Introduction to The Rugmaker of

Mazar-e-SharifNajaf Mazari

&Robert Hillman

Themes

• Islam• Afghanistan• Refugees

Islam

• Originated in Saudi Arabia in the 7th Century AD

• ISLAM - means surrender or submission to God (Allah is the Arabic word for ‘the one true God and creator’)

• MUSLIM – a follower of Islam

• QUR’AN - The words of Allah as told to Muhammad by the angel Gabriel, and written down by Muhammad’s followers. Exists only in Arabic language.

5 pillars of IslamFIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM BELIEF (in ALLAH and his prophet MUHAMMAD) PRAYER (five times a day) ZAHAT (Giving charity) FASTING (RAMADAN) HAJJ – Pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, to the Ka’ba, a black

monument said to have been built by Abraham and his son Ishmael.

The Ka’ba in Mecca

Islam in AfghanistanIslam is practiced by the vast majority of Afghans and governs much of their personal, political, economic and legal lives.

Najaf’s home city Mazar-e-Sharif is named after the blue mosque in thecentre of the city

Afghanistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia bordered by six countries

• Pakistan• Iran• Turkmenistan• Uzbekistan• Tajikistan• China

Ethnicity in AfghanistanAfghanistan has several ethnicgroups , the largest are thePashtun 42% Tajik 27% Hazara 9%

The official border of Afghanistan,shown in red, has little in commonthe boundaries of these ethnic groups who speak more than 30different languages

Because of its strategic location Afghanistan has been invaded numerous times throughout history

Afghanistan occupies the “Crossroads of Asia”

These invasions include

• 330 BC - Alexander the Great (Greece) • 640 AD - Arab invasion which brings Islam • 1219 - Genghis Khan (Mongolia) • 1839- 1842 - Britain • 1878 – 1880 Britain • 1979 – 1989 - Soviet Union • 2001 – Present - US led coalition

Afghanistan has experienced turmoil almost constantly throughout history...

Modern history

• The “Great Game”• The Cold War• Communism• Soviet Invasion• The Taliban• “Enduring Freedom”

“The Great Game”19th Century

• Rivalry between Britain and Russia for influence in Central Asia and the Middle East

• The present day borders of Afghanistan were established amidst this competition

“Save me from my friends” Political cartoon from 1878 depicting the Afghan EmirCaught between the British lion and the Russian bear

The Cold War1945-1989

• Ideological rivalry between two superpowers USA (capitalism) and the USSR (Communism)

• Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) – Nuclear weapons prevented the superpowers from fighting each other directly

• Instead the USA and USSR fought indirectly by supporting friendly governments and destabilising others

The Russian Bear and Uncle Sam seesaw in their contest to gain the upper hand

Communism1978-1992

• Communists seize power and introduce reforms which are incompatible with traditional systems

• Communist atheism (belief there is no god) clashes with Islamic values

• Afghan fighters begin resisting the communist government

Soviet Invasion1979-1989

• Soviet Union intervenes to prevent overthrow of Afghanistan’s communist government

• United States begins secretly supplying and training Islamic fighters (Mujahedeen) to fight the Soviets

• Afghan civilian casualties estimated at over one million people, many more flee

• Soviet forces defeated by guerrilla tactics of Mujahedeen and withdraw

Soviet aircrew in front of an attack helicopter in Afghanistan

Afghan Mujahedeen with a US madeStinger anti-aircraft missile launcher

The Taliban1995-2001

• After the Soviet defeat there is a period of civil war from which the fundamentalist Islamic Taliban emerge on top

• The Taliban institutes strict shari’a law• Women have few rights, girls are forbidden to go to school

A member of the Taliban flogs a woman in the street The Taliban blows up the ancient Buddhist

statues of Bamiyan deemed to be false idols

US invasion2001 -

• 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States attributed to Osama Bin Laden a Saudi hiding out in the mountains of Afghanistan

• US demands Taliban hand over Bin Laden, they refuse so the US invades and overthrows them but is unable to capture Bin Laden until 2011

• US launches operation “Enduring Freedom” to stabilise and democratise Afghanistan before they withdraw but this proves to be a difficult task

Currently• President Hamid Karzai is considered corrupt and unpopular with the

people• American and coalition forces including Australians remain entrenched in

Afghanistan with no foreseeable way to withdraw without the Taliban and/or Al Qaeda returning

President Hamid KarzaiAustralian and Afghan soldiers waiting fortransport

What is a refugee?

The UN says "A person who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it.”

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

Afghan refugeesThe numbers of refugees has varied over time as the situation in Afghanistan has evolved. Currently 2.6 million Afghan refugees live in neighbouring countries, including Pakistan (1.7 million) and Iran (over 900,000), Other refugees have sought asylum in Europe, North America and Australia

The UNHCRUnited Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

The primary role of the UNHCR is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. It strives to ensure that everyone can find safe refuge in another State, with the option to return home voluntarily.

In 2007 the UNHCR estimated that around the world there were more than 31.7 million refugees and people of concern, in the period 2010-11 Australia’s Humanitarian Program is set at 13,750 places.

Refugees in AustraliaThe Government says “the size of the refugee program is influenced by a number of factors. “

• UNHCR assessments of the resettlement needs of refugees overseas • the views of individuals and organisations in Australia• Australia's capacity to assist.

Immigration Minister Chris Bowen

Immigration policy in Australia is a highly politicised issue with no easy solutions

Boat peopleThe overwhelming majority of around 4000 people who seek Australia’s protection each year arrive by plane. Asylum seekers arriving by boat constitute a very small proportion of the total and have their claims considered on Christmas Island.

Plane Arrivals Boat Arrivals2008–09 84% 16%2009–10 53% 47%2010–11 56% 44%

Mandatory detentionAll people who enter Australia without a valid visa are held in detention facilities while their claims are assessed, during this time they undergo health, identity and security checks.

This policy has been highly contentious and several changes were made under the Rudd/Gillard governments. Najaf arrived in Australia during the Howard era. Below is a map of immigration detention centres operating at that time.