Letters

Write for The Iranian Editorial policy

Friday
June 22, 2001

Hell on earth

What is taking place in Afghanistan, and the lack of concerted world community's response, is something that, soon or later, going to weigh heavily on the vigilant conscious of humanity ["Limbs of no body"]. The same kind of collective shame that has haunted souls ever since Holocaust. Not wanting to equate what is going on in Afghanistan with that of Holocaust, I am at a loss to find another befitting single defining word for it.

If wonton killing on a massive scale is a prerequisite, it is taking place in Afghanistan. If setting ablaze entire villeges and towns with its old and infirmed inhabitants is another, that too has and is taking place. The last major one being the town of Yekavland, only a few days ago. If intentionally starving the population or forced immigration/flight due to fear is yet another criteria, well that too is there on a massive scale.

Simply put, what is going on there is Hell on earth. Segregation, arbitrarily beatings, hangings, amputations, executions by felling walls / beheadings and not being allowed to earn a living or an education for an entire segment of population, they are all there. The Yellow Star in the form of yellow patches and borgha is there as well. If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and whacks like a duck, then it is a duck.

Let's not delude ourselves, a full blown Holocaust is taking place in Afghanistan as we are sitting here chatting about finer things in life. I used to think how could Holocaust be allowed to take place in the 20th century. Well, I now know how. We as Iranians must keep in mind that the dark clouds will be one day lifted from our country and that of our historical / cultural and I dare to say genetic sister/brother country, Afghanistan. We then have to live with our collective conscious, and be able to look at an Afghan in the eye.

So much has been said about the burden of Afghan refugees on the national economy of Iran. Well aren't we the nation that proude itself in following Sa'di's' motto "children of Adam are organs of a single body, humanity when an organ is in pain the rest of the body cannot be restful".

Well it is put up or sut up time. Mr. Makhmalbaf' translated article was originally printed in a serialized format in the papers back home, titled: "Budha az sharm foroo-reekht" (Budha crumbled from shame), exactly what any conscionable human is feeling about the plight of Afghans.

We live in a world where realism/pragmatism dictates actions rather than the right thing to be done. In most cases they do not coincide, but rarely they do. It so happens in this case, at least as far as Iran is concerned, they do. Iran is bordered in the south and west by historical foes. To our north, thanks to the break up of the former Soviet Union, we are bordered by historical cousins, so as to the east.

One of the rare strategically correct decisions of the temporarily current regime in Iran has been the extension of good will to Armenia, and to some extent, to Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. These neighbors make up the nucleus of the future economic union/block, along with the Republic of Araan (currently named Azerbaijan), Georgia, Pakistan and Afghanistan. It is only good business sense to have natural allies in the future member country.

Besides, tuning our back to Afghans is tantamount to shirking family responsibilities. Just imagine your cousin, aunt or niece knocking on your door asking for refuge from a certain horrible death. That, in essence, is what is taking place.

Back to Mr. Makhmalbaaf. His past is not clear to everyone, but his present is. So is his liberal adaptations from other's intellectual property and remaking of foreign films. What needs to be distinguished here has nothing to do with him, rather, with "likes" of him. If we keep hitting everyone on the head, who for whatever reason is turning his/her back to the regime, with unsubstantiated past misdeeds, then how on earth do we expect their ranks to grow? ["How dare you?"]

The present temporary regime has survived till now, partly due to the fears its supporters have in the consequences of breaking ranks. If anything, we should encourage them, and not without due process convict them of high crimes.

By the way isn't that precisely what has been taking place by this regime, ie. convictions based on rumors and unsubstantiated claims, let alone the trumpt-up ones. If history has anything to teach, it is the long term planning that pays off big dividends, and not shortsighted small gains. Giving refuge to our Afghan brethrens is a sound moral, cultural, strategic and,in long term, economically profitable thing to do.

Besides, they are doing the dirty, back-breaking of jobs in Iran rather than being taken care of as refugees that they are. Sending them back with $50, couple of blankets, small cooking heater and few yards of tarpaulin is the wrong thing to do.

Shahriar Zangeneh

Comment for The Iranian letters section