AFGHANISTAN
By Jatin Atre, 09/16/2001
| Them
One month ago, I sat a few of blocks from the Pentagon with two people from Afghanistan. They were pleased at my keen interest in their plans. They planned to survive. That's all they had to say as they served me "kebabs" at the little Afghani restaurant in Arlington, Virginia. Yes, their only plan was to survive and make a living. In order to fulfill their mundane motives they had come all the way to the United States. For back home was a different story. Most of Afghanistan has practically no arable land, no oil, no fabled silk, no gemstones and no Genie to bring in any of these[1]. Afghanistan's hopes lie with the Taliban leader Mohammad Omar and his comrade Osama bin Laden. The only way, prevalent political thought can be challenged is through the media. Compared to the United States, in Afghanistan the media is nonexistent. Of the seven radio stations in Kabul, six are inactive[2]. The Taliban operated "Shariat Radio" is the only station currently broadcasting. BBC has reported only marginal success with their program called Reach or Radio Education For Afghan Children[3]. While is America there are over 219 million television sets and fifteen hundred stations, Afghanistan has one-tenth of a million television sets with less than ten stations[4]. What does all this mean? This means that fundamentalist "leaders" have unimpeded access to forming the opinions and influencing the beliefs of the nearly twenty-five million isolated "citizens" of Afghanistan. These factors impel the Afghans to believe in unquestioned religious ideals, which are further skewed by the socioeconomic conditions. Most US media has already covered the big-picture and political opinions of Taliban leaders. However, in the wake of the current tragedy it becomes increasingly crucial to understand the reasoning behind the comments of layman Afghans like 19-year-old Hamidullah who contends, "Let them(United States) know what sorrow is.[5]" On the same lines, schoolteacher Saifur Reheman says, "I think the US deserves to be taught such a lesson.[6]" He is probably less volatile than Athar Azeem's column in the Kabul based daily "Dharb-i-Mumin." Azeem's column categorically exculpates fundamentalism and blames the United States by stating that "enmity towards Islam is running in every American's blood, none of them spares the Muslims.[7]" The comments made by most Afghans seem impolitic, if we fail to consider the conditions in the area. Americans have been slightly desensitized to the catastrophe by action-movies, contrarily Afghans have been cauterized by the reality for a long time. Even those Afghan refuges who live outside Afghanistan in a Pakistan based refugee camp at Jalozai have come to grips with the neat-little sign in "Pashtu[8]" above the local medical clinic that reads, "Equipment for digging graves and making coffins is available in this hospital.[9]" Probably instead of merely looking at the effects of the disaster we should delve into the causes that engendered the crime. Probably the next time we have a party on the deck we should consider inviting "them" whom we have always forgotten, people like Hamidullah, Reheman or Azzem. Probably our local dailies should have more international coverage. Probably our cable-channels can include one of "theirs." Probably sometimes we should have "kebabs" instead of fries. Probably then Tuesday will not repeat itself. References
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