AFGHANISTAN Michael Brill Cassandra Cohen Jennifer Devine Snežana Vujović

Stereotypes Most stereotypes of different cultures come from media What do we hear about Afghanistan? the opium trade women in burqhas taliban 9/11 the war on terror

Different Perspective New books and movies (The Kite Runner, Kandahar) Kandahar - a story of an Afghan-Canadian woman Most actors played the roles of themselves. Since 9/11 movie has been widely shown Nelofer Pazira in Kandahar

Afghans in America 1920s the first Afghans (mostly the upper classes and highly educated) reached U.S. 1980s (period of Soviet invasion) - cosmopolitan and intellectual elite refugees Since 1989 less educated, English non-proficient refugees (the family reunification criteria) They settled in New York, Washington, D.C., San Francisco (55 to 67 %), and Toronto, Canada Now Afghans could be found in every state

Afghans in America The early immigrants opened grocery stores, restaurants, television and radio programs in their language No American Dream for recent immigrants (refugees) They arrived here not through choice, but because of necessity Little assimilation of Afghan into the American mainstream

Health and Mental Issues War trauma, family stress based on changing gender roles 700,000 war widows Elderly instead of entering in a period of respect enter into isolation PSD very common Children are in greatest risk 1 million orphans; 500 thousand disabled; 300 thousand amputees [clip]clip

Education Afghan women who seek work or education are subject to violence

Employment Handicraft Food processing industry Illegal poppy industry

Future for Afghanistan Rebuilding Afghanistan may seem like an insurmountable task, but the cost of failure is another lost generation of Afghans Can we afford it? We need to connect with Afghan Americans We need to understand their cultural background

Land and People Crossroads of civilizations Many different nationalities: Pashtun, Turkmen, Hazara, Tajik, Uzbek, Nuristani, Arab, Kirghiz, and Persian Afghan = Pashtuns (50%) Muslims (18% Shia, 82% Sunni)

Language Official languages - Pashto and Dari (Afghan Persian/Farsi) Indo-European group There are also numerous other languages Written in Arabic alphabet with some modifications Oral traditions are still very strong Booksellers were prosecuted and books burned during the Taliban rule

History Invasions since the time of Alexander the Great The only change, in the last one thousand years are the weapons used against them Foreign armies defeated by fierce resistance from tribal groups, inhospitable terrains, and severe weather

First American in Afghanistan 19 th century Clash of the Russian and British empires Josiah Harlan, Prince of Ghor, a Pennsylvania Quaker, had climbed up on an Afghani throne Rudyard Kipling's "The Man Who Would Be King”

Last 35 Years In 1973 overthrow of last king, Zahir Shah, led to decades of unrest 1979 Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan The Reagan administration supported the Mujaheddin - among them Osama Bin Laden 1989 the USSR withdrew in defeat Americans lost their interest in Afghanistan

The War on Terror Taliban on power Safe heaven for Osama Bin Laden and other al-Qaeda leaders After the 9/11 the US requested extradition of Bin Laden October 2001 WAR ON TERROR Taliban supporters regrouped since 2003 Weak government and strong tribal practice of Islamic law (Sharia) Child Soldier in Afghanistan