news letter
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Issue 14 April 2012 quaterly news letter of the association of hazaras invictoriainc.TRANSCRIPT
A Unique Mother’s Day Gift
Issue 14, April 2012
Number one in serving
the Afghan Community
in Australia
A Unique Mother’s Day
Gift (Page 1)
Happy Nowruz (Page 1)
Welcome Dandenong
Sharks (Page 2)
Najd and Shabnam’s Award
(Page 3)
Happy Nowruz (Continued)
(Page 3)
Moral crimes are severally
punished in Afghanistan
(Page 3)
Internation Women’s Day
(Page 4)
Inside this issue:
Editor: Namat Kadrie
The Association of
Hazaras in Victoria Inc.
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.bamyan.org.au
By : Hamed Saberi
The third round of our driving edu-
cation program for Afghan women
will be officially launched on Sun-
day the 13th May this year, when
some members of the Afghan com-
munity come together to celebrate
mother day. Supported by both
Refugee Action Program and city
of Greater Dandenong, the pro-
gram’s aim is to assist Afghan
women to learn how to drive and
ultimately obtain their driver’s li-
cence.
As we all know, Afghanistan has
undergone three decades of atro-
cious war including the cruel Tali-
ban regime, which has had a dev-
astating impact on the Afghan peo-
ple. Many people, especially
women, have not had the opportu-
nity of focusing on education, work and
driving.
However, here in Australia, women need
driving skills to contribute more to their
family life as a mother and also to partici-
pate in the community. Accordingly our
driving program, which will be launched
on Mother’s Day, can be considered a
unique Mother’s Day gift for a group of
newly arrived Afghan women for whom
learning to drive is identified a significant
challenge.
Both the association of Hazaras in Victo-
ria and Afghan women and youth associa-
tion are counting on the experience gained
from previous rounds to ensure the effec-
tiveness and success of the program in
2012.
If you would like to contribute by offering
your time as a volunteer driver or should
you have any queries regarding this pro-
gram, please do not hesitate to contact
Hamed Saberi on 0438 895 728. You will
be provided full support while assisting us
with this program.
Happy Nowruz
By: Namat Kadrie In harmony and peace, Afghans have gathered to celebrate the Persian New Year; Eid Nowruz. Eid Nowruz is the name for the festival that observes the New Year for many Persian and Cen-tral Asian communities, South Asia, and North West of China including Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Turkey.
Nowruz is a secular festival, but also an ancient cultural practice. Nowruz is also widely referred to as the "Persian New Year”. It marks the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of the New Year. This occasion has been celebrated by diverse ethnic communities for thousands of years and marks the beginning of the Persian New Year; 1391.
Nowruz, is a time of renewal, of joy, of forgiveness but most importantly of love.
For the first time in Victoria, Andisha Community Language School is offering Dari lan-guage course for English speaking Australians in 2012. Accredited by DEECD, our school is the only language school in Melbourne which provides such a unique opportunity to learn more about the rich culture and language of Afghanistan. Starting from July 2012 the course runs on school terms and costs $110 per term. For more information please call Hamed on 0438 895 728, or send an email to [email protected]
Continued on page 3
unteering work.
Najd is now a part of Involve Youth Ministerial Advisory
Committee. A body established by the Hon. Ryan Smith,
Minister for Youth Affairs, which consists of 18 con-
sciousness students.
Shabnam is now a proud Ca-
sey Youth Ambassador. An-
other volunteering body con-
sisting of courageous young
individuals.
Both Shabnam and Najd re-
call the ADST experience as
awe-inspiring and wishes
their fellow youth Afghans to
get involved .
By : Namat Kadrie
Najd Hussein and Shabnam Safa, was amongst
twenty recipients who won the City of Casey Aus-
tralia Day Study Tour Award for 2011.
Australia Day Study Tour (ADST) is an official tour
which gives selected young enthusiastic and con-
sciousness citizens the opportunity to observe Fed-
eral, State, and Local Governments in Australia.
This annual event offers a unique opportunity for
young citizens of this great nation from all diverse
walks of life to enhance their understanding of the
three arms and the three bodies of Government in
Australia.
Najd and Shabnam’s award is a recognition for their
great interest towards politics and also their excel-
lent contribution to enhance their community. They
won this award shortly after they were nominated
for the ADST by their teachers.
A year has gone by, and yet Najd and Shabnam are
as enthusiastic as ever about being involved in vol-
By Hamed Saberi Dandenong Sharks, a soccer team established and sponsored by the association of Hazaras in Victoria will be playing for the Grand Final Cup in a multi-cultural youth tournament on Saturday the 14th April. Facilitated and coordinated by IEmpower Youth Inc, the program’s aim is to link young peo-ple from refugee communities to a sustainable sport. For many young Afghans soccer is their so-cial link. It has also been used as a mechanism for greater integration and social cohesion.
The leadership and players of Dandenong Sharks have worked very hard to make sure this tourna-ment is a success story. As we know with every success there is a challenge. This became obvious when Dandenong Sharks went down five to two in the opening game. They, however, bounced back incredibly well and managed to reach the final.
The Multicultural Youth Tournament is a community event that will hopefully continue for many years to come. Dandenong Sharks and the management com-mittee of the association of Hazaras in Victoria will work with iEmpower and other organisations to ensure this tournament and the structure of the teams re-mains intact.
Najd and Shabnam’s Award
Welcome Dandenong Sharks
ISS U E 1 4, A PR IL 201 2
Shabnam Safa and Najd Hus-
sein holding their ADST Cer-
tificate with joy.
Authentic Afghan, Iranian and Indian Tandoori Cuisine
Afghan Masala Restaurant cordially invites you and your guests to celebrate your special
events and private functions in our newly expanded venue with capacity of up to 120 people.
247-249 Thomas st, Dandenong, Vic 3175
ISS U E 1 4, A PR IL 201 2
judges to treat women and girls who run away as criminals. The supreme court of Afghanistan says, that this is based on Sharia Law and according to the HRW report, the chief justice claiming that women and men are treated as equal citizen of the country regardless of their gender. They deny of any wrong doing or any negligence on any individual cases.
There is no single government or country in the world who treats flee-ing home as a crime. Moral crimes in Afghanistan usually involve adultery or fleeing home without permission.
Also, according to the HRW re-ports, the majority of the women who have been jailed fears of “honor killing” by their families because they have been convicted of these crimes.
The Afghan constitution provides equal treatment of men and women but when it comes to the law enforcement you see the op-posite site of the story and women are treated far from equal.
Karzai does issue presidential par-
dons from time to time for women and girls who have been convicted of moral crimes but it doesn’t make much differ-ence to the fundamental rights of women in that society.
I should say that the Karzai govern-ment must respect and protect women’s rights according to the Afghan constitution and simultaneously en-force such laws actively.
During the past ten years of Karzai’s government, although there have been some amendments and developments in the education, employment and healthcare department for women but despite of all that changes women still face significant challenges in their social lives. Afghanistan is a conservative soci-ety which is influenced by religious and more extreme groups. Women are treated as a second class citizen in many aspects of their social lives in the coun-try.
After more than a decade of interna-tional efforts to reform the legal system and women's rights in Afghanistan, and despite a number of improvements, women still face extremely limited pro-tection in the justice system.
According to the Human Rights Watch, there are approximately 400 women imprisoned in Afghanistan for running away from their families or abusive hus-bands, and the main reason for escaping is domestic violence or forced marriage.
Running away from the family or fleeing home without permission is not consid-ered a crime in the criminal justice sys-tem of Afghanistan but the supreme court of Afghanistan manipulates its
On the 24th of
March, people of the Afghan community
members celebrated Eid Nowruz which was held by the Association of Hazaras in
Victoria in the City of Greater Dande-nong.
In Afghanistan, the outskirts of Mazer-
Shariff would have blossomed with gul-
esurkh, red roses, during the period of Nowruz. People would have taken the
mountains and climbed the hills and
would have enjoyed Nowruz.
But here in Victoria a more modernized
approach is taken towards Nowruz. Af-ghan community members gathered to
celebrate the New Year by reciting po-ems, eating exotic cultural foods and
playing traditional music and entertain-ment. Nowruz is sought to bring harmony
and friendship not just in Afghanistan but
in all around the world.
Page 3
Atoms
Moral crimes are severally punished in Afghanistan
Happy Nowruz
"O day, arise! The atoms are
dancing.
Thanks to Him the universe is
dancing.
The souls are dancing, overcome
with ecstasy.
I'll whisper in your ear where their
dance is taking them...
All the atoms in the air and in the
desert Know well, they seem in-
sane.
Every single atom, happy or mis-
erable,
Becomes enamoured of the sun, of which nothing can be said.
By: Mawlana Jalal-al-din Rumi
Farsi Translation:
ای روز برا که ذره ها رقص کنند
آن کس که از او چرخ و هوا رقص کنند
جانها ز خوشی بی سر و پا رقص کنند
رقص کنند در گوش تو گویم که کجا
هر ذره که در هوا یا در هامون است
نیکو نگرش که همچو ما مفتون است
هر ذره اگر خوش است اگر محذون استسرگشته خورشید خوش بی چون است
One of many women imprisoned for
mere moral crimes such as running away
from home.
By Arif Hamdam
Continued from page 1
The Association of Hazaras in Victoria is a not-for-profit organization
established in April 2002 to assist Afghan refugees in Australia . The
challenging and diverse work of the Association is carried out by a
management committee of 11 volunteer members elected biannually.
Our organisational aims are:
To assist Afghan refugees and migrants with their resettlement in Australia.
To bring the Afghan community together and promote their active participation
in Australia’s multicultural life and society.
To support human rights, democratic freedoms and the rights of ethnic minorities
in both in Afghanistan and in Australia.
1-3 Lightwood Rd
Springvale VIC 3171
PO Box 7268
Dandenong VIC 3175
T HE ASSOCIATI ON OF H AZARAS
I N VI CT ORI A INC.
E-mail: [email protected]
www.bamyan.org.au
International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated across the world
on March 8th each year. The first international women day was
celebrated in 1911 where women stood against the patriarchy
and shook the world in surprise for demeaning and underlining
inequality of women.
A century has passed celebrating international women day,
many achievements have been made in the life of women and
today the significant role of women is recognised and distin-
guished in global stage. Unfortunately, Afghan women are still
struggling for their basic human rights. They are motionlessly
treated as second class citizens. Early March 2012 the Uleama
Council, Afghanistan's highest Islamic authority, issued a non-
binding edict saying: "Men are fundamental and women are sec-
ondary," adding women should avoid "mingling with strange men
in various social activities such as education, in bazaars, in of-
fices and other aspects of life, women should wear full hijab and
accept polygamy". This implies that women should not go to uni-
versity or to work at all. Many women are increasingly concerned
including Afghan Human Rights Commission that Mr Hamed
Karzai's Afghan President’s desire by this edict is to pass the
massage to Taliban that he could compromise amending the
constitution and to bring the hardiness Islamists into mainstream
politics. One could ask what does it means in a real life for Af-
ghan women.
On 12 March 2012 the story of underage girl (15) marriage with
49 years old man captured the attention of media both in Af-
ghanistan and some foreign countries.
Basir Ahmad Mallani ( Basir Khan) residence of Herat province
got engaged to Parwana , a 15 years old girl. Parwana is a student
of ninth grade and she is Mohammad Basir relative. Basir Khan is
49 years old now, his first marriage was when he was 23 years old
and he is father of 5 children. Parwana’s father is satisfied of his
daughter's marriage with Mohammad Basir.
Another 15 years old girl Sahar Gul’s story shocked the international
media and those who are concerned over issue of Afghanistan and
mainly women’s rights. Sahar Gul, “the tortured child bride, horrific
ordeal of Afghan girl was rescued from toilet prison after husband's
family mutilated her for refusing to work as a prostitute. The 15-year
-old was beaten and burned with cigarettes after being locked in a
toilet for five months. These are not the only stories, there are thou-
sands of girls/women who are imprisoned, tortured and even killed
on basis of moral crimes such as refusing to get married to a man of
twice her age. We know successes of IWD and we are furthermore
aware that the international forces will withdraw from Afghanistan by
2014 but the only thing that we may not know, and we may do not
want to know is brutal abused and struggle of thousands of Afghan
women in Afghanistan.
By Zamera Shariffie
Parwana and Basir Ahmad Mallani
International Women’s Day