July 2011 Travel Photo: Pashtun Graveyard

Photo by Catholicgauze

Musakhel, Moses Village, lies on a contested border between various Pashtun tribes.  The village's location in a valley has made it a contested space between tribes, 1980s rebels, Communists, Taliban, and Coalition Forces.  Afghan National Police and Army do not even try to come here.  Over the years many battles have been fought and the dead fighters are laid to rest next to the deceased villagers.

Normal graves are marked with rocks but nothing notes the name of those buried below.  The graves of martyrs have flags waving from them representing Islam (green), martyrdom (black), and the Taliban (blue stripes on a white background).  Village elders' graves have small stone enclosures but no names are listed.

Grave sites has become a contentious issue between the native Taliban who are Deobandi Sunni Muslims and foreign fighters who are mostly Wahhabi Sunni Muslims.  The Deobandis combine many folk practices such as worshipping at grave sites, praying for the dead's intercessions as if they were saints, and even believing the sites themselves contain God-given magic powers.  The Wahhabis believe these practices are paganism in disguise and will attempt to "correct" Deobandi "errors" by destroying grave sites.  While Wahhabis believe their version of Islam is the purest because it came from the purest Arab tribes, Afghan Deobandis believe their version of Islam is the purest because non-Muslim forces have never conquered Afghan Muslims.  Many a Wahabbi has met a horrible end by Deobandis who hate outsiders attempting to correct their interpretation of Islam.  

Donate Shoes for Afghan Girls

My friend Scott with three Afghan girls.  Note the lack of shoes.

Do you want to make a small overall yet hugely personal difference for Afghanistan?  A friend of Catholicgauze is currently in eastern Afghanistan and is organizing a drive for new or used shoes for Afghan girls.  He has encountered countless Tajik, Hazara, and Pashtun girls who lack footwear (Afghan families unfortunately only invest in the footwear of sons).  If you want to donate shoes contact me at catholicgauze[at]gmail[dot]com and I will reply with the address.

Thoughts on Afghanistan: The End of the War

The second most frequently asked question I am confronted with concerns my thoughts on the chance of victory in Afghanistan (the most frequent question being was I shot at).  Sadly this question is much more complex than the the Iraq victory question was and it is hard for me to say just how positive the final outcome will be.  So I will keep my answer fairly short.

The British knew how to turn their two offensive wars against the Afghans into geopolitical victories and so did the Soviets after being militarily stalemated against the Afghans in the 1980s: pick a side, withdraw, fund the side from a distance, and watch our side decimate all its opponents.  This strategy worked well for the British and it was working well for the Communists in Afghanistan... until the funds ran out with the collapse of the Soviet Union.

In a perfect world the United States and the other Coalition Partners could just withdraw from Afghanistan while funding the Kabul-based government known as GIROA.  GIROA would bribe many of the Taliban and other insurgents and use the remainder of the funds to crush the rejectionists.  Most Afghans would see this more as a upper level Afghan civil war and much of the anger of the average insurgent would be soothed over by the lack of foreign troops in Afghanistan.

I say "in a perfect world" because this world unfortunately as what Afghans have described to me as the root of all evil: Pakistan.  Pakistan desire to have a puppet state linking it to Central Asia, a proving ground for its proxies for war against India, and its absolute paranoid belief that anything less than an Islamist Afghanistan will automatically make Afghanistan an ally of India will cause Pakistan to fund the insurgency.  Unless Pakistan collapses or the United States cuts off foreign aid to Pakistan (which forms much of Pakistan's budget) I do not see Pakistan stopping its funding of the Taliban and related groups.

If the problem of Pakistan can magically disappear then groups and/or factions like the Taliban, Haqqani network, and Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin will enter in complex agreements of becoming loyal to GIROA while being able to have significant sway in territory they control.  Afghans will then probably be less of the highly centralized state it has been under the monarchy/Communists/republicans and more of the regionalist state tied by a central government which is was like before the British wars.

If the Pakistan problem cannot be solved then expect a long war ending in the favor of Pakistan and the Taliban.  Maybe not a complete victory like it was becoming before 9/11 but certainly one that ends in their favor.

Thoughts on Afghanistan: The International Coalition

Forty-seven countries comprise the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) which is the international coalition created to secure Afghanistan from the Taliban, al Qaeda, and other insurgent groups.  The difference between various ISAF militaries is night and day.  Some countries like the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada are fierce fighters; other countries like the Czech Republic and Romania do not have the might to defeat the Taliban on their own but certainly do their best; and other countries like Poland and Germany's unwillingness to do combat duties have made these countries' mere presence more harm than good.

"Why Would Anyone Do That?"

Every Polish soldier who dies in Afghanistan dies in vain.  Yes, I know that sounds incredibly callous but it is the truth.  Certain countries like Poland have implemented complicated rules of engagement which prevent their militiaries from taking any significant actions to combat the Taliban and other insurgent groups.  Also, commanders of various military forces have decided to avoid combat by limiting operations to the main roads.  This, while avoiding direct combat, surrenders the most of the country to Afghanistan.  The ever growing in power Taliban thus not win without a fight in most of the country but then go on to attack and kill international partners on the road patrols.  Thus soldiers are sent out on pointless patrols and periodically killed off.

Meanwhile potential Afghan allies lose hope as they realize these countries have not come to fight the Taliban but merely deploy to Afghanistan and then redeploy to their home country.  I have talked to various Afghans who do not understand why these ISAF militaries came "half the way around the world" only to not only be passive but to surrender most of the country to the Taliban.

Thank You

I wish to thank the various foreign partners who have personally helped me and those I was in Afghanistan with during my recent time there.  I am grateful for the Polish priest who gave me spiritual comfort, I am grateful to the Czech pilots who were willing to fly during the fog, and I am grateful to the British officer who went above and beyond to ensure the safety of American marines who he never met.  Thank you.

Thoughts on Afghanistan: Taliban

As I get use to life in America again and adapt to new circumstances in my life I will be intermixing geography blogging with my thoughts on Afghanistan.

When I returned from Iraq in 2009 I stated al Qaeda in Iraq was pretty much done as an insurgent group and would stick around only as a terrorist group.  I was right.

Talibanistan

Returning from Afghanistan I say the opposite: the Taliban is a full scale insurgency in charge of its own functioning country, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.  There have been many articles talking about the Taliban's shadow (alternative) government but in some large regions of Afghanistan it is the only government.  In certain regions there is no Kabul-backed government (GIROA) representation at all.  Nawa Disrtict, Ghazni Province has been completely abandoned.  Currently, as told to me by soldiers who last ventured into Nawa over a year ago, the capitol building is waving Taliban flags and the American-built GIROA military outpost there is now an American-built Taliban military outpost.  The same goes for the Korangal Valley from the documentary Restrpo which is also now Taliban controlled.

What makes the Taliban different from al Qaeda in Iraq?  The primary difference is that the Taliban are native to the region and many of the commanders are locals.  Unlike al Qaeda in Iraq who's main commanders were foreigners.  Also, Iraq has more federalism where locals can elect their own government representatives and have some form of outlet.  Everything in Afghanistan in modeled after the failed monarchies which sought to centralize everything to include having Kabul hand pick leaders on all levels.

There is no Taliban.  There are Talibans

The amount of Taliban who travel from place to place to wage their jihad is actually quite small.  The vast majority of Taliban are in the Afghan equivalent of their own village's national guard.  They will fight in their area when needed but when not they go about their daily lives as farmers, merchants, or unemployed people. These groups have weak ties to the central core of the Taliban and often have commanders who would not care if the Taliban in the neighboring village were being killed off in a fever pitched battle.  In fact, the only emotion they might feel in that situation is relief as the various Taliban village national guards have a tendency to hate each other more than GIROA or Coalition Forces.  Membership in the Taliban is merely a label which fails to end tribal/regional/personal disputes.  An Afghan elder to me that he supports "his" Taliban because they kept "the other" Taliban away.

Motivation also differs.  A small core are die hard jihadist.  A fair amount are nationalists while most are in the fight to protect their homes from GIROA/Coalition Forces/other Taliban.  Unlike other winning insurgencies which everyone tries to join when they look like they are winning, a large amount of Taliban have and continue to reconcile with GIROA (even while a scary percentage of GIROA jump ship to the Taliban).  As an Afghan soldier told me "everyone is just trying to survive so they do what's best to do at that moment, they do not think ahead."  Motivation for these jumps show not ideological loyalty but instead short term defense of self and tribe/region.

What are the Taliban fighting for?

While Mullah Mohammad Omar and his leadership fight to return the Islamic Emirate to full power, most Taliban (I believe) are fighting for position.  Everyone sees this war going on for a few more years until Pakistan and the United States decide to settle.  The "pawns," i.e. GIROA and the Taliban, will then officially merge while in reality being allowed to govern what they control at the end of the fighting.  Those Taliban thinking beyond the mere tactical realm realize they are fighting for position in a war they cannot win yet cannot lose.

Are there moderate Taliban?

The upper leadership of Taliban are out and out monsters.  While the lower level guys may not be active monsters, they certainly are not "moderates."  They are moderate in the sense that they would not throw acid in women's faces but they probably would not condemn the action either.  Then again, some GIROA officials like Abdul Rashid Dostum made their name by using solar power to cook Taliban POWs alive in locked trailers..

Coming Back: Thank You USO

I am back in the United States and normal blogging is resuming.  The next series of posts will be my thoughts on Afghanistan.  However, I need to say "thank you" to the USO.

My very last "non-airport waiting room" experience in the Middle East was relaxing in an USO lounge pounding down Girl Scout cookies like a man exiled to Afghanistan for the last four and a half months.  I sat captivated by Sky News which was on the television.  It was the first time I was able to watch television not provided by Armed Forces Network (AFN) which does not show commercial but instead has public service announcements (don't drink and drive, don't abuse your wife/significant others/be sure to reenlist or join the reserves!).  As a thank you I picked up the messy lounge before I left.

The truly touching thing the USO did was welcome me back.  I was on a flight full of soldiers who were heading back from Iraq, Afghanistan, and service in Europe.  As I exited customs I was swarmed by a legion of USO volunteers who passed me free stuff and thanked me for helping my country.  It is a truly humbling thing to be saluted by a veteran in a wheel chair.  That was something I was not emotionally ready for and I feel that I did not deserve.  However, it is great to know there are people out there who remember service members.

So I want to say "thank you" USO.  I am also adding the USO to my list of favored charities.  I personally saw countless soldiers use USO phone cards, internet terminals, airport lounges, care packages of tooth brushes and tooth paste, and coffee while I was deployed.

Thank you, USO.

Three Cups of Tea... and a Coffee Cake of Lies (Why the Book Does Not Make Sense)

During my individual preparation and general training for Afghanistan I read many books.  Some like Descent into Chaos: The U.S. and the Disaster in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia were excellent while others like The Punishment of Virtue: Inside Afghanistan After the Taliban were the so-so products of American war tourists who realized too little too late that their personal golden cows were not divine. However, the one book that everyone recommend, and biggest golden cow of all, was Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson.  Despite being given copies I refused to read it.  Why?  Because it did not make sense to me.  I knew building schools would work in some areas and not others.  And now we know the book is full of lies and the charity appears to be a personal money making machine from Greg Mortenson.

Foreign Policy has a good article on why "we all wanted to believe the book" so I will skip commenting too much on wishy washy nature of the group think (Hat tip: TDAXP).

What I will comment on is why I felt Three Cups of Tea had a bogus message.  

First, let me qualify that statement by saying that some Afghans are more than willing to have their daughters educated.  At the risk of doing generalizations, Hazaras are widely known for giving their women more freedoms than what one thinks of when they think Afghanistan.  The schools I visited that had girls were Hazaran.  These girls were bright and willing to learn.  Tajiks and urban Uzbeks also tended to support or at the very least not be opposed to girls education.  One can easily build schools among these groups.  However, with the exception of the Taliban-aligned Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), these groups are not the problem and live in areas where the war will not be decided.

Hazaran school girls.  Photo by Catholicgauze

The problem lies with the prominently Pashtun Taliban movement.  While there are pro-girls' education Pashtuns, once one leaves the cities of Kabul, Kandahar, and Ghazni one will be hard pressed to find a vocal supporter.  The truth is the vast majority of Pashtuns do not care about girls education because it is an issue outsiders push at the expense of more locally pressing issues.  A school is built by Coalition Forces when locals want a well or a clinic.  The school is then officially administered directly from Kabul by the Karzai government which will not provide funding for supplies or even the teacher.  The NGOs which support the creation of schools are also too afraid to send workers and supplies into these schools because of the lack of security.  Meanwhile agricultural, medical, and security problems remain unaddressed.  So when the Taliban come to burn the school no one stops them because they are indifferent/happy to see it gone.  In rural Ghazni district I had to be part of a shura where an elder asked the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) why the PRT was coming with school supplies when their PRT-built clinic was empty and his daughter and grandson died the past night as the daughter was trying to give birth.

Boys schools are not safe either.  The Kabul-based government does not care too much about the schools in the conflict zone and has pretty much ignored them.  The Taliban do not ignore them, though.  They have shadow secretaries of education who ensure western-built schools teach from pro-Taliban curriculum.  The shadow education system is more than willing to kill any teacher who stands in their way.  Donations to schools in southern Afghanistan come with the very real possibility that the funds will be used to support the Taliban's goal of rebuilding their Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

Women's education in Afghanistan is a real goal for good.  However, it is being easily reached in the parts of Afghanistan that will not sway the war.  The south, where the Taliban and the war are being fought, will decide if Coalition Forces stay and go and if the Taliban return.  It is there in the south where the women's education is needed... but it is there where people have real concerns and girls' education can wait.

Afghanistan Deployment Dictionary

While deployed I learned a variety of terms of geographic and cultural nature which soldiers use while in Afghanistan.  Some of these terms were used in Iraq while others were new.  For those interested, here is a self-made dictionary of these terms.

GOIRA: Abbreviation for Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
1.  The official government headquartered in Kabul.

Hajji:  Literal translation means "one who goes on Hajj (Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca)" but can be used in Afghanistan or Iraq as an honorific.
1. Hajji can be used to refer to anything Afghan/Iraqi be it a person or place.  Not necessarily positive or negative.  Example:  "There are a bunch of Hajjis standing outside."  "I went to the Hajji store because their prices are better."
2.  Hajji can be used in a way to emphasize poor Afghan/Iraqi design.  Example:  "Don't plug in your computer there!  That is a Hajji outlet!"

Muj:  Short for mujahadeen, literally meaning "holy warrior."  Taliban/al Qaeda in Iraq/al Qaeda/Haqqani Network/other insurgents will refer to themselves as mujahadeen.
1.  Muj is used to refer to insurgents.  Example:  "We got into a fight against a couple of Muj down the road."

Old Americans
1.  Term used by Afghans to refer to Americans who came to Afghanistan from the 1950s to the 1970s as part as development projects.  As the "Old Americans" always traveled in small groups or alone no one seems to mention anything bad about them.  Usually the "Old Americans" were fascinated by everyday Afghan life, which confused many Afghans as everyday life to them is nothing to be fascinated about.  Most stories dealing with "Old Americans" are light hearted.  Example:  "When I was young an Old American came to my village to help build a well.  He kept taking pictures of our qalats (mud homes).  He used all his film taking pictures of the homes and I know film was not cheap in Afghanistan!"

Pakistan:  The country
1.  Used by Taliban, normal Afghans, and Americans alike to describe, somewhat justifiably, the root of all evil.  Even the Taliban blame Pakistan for problems.  Examples:  "An IED blew up our road!  Where did the IED come from?  Pakistan!"  "Who controls this war against the Afghan people?  Pakistan!"  "Good people make good countries.  Bad people make Pakistan." (last quote originally from Rifftrax but heard in some areas of Afghanistan)

Shadow
Used as an adjective to refer to the Taliban alternative to GOIRA and GOIRA positions.  Examples:  "Shadow court."  "Shadow governor."  "Shadow school."

Afghan Diary: Where the Djinn Live

Islam is a religion with a complex cosmos that shares much with older forms of Judaism and Catholic-Orthodox Christianity.  In many parts of the Islamic world, Muslims believe in a universe with daily events full of saints, demons, angels, and miracles.  This is a much different cosmos than what more reformist branches of Judaism and Protestanized Christianity believe in (though many Pentecostal-type Christians are starting to migrate to traditions and beliefs of the Catholic-Orthodox cosmos).

One of the most common otherworldly creatures in Islam are the Djinn (aka Jinn aka Genies).  These are more than the magical people who live in lamps according to Dinseyifed Americanization of Arab tales.  These are beings created out of smokeless fire (as compared to clay/mud for humans and light for angels).  According to the Qu'ran's Surat al-Jinn, Djinn are creatures which have free will.  While in Islam, Satan is a Djinn, Djinn can be hostile, neutral, or even friendly.

From reading parts of the Qu'ran, Hadiths (stories of Mohammad), Islamic fairy tales, and books on Islam I knew that Djinn are suppose to live in another dimension.  However, it was not until my recent conversation with a Kuchi Pashtun tribal elder that I realized how strong belief in Djinn were and where Djinn fit in our world.

Below is a recalling of my conversation I had with an elder through a Pashtun interpreter.

Me:  Let's go take a walk up those hills and survey the area.
Elder:  We cannot go there.
Me:  Why not?
Elder:  Because the Djinn live there.
Me:  The fire beings?
Elder:  Yes!  The smokeless fire spirits.  You, a Christian, know and believe of the Djinn?
Me:  I have read about them.  As a Catholic my faith is open to the possibility of other creatures.  How do you know the Djinn live there?
Elder:  They use to live where our tribe settled (over a hundred years ago) and built the village.
Me:  So why did the Djinn move?
Elder:  There were too many encounters between people and Djinn.
Me:  I thought the Djinn live in another dimension (this took the interpreter a minute or two to convey)
Elder:  They do.  But our worlds are so close together that it is possible for cross over.
Me:  Were there any bad incidents?
Elder:  Most Djinn were kind or neutral to us.  Some were mean though.  Many Djinn left because they were afraid of our ancestors because our ancestors were all warriors.  Others left because we would accidently step on their children.
Me:  Stepping on smokeless fire babies is not good for Kuchi-Djinn relations.
Elder:  Yes, yes.  Very true.
Me:  So do the Djinn leave you people alone?
Elder:  Most do.  We consider them our neighbors and friends.  Some are mean, just like how some people are mean, but we respect them and they respect us.
Me:  So you never go to the Djinn place?
Elder:  No.  When a baby is born we take some gold, bones, and some of the child's hair if possible and put it in a bag.  We take the bag and leave it on the Djinn's hills.
Me:  Why?
Elder:  So they can celebrate the child's birth with us.  The gold is a gift, we give them the child's hair so they can see part of the child, and bones because in the Hadiths the Prophet Mohammad once visited a tribe of Djinn and brought them a bag of bones.  When the Prophet's followers asked why he had a bag of bones the Prophet replied, "Because Djinn eat bones."
Me:  Sounds like you have some good neighbors.  So why can't we go up the hill together?  Would not the Djinn think I am your friend because I am with you?
Elder:  The Djinn do not travel much.  They may think you are Soviet or British.  I do not want to put you at risk, my friend.
Me:  Thank you.  I tend to prefer distance between me and other worldly beings anyways.

Afghan Diary: My First Stab at Afghan Humor

Afghan, particularly Pashtun, humor revolves around the misapplication of logic.  Mullah Nasruddin jokes, humorous tales of an authority figure who only gets the concepts logic but not logic itself, are common place even today.  Another form misapplication of logic humor deals with hashish addicts.  For some reason the inability of a hashish addict to think logically plus Afghan culture's looking down upon drug users equals great Afghan-style humor.  Some jokes that I have heard begin with "There was a hashish user..." and these automatically produce a laugh of anticipation in the listener.

During a recent conversation with an Afghan I decided to bring Afghan and Western humor together.  We were previously discussing how the Polish military had done great harm to Afghanistan by letting the Taliban retake control of much of the countryside.  During a lull I asked the Afghan if he had heard about the Polish soldier and hashish addict.  As he heard the translation of my question he smiled and he stated his desire to hear the joke.

The Polish Soldier and the Hashish Addict

A Polish soldier saw a hashish addict looking sad.  "Why are you sad?" asked the Pole.  The hashish addict said, "I only have one hashish packet left.  Soon I will be all out."   The Pole told the addict not to be sad because the Pole had an idea to get more hashish.  The hashish addict was pleased but wondered how the Pole was going to get more hashish.  "It is simple," replied the Pole, "give the packet to me."  The Pole then took the packet and buried it in the sand.  "Soon," said the Pole, "we will have our very own hashish plant!"

The interpreter gave into laughter as he began to retell the story in Pashtun.  As he translated the story the Afghan also smiled and gave out a good laugh.  My first stab at Afghan humor was a success.

Afghan Diary: Astronomy - "Looking at the Stars is for Old Women."

Astronomy and Afghanistan have had a relationship in the past.  Abu al-Rayhan Mohammad ibn Ahmad al-Biruni was a Persian-Afghan great geographer-astronomer who lived in Ghazni.  Ulugh Beg was a Turkic ruler of Central Asia who built the great observatory in modern-day Uzbekistan using knowledge gained from the previous cultural Persian empires in Afghanistan.  Abdul Ahad Mohmand became the first (and only) Afghan cosmonaut in space with his 1988 trip to the Mir Space Station.

However, repeated external and internal wars have caused a major brain drain and cultural collapse in Afghanistan.  I experienced the brain drain first hand as a friend and I were enjoying the night in Afghanistan.  My friend, a Hazaran Afghan, and I were overlooking an empty stretch of Highway One (the ring road connecting Kabul, Kandahar, Herat, and Mozer-e-Shraif) when I looked up at the sky and saw the constellation Orion.  I have long considered Orion, a Greek-dubbed constellation as a sort of reminder of the niceties of winter. 

Wondering if my Hazaran friend knew any Persian constellations, I asked he knew any Persian or local astronomy.  He turned his head to look at me and even with the night darkness I could tell his eyes had considerably widened.  "No," he said, "looking at the stars is for old women.  Witchcraft."  I tried to explain that I was talking about astronomy and not astrology but it was in vain.  My friend responded with a question asking why people would care about the stars if they were not trying to gain some hidden, forbidden insight.

My friend is not some village hick but a high school educated Afghan who is active in the Sufi order of Shia Islam.  Even with the religious influence of Persian Shiaism, the rich scientific culture of Persia has been eradicated from much of Afghanistan.

Afghan Diary: The Bashi-bazouks of Afghanistan

The Bashi-bazouks were soldiers of the Ottoman Empire who terrorized civilians, received no standard pay, and lived primarily off looting and pillaging.  The Taliban are the Bashi-bazouks of Afghanistan.  Most Taliban do not recieve any salary, instead they are paid for missions or activites they partake in.  This payment, however, is not enough to survive on.  So many Taliban survive by going house to house demanding "donations" and/or a meal to eat.  Below are some stories I have been told by villagers of what the Taliban have done (warning: the second story gets violent).

"The Wife is Not Home"

A Taliban commander was hungry so he went to a house and pounded on the door demanding food.  The man of the house did not open the door.  Instead he said that his wife was gone to the market to buy supplies so there was no food and no one to cook any food.  The commander yelled that he was going to break down the door and that if he found the wife inside he would kill everyone in the house.  The man of the house meekly opened the door and his wife, who was hiding, was forced to cook the last of the family's food for the commander.

"The Husband is Not Home"

Several Taliban were passing through a village around noon.  They walked up to a door and announced their intent to eat lunch with the family who owned the qalat.  A female voice answered them through the closed door.  The woman of the house said her husband was at the mosque praying so she could not allow them in (in Pashtun culture guests cannot be in a house with women if the man of the house is away).  The Taliban replied "Whore, we are the men of this house, this village, this district, and this province!  We will beat you like a dog to show you we are the men of this place!"  The Taliban forced themselves in, beat the woman, and forced her to make lunch for them.  The husband did not return from the mosque until after the Taliban had left.

"Night Surprise"

A man was reading by candle light late at night when a teenager walked up to his window.  The teenager said "I'm hungry."  The man looked up and thinking the boy some beggar told the teenager to go away.  The man looked back down to continue reading.  The boy again said "I'm hungry."  As the man was looking up, preparing to yell at the teenager, he noticed the teenager had an RPG pointed straight at the him.  The teenager said for a third time, "I'm hungry."  The man ordered his son to give several loaves of naan to the teenager.  The teenager put away the RPG, took the naan, and walked off into the darkness.

Afghan Snow: A Poem by Catholicgauze

As with much in Afghanistan, snow has both its positive and negatives which are felt equally at the same time.  I thought of this three-verse poem while I was freezing outside in the Afghan air.  It reflects my evolving thoughts on the snow going from "I hate it" to "It is kind of neat" to "Thank God for snow!"  My thoughts also grew, starting from single-minded, self-centered complaints to thinking about the overall picture.

Snow

Wetter of socks

Canceller of flights

Bringer of cold

Cursed snow!

Snow

Painter of mountains

Supplier of spring melt

Tool for imaginative play

Snow

Snow

Clogger of Taliban hill passes

Preventer of terrorist patrols

Ruin of militant's outdoor weapons caches

Blessed snow!

March 2011 Travel Photo: Harzaran School Room

The travel photo for March is unique in the sense it is not a landscape photograph.  It was taken in a multiroom school house which is nestled in the mountains of Ghazni Province.  These two Harzaran school kids were goofing off and were the center of attention for the photograph.

However, there is knowledge to be gained of Afghanistan from this photograph.  The chalk board is covered in Dari writting.  Dari (Royal Persian) is the language of the government of Afghanistan and is one of the two official languages of Afghanistan, the other being Pashtun.  Dari is an old form of Persian that was spoken by the Shahs of Iran hundreds of years ago.  But unlike Iranian Persian, also called Farsi, Dari has not evolved like Farsi has.  Harazas speak Dari and most do not bother learning Pashtun.

Also, on the right is a chart about Shia Islam.  Hazaras, unlike the every other ethnic group in Afghanistan, are majority Shia Twelver Muslims (like most Iranians).  The Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GOIRA) has no separation of mosque and state.  In fact it embraces a sort of union between the two.  GOIRA does not care if a school teaches Shia or Sunni Islam as long as the school stays inside the orthodoxies of the two.

An Afghan Comments on Wisconsin Democratic Rule

Afghan:  So everyone was elected?

Me: Yes.

Afghan:  And so Obama's party just leave because they don't like their chances at the vote?

Me:  Yes.

Afghan:  That's not very democratic.

Me:  No.

Afghan Diary: "A dumb ally is worse than a smart adversary"

"A dumb ally is worse than a smart adversary." -Pashtun Proverb

Many American soldiers out here probably would nod their head in agreement when they discuss the actions and inactions of soldiers from other countries.  While some countries stand and fight others with the best of the Americans others like the Poles have surrendered much Ghazni Province to the Taliban without a fight, Canadian soldiers fight tough but their commanders shut down after every causality, and the Germans refuse to fight.  Time Magazine has a good article on this subject.

Muhammad, Christians, and Afghan Antisemitism

I have been able to have many great conservations with Afghans dealing with religion.  Unlike places in the Middle East, where the furthest I ever got was being told I should be Muslim (translation: I like you but you are a dirty infidel), Afghans seem much more open to discuss religion with non-Muslims.  Perhaps this is because in Afghanistan Christianity is a distant "other" rather than a close, potential threat that many in the Middle East see it as.  I cannot say for sure why Afghans are more open but both Shia Sufis and Sunnis have been more than interested in hearing me talk about Catholicism, Protestantism, similarities between Sufi and Catholic saints, and what I know about Islam.

It was during one of these talks that I was told a story which offers deep reflections into Afghan cultural schooling of both Christianity and Judaism.  One elder asked me if I knew the story about how a priest saved Muhammad's life.  I knew of several early encounter stories of Muhammad and Christians including the Nestorian or Arian monk Bahira and Muhammad's relative, the Ebionite priest Waraqah ibn Nawfal, but I had not heard the story of a priest saving Muhammad's life.  So I asked to hear the story.

A Priest Saves Muhammad (Paraphrased by me)

When Muhammad was born his father had already had died.  His mother gave him to an Arab Bedioun tribe as was the custom of Meccan Arabs, in order for Arab children to start off their lives growing strong.  When Mohammad was a baby a Christian priest told Halimah bint Abi Dhuayb, his foster mother, to take care of the children because he was special and destined for great things.  The priest made special note telling Hamlimah to beware of Jews who would be looking for the child.

Later, when Mohammad was still very young, a group of Jews came to the Bedouin camp and started asking questions about young children who demonstrated "signs."  The Jews found Halimah and began telling her how they believed Mohammad was the "one they were looking for."  The Jews then asked where the boy's father was.  Hamlimah, remembering what the priest had told her, pointed to her husband and said he was the boy's father.  The Jews then sighed and said Mohammad seemed to be the one they were looking for but the child they were looking for had a deceased father.  Hamlimah could tell the Jews were there looking for Mohammad in order to kill him.

The Afghans I was with all nodded while the story was being recited and one even told me he had learned the story while in school.

I have tried researching the story but I can find it no place else.  It seems to combine elements of a version of Bahria, who warned adults to protect Muhammad from the Jews, and extra-Biblical stories about Jesus' childhood and signs of his greatness.  The story also plays Christians in a good light, God-fearers who are looking for the truth.  While I have had access only to a select portion of Afghans, all of them have made points to remark on the shared values of Christians and Muslims, something which Muslims in the Middle East that I have encountered to do not mention.  There, I have been told Christianity is corrupted truth and that only Islam holds the answer.

The saddest part of the story is the antisemitism.  Nearly five hundred years had passed between the destruction of organized, Temple Judaism and the birth of Muhammad.  Sadly, the complete lack of Judaism's ability to pull off the logistics required to do any giant "hunt down the chosen one" operation does not enter anyone's mind here.  Instead, stories about how bad Jews are continue.  When I tried mentioning my doubts about an organized Jewish plot against Muhammad the elder just started listing off prophets killed by "the Jews."

My conservations with Muslims have been very rewarding.  They have asked to have parts of my Bible and works by Saint Josemaria Escriva translated so they can "read God's word and works to others."  However, for all these good moments it is disheartening to see dark hates lurk in the hearts and minds of good religious people.

February 2011 Travel Photo: Walking a District Center's Bazaar Street

During my first time out into the non-Coalition Forces controlled part of Afghanistan I was able to walk up and down a bazaar street in a district center (DC) in Ghazni Province.  The DC, what they call the capital of the various districts that make a province, was one of the few places in the district which was controlled by the local Afghan National Police (ANP).  The district sub-governor, head of the district and the representative of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghainstan (GIROA), did not live in the DC because he did not feel safe because the Taliban controlled almost everything outside the DC.

The bazaar street experience was fascinating.  The store owners were friendly and listen intently to what we had to say.  However, when they talked they gave little faith to GIORA.  Many store owners described how they had to bribe both the Taliban and the local ANP otherwise the store owners would be robbed by Taliban and/or ANP thugs.

It was here where I had the first encounter with Afghan kids.  From an earlier e-mail I sent out:

The first stop was in a village bazaar.  Immediately I and everyone else with me were rushed by legions of kids.  We identified the eldest kid, about 12 years old or so, and made him the "elder" by giving him the huge bag of candy.  He set out to distribute the candy in standard Afghan pecking order.  A few kids broke off from his group to follow us.  For the whole hour we were out in the bazaar the kids would say "pen, pen" (asking for a pen).  They would not stop asking for a pen despite the fact we told them in Pashtun that we had no pens.

Soon other kids joined in pointing at possessions and asking for them.  "Watch!"  "Belt!"  It was beginning to become a mob scene when we finally left the bazaar street.

The delicious part of the bazaar involved a baker.  He sold me on his daily special of four, meter-long pieces of naan bread for 10 Afghani (about 1 dollar).  As a fan of bread I can assure you it was delicious!

Map of the Security Situation in Afghanistan by Provinces

Where is Catholicgauze?  In the Black!  Map by ANSO.

The most violent province, according to the Afghanistan NGO Safety Office, is Ghazni.  While the United States Marines and the best of Afghanistan's military are focusing on Kandahar and Helmand, Ghazni's battlespace owner is the Polish military which has very restrictive rules of engagement.  Poland has also been unwilling to do patrols off the one main highway thus de facto surrendering all outlying areas to the Taliban.  (Hat tip:  Long War Journal)

Note from a Shura: How to End the War

This is a sort of, partial answer to Smeeko's Ask a Geographer question.  I will try to develop on his questions in further posts.  If you have your own question dealing with geography and relating to Afghanistan be sure to e-mail me at catholicgauze [at] gmail [dot] com or leave a comment!

Photo courtesy of the PRT

 I was fortunate enough earlier in my time in Afghanistan to attend an impromptu shura between Pashtun village elders and a Provencal Reconstruction Team (PRT).

The elders stated the only way to end the war was for Afghan President Hamid Karzai to summon a giant shura of all religious scholars and have them settle everything from the war, to laws to be implemented, to what to do with aid and soldiers from all over the world.  They were upset that in nine years of his reign President Karzai has done nothing like this.

When a leading PRT member said he hope to start a shura with the elders, PRT, and local Taliban to achieve peace the elders dismissed the PRT's proposal as pointless.  A peace shura can "only come from Karzai."

The elders did state they would appreciate PRT support for their clinic.  The elders said ,"Just a few days ago a woman died giving birth to a son because there was no medicine.  The doctor has left because there is no money to pay him.  Give us medicine and money for a doctor.  Anything else you give us the Taliban will take and punish us for accepting gifts from you."