Think this blog is all about Iraq and Lebanon? Fear not, Afghanistan gets a little time, too, and I received this letter from reader Bob who wanted to draw attention to a real problem over there.
I have a son in the US Army. He spent a year in Afghanistan removing landmines and IEDs. He’s now in Iraq patrolling little villages north of Baghdad. Through his deployment in Afghanistan, I discovered a 6 week consulting job in Kabul, helping launch an educational TV network there in 2005. I’ve kept in touch with several of the staff who have received very serious death threats, and am trying to help them from the US. I sponsored one journalist who had to flee for his life to come to the US on a student visa. After a year, we got him recommended for political asylum.Amin’s story is certainly harrowing. He’s a 25-year-old journalist, filmmaker and free-speech advocate from Kabul, who is living the deepening cycle of violence in Afghanistan. It’s reminding many of life under the Taliban, when journalists faced violence and censorship. Today, some of that is coming from the Afghanistan government, Bob writes. “They have been threatened, arrested, jailed, kidnapped, had their studios vandalized, and been beaten.”Another, Amin Wahidi went to the Venice Film Festival, but received threats that culminated in “we’ll meet you plane with a suicide bomber when you come back to Kabul.” Italy granted him refugee status for 6 months, but we’re trying to get him into the US to go to school.
Several young media professionals, including women, have been killed. This year, two have been murdered, causing the few educated and creative people to flee Afghanistan. It sounds eerily similar to what’s happening in Iraq.
And the Committee to Protect Journalist backs him up. Things have been getting worse for everyone in Afghanistan over the last few years, despite the efforts of coalition and Afghan forces.
Focusing on Amin isn’t fair to the other Afghan journalists who toil every day, but what he wants to do next is illustrative. He wants to come to the U.S. to finish his education, make films and documentaries about Afghanistan and be a lifeline for his left-behind colleagues through the Afghan Academy of Arts and Cinema Education and The Filmmakers Union of Afghanistan. Most important, he wants to return to his native land to make films about the hurdles to entering the modern world.
Perhaps by helping Amin, others can be helped, too. Anyone wishing to help can email me and I’ll forward them on to Amin’s friend Bob here in the states.
Hello dear readers,
I know Amin Wahidi personally, he is a talented, hard worker and patriot young Afghan film maker, and he always works hard to do something for his war torn country through short film, articles and many more ways. He is a brave and active young who dares to criticizes on any wrong doing that he feels is not in the interests of his people and country, if he will be given a chance or be supported to continue his schooling in us I believe he will emerge as a professional journalist and film maker who can open a new page in the Afghan journalism and film making community. I am a US permanent resident and used to work with US Armed Forces as a translator/interpreter in Afghanistan, I would be ready to assist Amin in any way I could. I from the dept of my heart appreciate the efforts of anyone who will help Amin to keep on his schooling and education.
Javed Paiman
It is about more than 5 years I have come to know this youngster (Mr. Amin Wahidi) working hard with the intention of serving Afghanistan.
He started working in Afghanistan firstly to educate illiterate Afghans (teenagers, youngsters and middle aged people). He realized that these efforts of him is very limited to a small number of people. Then he decided to continue his efforts of improving the awareness of people towards peace and human rights, he joined Ariana TV. Unfortunately, their he found that the TV channel is only operating on a specific commercial and political basis and freedom of speech and freedom of idea is not respected. With realizing this fact he gave up the TV channel and started his own small company for producing films, unfortunately with the current political and security dilemmas he had to face his death.
I hope with staying in Italy, the country of with having a vast support for freedom of speech and respect for artists, he can serve a lot more easier not only Afghanistan but also the whole world.
M. Naseem Ganji Kabul, Afghanistan
Another made up story by an Afghan to get out of Afghanistan. Honestly, if you look at all Afghans who have been given refugee status by United States, you find that all their stories are false and made-up. Most widows who go to United States claiming their husbands were kidnapped actually know exactly where their husbands are. Miraculously, upon receiving their citizenship, their husbands are “back.”
If Amin was so courageous, he would have gone back to his country and shot more movies, telling its stories. Instead, he decided to stay in Italy. Wait a few more years, and you will see the true outcome.
p.s. why the heck would taliban send him emails? Last time I checked, they despited technology.
Sarah,
You make some pretty strong claims, please document them, like “all Afghans,” “most widows;” please share where you got these facts. Please explain how leaving a well-paying job in Kabul and your parents, brothers and sisters, to live in a refugee shelter in a foreign land, where you are almost a penniless prisoner, with no clear future. Please explain why Amin could make movies, but not get shot like other journalists— or are the deaths all lies too. One more thing; Talibs use cell phones, satellite phones, email, AK47s, RPGs, IEDs, suicide bomber vests. They love technology when used to harm people.
Readers here anxiously await your explanations.
I as well know Amin. While stationed in Afghanistan for a year and traveled the country more than most, it was because of service of Amin and others that many of us are greatful to. They put not only their self but also their family in harms way for building a new Afghanistan for them to live in. I give exception to Sarah if she could put facts to her claims, however, I am sure that even if they do exsist they are few. What I do know. As fact, is that I can not stop thinking of the poverty that is paramount in Afghanistan. As fact, how the Talib DO have a strong hold, how they set up road blocks at nights, threaten Afghans that talked or assisted Afghan/western forces, do rob, threaten, and kill Afghans who cooperate with anyone outside of Talib interest. I have seen the distruction and fear that Afghans lived/live. So, Sarah, speak about what you really know. Otherwise you sound like a red neck with no knowledge of facts, but spread what you have heard as fact. If you have lived there, you would not be so quick to judge. If you witnessed what happens to a woman once her husband was killed, and out casted by his family, you would not wish the outcome on any woman. Get a grip, look at the human side of the problem that politics does not fix.
I strongly support Mr. Robin Martin and the above comment. I wish if Sarah could have been amongst us here in Afghanistan. She would have realized how difficult it is to be in Afghanistan and that what and how many threats we receive in our ordinary lives. Every time and everywhere there are thousands of risks we are facing in your ordinary life. It can be even worse when you raise your voices for human rights, women rights and democracy.
Sarah, while living somewhere in the States in air conditioned rooms and in luxurious cars, it is very easy to make lots of stories about poor Afghans living their life in refuge and criticizing them. I would really wonder to see what would have been your situation when you would be in a similar situation.
Sarah, Would you please honestly tell us where are you now? Afghanistan????
I too know Amin (and Javed!) personally. During my tour in Afghanistan I had the privilege of working with both of these fine men. Amin impressed me as an honest, hard working Afghan who was always willing to do what ever was needed for us and for HIS country. We all knew that Amin was involved in film making. I am not surprised that Amin chose to criticize and expose the enemies of the Afghan people- the Taliban and Al Quida- in his work. Unfortunately the Afghan people do not enjoy the same freedoms- freedom of speech; freedom to criticize; freedom of opinion- that we take for granted.
Amin is a good man. He, Javed, and the many others like them are the future of Afghanistan- and what the freedom hating terrorists, the talibs and al Queda, fear. If they can not build their country from within, then they can certainly exercise the freedoms that too many Americans take for granted.
Khoda Hafez, my friends.