likely that one of those chiefs has received money from the Taliban, and might have involved in the scheme independently if not acted in a group. If so, there must be an element of distrust between Karzai and his senior go...

The Indian diplomat, Devyani Khobragade, who was arrested on a slavery offense in New York, finally left the United States for her home country . At the V.I.P aisle at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, hanging on his father's shoulder, Khobragade complained about her cavity search by police in New York: “They put their hands here,” pointing to her crotch “and here,” pointing to her cleavage, “I didn’t understand what they wanted from me.” Said Khobragade. A journalist who belonged to the National Democratic Alliance asked Khobragade: “Don’t you think your case is being knowingly confused by the ruling party in India that no official has regretted so far?” While Khobragade tried to get her strength back and find an answer, another journalist asked: “Ms. Khobragade, don’t you think your case is a modern day slavery, which is a norm and widely practiced in India and deeply engrained in Indian psych that they don’t think it is wrong?” Bewildered, Khobragade, in...

Afghan President Hamid Karzai donated dozens of his bloody swords to the National Museum of Afghanistan . The ceremony which was held under a tight security measure at the Afghan presidential palace hosted chieftains, clan elders with dyed and hoary beards from all over Afghanistan. According to the news, the ceremony started three hours late due to Karzai’s health condition, which was caused by his emotional attachment to his swords that were prepared to be given away. Among the participants, a long-bearded man in black turban who lost his temper stood up and frantically said: “I’ve never waited for three minutes for my wife let alone three hours for a puppet.” Elders who were personally invited by Karzai gradually began to lose their patience. Another elder who claimed to have three of his failed suicide-mission sons pardoned by Hamid Karzai cried: “This pig-headed doesn’t realize that in three hours I can water my three acre poppy field.” The hall which was in a complete mayhem, ...

In his introduction in The Emergence of Modern Afghanistan, Vartan Gregorian, mentions a quote from Mohammed Ali’s book, A New Guide to Afghanistan, as follows: “No country comparable to Afghanistan in size and no people approaching the Afghans in historical interest and importance have received so little consideration at the hands of modern writers as have Afghanistan and the Afghans.” For its importance and its relevance, Gregorian, puts this quote, contextually, in the 19th century of Afghanistan in which he argues that Afghanistan, for the most part, was culturally isolated, and protected as a parochial region in the Muslim world. That is one of the reasons that Afghanistan remained an unknown region to the rest of the world. He then draws a bigger picture by putting Afghanistan in the colonial frame; Gregorian says that causality of this “isolationism” and “parochialism,” relates to the fact that Afghanistan never undergone of a period of direct, and intensive European coloni...