Feedback
Editorial
Special
Report
Update
Tribute
Newscan
Observatory
Essay
Ethos
Breaking
Barriers
Voices
Home
Back to sabrang.com
Archives
See what's in?
Subscriptions
Subscribe to CC
Advertising
Want to Advertise in CC
Sabrang
Team
Meet those talented people of Sabrang
Our Activities
Activities carried out by Sabrang
Letters to Editor
Send your letters to the Editors
Contact
Us
Umh!, Whats this? |
Breaking Barriers / February
2001
<<<
Go to index page
Peshawar
Appeal for solidarity for International
Women’s Day
The Revolutionary Association of
the Women of Afhanistan (RAWA) has been heroically battling the forces
of religious extremism in their homeland since the late eighties (see CC,
November 1998). Over the past months the situation in Afghanistan has worsened,
impelling them to send out this international appeal. We reproduce this
appeal as our campaign of the month with a background note on the situation
caused by recent instances of Taliban terror on the local population of
Afghanistan.
The result of the ceaseless violence
on the Afghan population has increased the number of refugees flowing into
Pakistan and other countries.
Dear Friend,
RAWA, as the only voice for the
suppressed and enchained women of Afghanistan, will celebrate International
Women’s Day on March 8, 2001 in Pakistan by arranging a function.
RAWA is determined to publicly expose
and condemn the catastrophic situation of Afghan people. But we need your
help to make this function an impressive and effective event.
Donations could be sent in cash
or a check payable to “Support Afghan Women” to the following address and
inform us through email:
International Women’s Day event,
Support Afghan Women, 500 S. Azusa Avenue, PMB 330, Azusa, CA 91702, USA
Please Note that if you draw
the check payable to RAWA or anything else we may NOT be able to cash it.
Your SOLIDARITY MESSAGE on the occasion
would also be highly appreciated. Please send your message soon as we will
translate them into Persian and Pashto to be read out in the function.
Our heartfelt thanks in advance,
Sisterly,
8th March celebration Committee,
RAWA
E-mails: [email protected], [email protected]
Home Page: http://www.rawa.org
A RAWA member reports on February
8, 2001 on the massacre by the Taliban in Yakaolang in December 2,000.
On returning from the sub-province
of Yakaolang (Bamyan, central Afghanistan) a member of RAWA has submitted
this report. Her father and uncle lost their lives in that horrible fighting
between the Taliban and the Khalili.
On December 14, 2000 at midnight,
while people were exposed to bitter cold and hunger, in the sub-province
Yukaolang, the Karim Khalili and Qurbanali Arfani gangs started guerrilla
warfare that resulted in the murder of some people from the Taliban side.
In the meantime a large number of innocent villagers became the victim
of their bullish fighting as well.
At about 4 am, the Taliban
forces retreated and the armed men of Khalili in the pretext of conducting
an investigation started to loot and rob people’s property. Shops of local
residents were looted mercilessly and the village of Bida Muskin
were plundered too. This theft and robbery continued for seven days until
the Taliban had prepared for retaliation. They struck back on the Bamyan
province from the pass of Sad Barg and Shatoo and a very horrible battle
continued for more than seven hours between them, which resulted in the
loss of one hundred people from Yakuolang, mostly children and aged women
and men. When the Taliban entered different villages, on the pretext of
supporting Khalili, they dragged people out of their homes and shot them
dead. Among the people who lost their lives were Haji Yaqub, Haji Ishaq,
Sayed Sarwar, and an engineer Syed Dawad with his four children.
From the village of Akhundan, Muhammad
Mosa son of Khuday Nazar, Marheez son of Sher Muhammad, Ahmad son of Iqbal
and about seventeen children were murdered. In the village of Khata Khana
in a mosque a number of innocent people took shelter in the vain hope that
perhaps the Taliban might not harm them but unfortunately just after taking
control of the area they fired rockets on the mosque and left seventy people
dead at the spot. Most of them were children and old people who were covered
by the walls of the mosque and left there, dead for many days, becoming
the meal for wild beasts. But the Taliban were not satisfied, they burnt
people’s houses and bulldozed them. They set on fire stocks of wheat and
animal fodder. In the village of Quraan the armed men of the Taliban shot
a number of small children dead. They killed three peasants by the name
of Rajab, Khadim and Hameed in a single house.
This recent massacre has created
even more long queues of refugees to Pakistan and Iran.
Meanwhile in a related development,
the United Nations has called for the immediate end to hostilities in Afghanistan.
In this item that appeared in the Pakistani newspaper The News, on February
8, 2001 the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Afghanistan
Kamal Hossain has appealed to Taliban Supreme leader Mulla Mohammad Omar
and ousted Afghan president Burhanuddin Rabbani to refrain from resumption
of hostilities. In his letters addressed to both the sides, he also urged
for immediate investigations to identify those responsible for grave violations
of human rights and international humanitarian law.
He said: “I am extremely concerned
about the reports that are now coming out of Yakawlang district in Hazarajat.
I have received numerous accounts of civilians being deliberately attacked
and killed and subjected to gross and systematic violations of their human
rights.”
It is reported that in December
2000, the forces of the Northern Alliance captured Yakawlang which was
subsequently recaptured by the Taliban militia in the first week of January.
In the course of this offensive,
it was reported that both conflicting parties showed utter disregard for
the well-being of the civilian population.
A United Nations staff member is
still missing and it is reported that local humanitarian personnel are
among those killed. It is also reported that the alliance forces occupied
a hospital and Leprosy Centre that was subsequently attacked by the Taliban
troops.
Bhubhaneshwar
People and Faith
For over 65 years, they have been
telling pious Hindus the auspicious time for birth, marriage, worship and
rituals. Who are they? Local Muslims.
For, the family of Saikh Jahrul
Islam, the printing of panjikas - Hindu almanacs or calendars – has been
their business for years in Orissa. Pious Hindus follow the panjika for
everything, from predictions to horoscope details, marriage, birth, naming
their children and festival dates. They also detect good periods for business
and travel through it. Jahrul, 52, and his family members who stay in Cuttack
city, 30 km from state capital Bhubaneswar, continue his father’s work
of publishing and printing of ancient Hindu religious books in their Orissa
Kohinoor Press.
Jahrul’s father, Shaikh Aminul Islam,
established the press in 1928. “He had established this printing press
when there were only five or six press in the entire state. Since then
we have been engaged in the printing and publishing of Hindu religious
books,” said Jaharul.
But the famous Kohinoor Panjika,
which is recognized even in Hindu temples, came later. “When people were
looking for an authentic calendar my father started publishing this book
in 1935 taking help from experts,” Jahrul said.
Apart from the almanac, the press
also publishes famous Hindu texts like the Upanishads and Puranas, and
epics like the Mahabharata and Ramayana.
Jahrul says their books are even
approved by the priests of the famous Jagannath Temple in Puri town in
Orissa, which does not allow anyone except Hindus to enter its precincts.
“We are not allowed to enter the Jagannath Temple, but our panjika goes
inside and receives high status. I have visited a large number of Hindu
temples and spoken on Hinduism,” Jahrul said. Jahrul proudly says their
press was one of the centers for the independence movement against British
rule in India. “More than a dozen times our press was raided for publishing
anti-British books in that (the British rule) period,” Jahrul said, adding
the British raided their press, seized all the revolutionary books and
banned their publication.
Cuttack has more then 300,000 Hindus
and around 30,000 Muslims. And though it has no history of major communal
violence, tension grips both communities during Hindu festivals in October
and November every year. There have also been sporadic incidents of violent
clashes among the community. But Jahrul says such incidents do not affect
his work. “Both Muslims and Hindus here respect us,” he said. And his almanac
too is bringing about communal unity by recording Muslim and Christian
events. “Our panjika also highlights various Muslim and Christian festivals.
Most of the Muslims read our panjika to know various dates of festivals.
In every page you will find one sentence which gives information to the
Muslim communities,” said Jahrul.
His family too participates in the
effort. “We are five sisters and four brothers and though the press is
looked after by me and my elder brother,the rest of the family too participates
in it,” said Jahrul. “We are grooming our children to continue the Hindu
book publishing tradition in the future,” he added. Jahrul and his father
have received several state and national awards for their contribution
to the society.
(India Abroad News Service) |