اخلاق تجارت در افغانستان Business Ethics in Afghanistan

How much does Afghanistan lag behind?

If you want to know how much Afghanistan has lagged behind from the world, just think about a farmer in America who does almost all his work with modern machines, like plowing, sowing, reaping and cleaning of the crops ... but, at the same time think about a farmer in Afghanistan who does not know how to go to his farm, because his farm is full of explosive mines, and he does not know how to clean the planted mine on his farm, and he does not have anything to help him, and he only cuts the branches of a tree and s places them on the shoulders of his donkey, in such a way that the other sides of branches can touch the farm and he sends the donkey on his farm, so if there is a mine, it should exploded along the branches of the trees to make the farm clear of mines. In the words of Hafiz:

See the difference of the way is from where to where? 

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اگر می خواهید بدانید، که مردم افغانستان از قافله دنیا چقدر عقب مانده است، فقط به یک دهقان در امریکا فکر کنید، که تقریباً همه کارش را با ماشین آلات مدرن انجام می دهد، از کشت کردن گرفته تا آبیاری، تا درو کردن و تا پاک کردن محصولات زراعتی ... اما، در عین وقت  به یک دهقان در افغانستان فکر کنید، که نمی داند چگونه به مزرعه اش برود، چرا که مزرعه اش پر از ماین است، و او نمی داند که چگونه ماین های کشت شده در مزرعه اش را  پاک کاری کند، و او برای این کار هیچ چیزی ندارد، و فقط یک شاخه های یک درخت را بر شانه های یک خر طوری بار می کند، که یک سر شاخه ها بر زمین و سر دیگرش بر شانه های خر است، و او را اینگونه بر سر مزرعه خود میفرستد، تا اگر ماینی وجود داشته باشد، آن خر همراه به شاخه های درختان آنرا منفجر ساخته و مزرعه را از وجود ماین پاک کند. به قول حافظ:

ببین که تفاوت ره از کجاست تا به کجا؟

زندگی سفر عجیب

زندگی سفر عجیبی است 

که نمی دانیم از کجا به کجا میروئیم 

اما فقط می دانیم که میروئیم !

من یک مسافرم مثل تو ای مسافر

چند روزی با هم روبرو می شوئیم

یک چند کلمه با هم صحبت می کنیم

چند باری از کنار هم می گذریم

هیچ چیزی از همدیگر توقع نداریم

چون می دانیم که تو ای مسافر

از من مسافر نا توان تری

تو با دنیای خودت

یک جهان مشکل داری

این مهم نیست که به حرف من

گوش می کنی یا نمی کنی

اما این مهم است، که من باید به تو بگویم

آنچه را باید بگویم

اینکه من و تو

دو مسافریم

نباید در اولین دیدار، به روی هم بزنیم

و مبادا که این مسافرت چند روزه

این سفر زندگی را

برای هم مشکل تر از آنچه هست، بسازیم

به لباس مسافران دیگر

به باور ها و عقاید مسافران دیگر

به نگاه مسافران دیگر

به هم سفران مسافر دیگر

به سفر مسافر دیگر

و به منزل مسافر دیگر

و به لحظه لحظه ی سفر ها

و به خنده های مسافران دیگر

و به نام مسافران دیگر

به رنگ پوست مسافران دیگر

و به لنگی کلان دیگر

و به عشوه های زن جوان

برای دوست یابی

و به لهجه و زبان دیگر

و به مذهب و بیان دیگر

و به حقیقت پایان این سفر قسم

که این همه بهانه است

همه ازین جا رونده است

نمی توان به هر بهانه

لبخند لحظه های نادر شیرین

که در این سفر پر خطر کم است را

به این بهانه های ناچیز

نباید از لب دیگران ربود 

Why do we do what we do?

The people of the world is not learning

From the history

We did not learn from the Holocaust

We did not learn from the genocides

If we learned from the past

Why are we targeting another religion?

If we learned from Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Why do we still have nuclear weapons in this world?

If we know that genocide happened in Rwanda

If we know that genocides happened in Afghanistan

And we know that Afghanistan and African countries are poor

They cannot produce weapons

And weapons of mass destruction

Why do we produce weapons?

And export it to these countries?

Aren’t we somehow contributing?  

To human miseries

To the genocides and holocausts!

How many other new weapons are to be produced?

And how much other genocide is waiting to happen? 

Ministry of Rehabilitation, Revival, Development and Growth of Embezzlement and Bribery

وزارت احیاء ، انکشاف، رشد و پرورش اختلاس و ارتشاء

پس از آنکه اولیای امور به حقیقت این مسئله پی بردند، که در راستای از بین بردن فساد های اقتصادی همچون اختلاس و ارتشاء هیچ کاری نمی توانند انجام دهند، تصمیم گرفتند که این پدیده را به رسمیت شناخته و بر خلاف باور های قبلی شان، چند سالی را به طور آزمایشی این پدیده ها را به جای سرکوب کردن در رسانه ها، رشد داده در احیاء و انکشاف آن تلاش کنند تا باشد که نتایج حاصلهء آن مورد ارزیابی و بر رسی قرار گیرد. به منظور به حقیقت پیوستن این هدف، دولت جمهوری اسلامی افغانستان، با تخصیص بودجه، یک وزارت جدید درین کشور به نام وزارت احیاء، انکشاف، رشد و پرورش اختلاص و ارتشاء به وجود آورده و از همهء مردم شریف افغانستان تقاضا کرد تا با این وزارت همکاری نزدیک داشته باشند. این وزارت در اولین روز کاری خود از تمام علاقمندان اختلاس و ارتشاء تقاضا کرد که درخواست های کاری شان را به آدرس این وزارت همراه با 500 دالر امریکایی منحیث رشوت برای استخدام بفرستند تا در یکی از بهترین سمت های این وزارت استخدام شوند. البته رتبه و مقام درین وزارت بستگی به میزان رشوت و پول علاقمندان دارد. هر کسی که رشوت بیشتر بدهد، به همان اندازه به کرسی ها و مقامات بلند تری دست خواهند یافت.

این وزارت برای شناسایی بزرگترین اختلاسگر سال برنامه های خوبی دارد و برای این منظور یک وبسایت ساخته است که هر کسی که بخواهد مقام بلندترین اختلاسگر سال را به دست آورد، باید مبلغ اختلاس ها و ارتشاء های خودش را درین وبسایت ثبت کند. شرط قبولی این مبلغ ها این است که باید حد اقل چهار نفر شاهد و یا قربانی آن اختلاس، از حقیقت بودن اختلاس به صورت آنلاین تائید کنند. پس از تحقق این برنامه، شما همه ساله شاهد برگزاری تجلیل از بزرگترین اختلاسگر سال و همچنین بزرگترین ارتشاگر سال خواهید بود که درین برنامه برای این اشخاص جوایزی اعطا خواهد شد.

در محفل افتتاحیهء که به همین مناسبت ایجاد شده بود، رئیس جمهور افغانستان این اقدام را بی سابقه خوانده و از ملل متحد و تمام کشور های جهان و جامعه بین المللی در افغانستان خواست که این پروژه را به دقت تحت نظارت بگیرند و نتایج آنرا به تمام کشور های جهان ابلاغ کنند تا کشور های دیگر دنیا از سرنوشت مردم افغانستان و از نتیجه احیاء، انکشاف، رشد و پرورش اختلاس و ارتشاء پند بگیرند. سخنگوی سازمان ملل متحد ازین اقدام افغانستان قدردانی کرده و این را یک گام ارزشمند و یک قربانی بزرگ در راستای کسب تجربه های نوین در مورد شناسایی اختلاس و ارتشاء در جهان خواند. سازمان ملل متحد گفت که افغانستان یک درس جدید برای تمام ملت های جهان خواهد داشت و این مسئله است که اگر اختلاس و ارتشاء در یک کشور به اوج آن برسد، سرنوشت آن ملت چه خواهد شد. ناتو و امریکا نیز حمایت شان را ازین پروژه عجیب و غریب افغانستان اعلام کرده و وعده هر نوع همکاری را در راستای تحقق اهداف این پروژه اعلام کردند.

وزیر این وزارت نو ایجاد افغانستان اعلام کرد که در هر قدم و در هر پروسه کوشش می کند که اختلاس و ارتشاء به اوج آن برسد و همین گام اول اخذ رشوت در استخدام اولین نشانه های این قاطعیت در عملکرد به سوی اهداف این وزارت است. او ارزش های جدیدی را در وزارت خود معرفی کرده و گفت که ما پس ازین به مردم افغانستان وعده می کنیم که زنکه بازی، بچه بازی، رشوت گیری، سوء استفاده از قدرت، نژادپرستی، وند گیری، دزدی از بودجه سالانه، قومگرایی، استخدام اعضای خانواده، راه جوری، تسلط جویی و برتری جویی های قومی، مخالفت با قانون اساسی، نقض و تخطی حقوق بشر، زورآزمایی، آنارشی، مخالفت با شایسته سالاری و تقویت برخورد های گروهی و پارتی بازی زا حمایت کرده و آنها را جزء اهداف اصلی این وزارت ساختیم و اینها همه همان ارزش هائیست که این وزارت بر مبنای آن کار خواهد کرد. او همچنان علاوه کرد که این وزارت همه ساله بهترین های خود را به رسانه های افغانستان طی یک محفل بزرگ معرفی خواهد کرد و به آنها جایزه خواهند داد. او گفت هر شش ماه و یا هر سال یک بار، بهترین اشخاص خود را در زمینه های ذیل به معرفی خواهد گرفت:

1.       بهترین زنکه باز افغانستان

2.       بهترین بچه باز افغانستان

3.       بهترین رشوتگیر افغانستان

4.       بهترین سوء استفاده گر از قدرت

5.       بهترین نژادپرست افغانستان

6.       بهترین وند گیر افغانستان

7.       بهترین دزد افغانستان

8.       بهترین ناقض حقوق بشر

9.       بهترین زورآزمای افغانستان

10.   بهترین آنارشیست افغانستان

11.   بهترین نمونه عدم شایسته سالاری (ناشایسته ترین کارمند سال)

12.   بزرگترین حزبی و یا بزرگترین کسی که حامی گروهی دارد

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Ministry of Rehabilitation, Revival, Development and Growth of Embezzlement and Bribery (satire)

After the government authorities of Afghanistan found out that they are helpless and unable to fight against corruption and fraud including embezzlement and bribery, they decided to recognize these phenomena and make them allowed and official. To the realization of this objective, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, with the allocation of funds, created a new ministry in this country in the name of Ministry of Rehabilitation, Revival, Development and Growth of Embezzlement and Bribery and the government of Afghanistan appealed of all the people of Afghanistan to work closely with this Ministry. The employment, position and ranking in this ministry depend on the financial ability of the appliers to bribe and it is directly relevant to the amount of money they can spend. Anyone who bribes more, he will get just the same higher position, seats and ranking, as per mount of his / her money.

This ministry has a number of good programs to identify the most corrupt person and that is why it has created a website where people can register the amount of their bribery to win a prize but the registered amounts are only acceptable with the confirmation of four other persons or victims of the bribery online.

After realization of this program, every year the ministry will celebrate and appreciate the most corrupt celebrity of the year and it will be the largest celebration of the year in which awards will be granted to such corrupt person in different fields.

In the opening ceremony of this ministry, the president of Afghanistan has praised this initiation and this new step towards development and growth of corruption in the country. He said that this is a new step for Afghanistan and he also asked the United Nations and the international community in Afghanistan to follow and monitor this project step by step and to announce the results and impacts of this project to other nations of the world as an experimental and pilot project to see what happens if the corruption reaches to its peak in a country so that other nations learn lessons from Afghanistan.

A UN spokesman in Afghanistan appreciated this action and said that this is an important step and a great sacrifice in order to gain experience of innovations in recognition of the embezzlement, and the act of corruption in a country. NATO and America have announced their support of this project in Afghanistan and promised of cooperation in order to achieve the objectives of this project.

The new minister has introduced new values in the ministry to the people of Afghanistan and said that we have these promises to the people of Afghanistan to support sexual harassment, pedophilia, bribery, abuse of power, racism, the theft of the annual budget, ethnocentrism, employment of family members (nepotism), the conspiracy, seeking ethnic dominance- and superiority, actions against the constitution, breach and violations of human rights, power imbalances, anarchy, supporting and strengthening the public opinion against professionalism and specialization in which the main objectives of the Ministry lies and the Ministry will work to grow and develop these issues. He said every six months or once a year, there will be celebrations in which the top celebrity of each of these values as the best corrupt person of the year will be introduced in the following fields:

1. Who is the best rapist in Afghanistan?
2. Who is the craziest pedophile of Afghanistan?
3. Who is the best briber or bribe receiver in Afghanistan?
4. Who is the best person to abuse his power in Afghanistan?
5. Who is the top racist in Afghanistan?
6. Who is the best robber in Afghanistan?
7. Who is the best thief in Afghanistan?
8. Who is the best violator of human rights?
9. Who is the best fighter in Afghanistan?
10. Who is the best anarchist in Afghanistan?
11. Who is the best example of nepotism?
12. Who is the top man who uses a party or group support in negative ways? 

Khuda kafan kash saabeqa biamorza!

خدا کفن کش سابقه بیامرزه !

گویند که در یک قریه به خاطر فقر شدید، مشکل دزدی به بزرگ ترین مشکل تبدیل شده بود. در میان همه دزد های این محل یک دزد متفاوت تر از دیگران بود. او کفن می دزدید. همه ی مردم محل او را به نام "کفن کش" می شناختند. هرجا که کسی فوت می کرد، کفن کش، پس ازینکه دفن می شد، همان دزد رفته جسد را بیرون کرده و کفن او را می دزدید. مردم محل ازین وضعیت به تنگ آمده بود. به پولیس شکایت کردند اما هیچ فایده ی نداشت. هر قدر در مسجد ها تبلیغ کردند که دزدیدن کفن کار خوبی نیست، اگر هر چیزی را می دزدید اما کفن را ندزدید، اما این تبلیغ ها نیز هیچ تاثیری بر کار آن دزد نداشت. مردم محل تصمیم گرفتند که باید پیره و گزمه را بر قبرستان شروع کنند، تا بتوانند ازین راه همان دزد را دستگیر کرده و به قانون بسپارند تا مجازات شود. بلاخره این دزد یک شب سر یک قبر دستگیر شد و مردمانی که قبلاً کفن های فامیل شان دزدی شده بود با عصبانیت به او حمله کرده با سنگ و چوب او را به حدی زدند که قبل از دستگیری کفن کش از بین رفت. چند روزی ازین مسئله گذشت، که یک دزد جدید دیگر، و اما خطرناکتر از دزد قبلی پیدا شد. این دزد هر جایی که جسد را دفن می کردند، حتماً قبر جدید را پیدا کرده، با وجودی که کفن را می دزدید، جسد را نیز تکه تکه کرده به روی سرک می انداخت. مردم محل وقتی ازین دزد جدید باخبر شدند، همه برای دزد قبلی دعا کرده و گفتند "خدا کفن کش سابقه بیامرزه!" او اگر کفن را می دزدید، حد اقل با جسد کاری نداشت و به جسد مردگان ما بی احترامی نمی کرد. آن کفن کش سابق نسبت به این دزد جدید بسیار مهربان تر و با انصاف تر بوده، اما ما خبر نداشتیم که وضعیت ازین بدتر هم می شود. اگر قبلاً می دانستیم که بعد از کشتن او به این مشکل دچار می شوئیم، همان کفن کش قبلی را نمی کشتیم. همه یکجا با هم دست های خود را بلند کرده و چنین دعا کردند "خدا کفن کش سابق را رخمت کند و بیامرزد". حالا این دعا به یک ضرب المثل تبدیل شده است که میگویند "خدا کفن کش سابقه بیامرزه" یعنی از بد بدترش توبه ...

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May God bless the former shroud stealer!

Once upon a time, in a village, because of extreme poverty, the problem of piracy had become a major problem. Among all the other thieves, there was a particular thief who was different than others. He was also stealing but one special thing. He was not after jewelry, diamonds or gold. He stole only the shroud.  He was famous for his work but no one knew who he was. All the locals called him "shroud stealer". Whenever someone died, after the body was buried, the thief would go to take the body out and stole the shroud. Locals were appalled by this situation. They complained to the police but there was no avail. The people started a campaign in the mosques to preach against this kind of stealing, they said to the public that “stealing the shroud” is not normal and it is not even good for the thief, the thief should steal everything except the shroud, but these campaigns had not any impacts on the work of that particular thief. The local people started patrolling the cemeteries so that they can arrest the thief and hand him over to the police. After a few days of patrolling, they arrested the thief on a grave while he was digging the grave. The families of previous death bodies got angry and started to hit the thief with stones and sticks in their hands and they hit the thief so much that he eventually died under the angry people’s hands. After a few days of this incident, a new thief appeared in the village, and the new thief was even weirder than previous one. The new thief stole not only the shroud of the buried bodies by finding the new graves no matter wherever they were hidden under ground, he also cut the bodies into small pieces and would through it on the streets. When locals heard about this new thief, they said "May God bless the former shroud stealer!" He was much better than the new one. If he stole the shroud, at least he did not disrespect the death bodies of this village. Former thief of the shroud in comparison to the new thief was very friendly and more than fair, but we did not know that this situation will get even worse. If we already knew that after his death we would face such a brutal thief, we would not have killed the previous shroud stealer. All raised their hands together and prayed that "May God bless the former shroud stealer". Now this prayer has become a proverb that says, “May God bless the former shroud stealer!" which means that the situation has got even worse than before. 

Religious Extremism in Afghanistan

افراط گرایی مذهبی در افغانستان

هر عمل یک عکس العمل دارد، اگر شما فکر می کنید که افغانستان از تندروی و افراط گرایی مذهبی رنج می برد، شما بهتر است اینگونه فکر کنید که چه نوع اقدامات باعث شده است که این نوع از واکنش به وجود بیاید. شما بهتر است در مورد آن محیط خاص فکر کنید و آنچه که در آن محیط وجود ندارد. شما بهتر است در مورد مسئولیت اجتماعی و اساسی دولت فکر کنید، شما بهتر است در مورد فرصت های آموزش حقوق بشر و رفاه مردم فکر کنید. دسترسی به آموزش با کیفیت نقش مهمی ایفا می کند. دیکتاتوری و حکومت فاسد ایجاد ناامیدی اجتماعی و افسردگی می کند. این حقایق واضح و قابل مشاهده ی است در آن کشور که به ایجاد افراط گرایی مذهبی کمک می کند. اگر تمام کشورهای کمک کننده به افغانستان 100 بورس تحصیلی در هر سال برای دانش آموزان افغان بدهند، افراط گرایی در منطقه پس از 5 سال وجود نخواهد داشت. 35 سال جنگ و بدون غذا و مکتب، اگر تمام این مشکلات در افغانستان حل شود، افراط گرایی مذهبی درین کشور شانسی نخواهد داشت.

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Every action has a reaction, if you think Afghanistan suffers from religious extremism, you better think of what kinds of actions has caused that kind of reaction. You better think of that specific environment and what it lacks. You better think of basic social responsibility of government, you better think of human rights education, you better think of people's welfare. Access to quality education plays an important role. Dictatorship and corrupt governance create social hopelessness and desperation. These are the fundamental facts on the ground, which create religious extremism. If all donor countries provide 100 scholarships per year for Afghan students, there will be no extremism in that area after 5 years. 35 years of war and no food and schools, if all these problems would be tackled in Afghanistan, there would be no chance for religious extremism.

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A Love Story under the Taliban Regime

This is based on a true situation that happened in a village of Afghanistan and the author only changes the names of the people and place to hide the real people’s identities.

A Shiite family escapes from one of the provinces which were recently conquered by the Taliban in 1998 into another one due to the fear of the Taliban’s announcement in the mosques which stated that “all the Shiites are infidels and they should be headed and their women and properties should be robbed, because their properties are halaal (which means “permitted, lawful, licit or legit according to Sharia law) for the Taliban Muslims”. Even though most of the residents of the area and local people did not accept this order but they were afraid and no one would dare to say that it is a wrong and stupid order.

When the family arrives in the new province, even though there was a village in which most of the residents were Shiites but the Taliban already reached there too and the family did not know that because there were no electricity available and also TV and radios were not allowed. This is a small green village in which almost everyone knows each other. The family had some agricultural lands here in this village and they came to get something out of it to survive but the family witnessed that there came many other families too who had no land there but they came to seek refuge in that village because it was famous for being a Shiite village and all other Shiites would feel safer when they are together. This was the reason which had divided people into two different categories, the land owners and the farmers. But the land owners would give their lands to the farmers based on traditional agreement of fifty-fifty.

Almost 99 % of the population of the village was busy in agriculture. There were different kinds of arable agricultural lands based on their watering resources. There were rain-fed, spring-fed, and canal-fed cultivation lands. There were non-arable lands too. The consecutive 7 years of drought had intensified the shortage of water in the area and increased different kinds of agricultural pests.

Everybody was scared and no one would dare to go out to work because they were afraid to face the Taliban. The Taliban announced new rules for the village. The rules were as below:

1. You should wear a turban (Lungee) or a cap to cover your head.
2. You should not shave your bear and mustachios and let them grow.
3. You should never ever listen to music, and therefore you should not have a radio or TV set at home.
4. You should not wear jeans or pants but you have to wear traditional clothes called “Perahan and Tunbaan”.
5. You should not have a good looking hair style; you should better shave your head.
6. You should not smoke or drink alcoholic drinks.
7. You should pray 5 times in a day.
8. Each family should send a man of the family as a soldier for the Taliban, if you don’t have anyone; you better pay the price for another soldier to go. The price was the price of life of person because everyone was sure of death while going and working for the Taliban. The price was going up and down according to severity of the security situation. The price was fluctuating between one million and one and a half million Afghan currency per month.
9. Women should not go out without a male escort and they should not work or go to school.
10. You don’t have to do remember the day in which the grand child of Mohammad was murdered and you don’t have to do a “Mourning Ceremony” for that purpose.
11. You have to pray the way the Taliban do and you don’t have to pray while your hands are open, you have to close your hands and believe in what the Taliban believes in.

Some of these rules were written and some others were unwritten but only practiced regulations and rules of the Taliban.  

The price of a soldier was too much for a farmer or a land owner family who were severely affected by draught. They were selling their properties such as a pair of bulls for plough, milking cows, cattle and other house stuff to make money for each month to pay for the Taliban otherwise they would face severe punishments such as imprisonment or death.

The family who came from the other province has educated children because access to quality education in the other province was much better before the Taliban arrived. The young son of the family was a sportsman and every morning he would wake up and start to do some sorts of Kung-fu sports on their lands which were quite interesting for other young boys in the village. Soon other boys from the neighborhood joined him and asked if they could learn that sport and exercises from him. He appreciated and accepted. There were around 20 young boys who were exercising with his every morning. The boy notices that almost all the young boys are uneducated, so he started to tell them nice quotes of the great men of the world every day after the exercise. He was afraid to tell them the quotes of the western philosophers because it could create problem for him of the Taliban heard about it. He was saying nice quotes like the one of Prophet Mohammad as has said “Treat others the way that you want to be treated”. Soon he was very famous in that village and the number of his free students was growing every day. The village did not have a good source of drinking water and the boy was feeling it very hard because he was new in the village and he was not able to drink water like the other locals from the river water which came passing different valleys. He was also giving some advice on drinking water and warned the young boys of the possible diseases which can come from the polluted drinking water of the river. He was telling the students not to drink from the river water and they have to go and walk to the spring and supply their families with the drinking water from the only spring in the village.

One day, one of his students told him about his secrets after the exercise. He said that he has fallen in love with the daughter of their farmer. He said that she is very beautiful. He said that his farmer is also one of the newly arrived families there in that village.

The teacher gave his some good advice and told him: Listen, the situation here is very critical and falling in love in this situation can be very dangerous. You know that Taliban are looking for an excuse to attack on us. Please don’t try to give them that excuse. If you really like her, you can send your parents to her house and ask the hand of their daughter and get married to her. If you are not going to get married, don’t go roaming around their house because of the brother of the girl finds out about this issue, he will create problems for you and you both will start fighting each other and you both will get in a big trouble. If you something wrong to her sister, you will destroy the reputation of the family and all the people of the village will start saying bad things about them and they will lose their respect and reputation in the eyes of the public and other villagers will start gossiping about that girl and all of them will call her a prostitute. When the brother hears about this issue, he will seek revenge and will create problems for you. Don’t do anything stupid.

The boy said “thanks for the nice advice” and they said good boy to each other.

After a few weeks, one of the Taliban soldier knocked the door. The boy opened and he was afraid to see an armed man with a Kalashnikov behind his door.

Taliban soldier: Are you the boy who is training sports to boys in the village?

Boy: Yes, I am.

Taliban soldier: Commander has asked for you. Follow me.

Boy: Is everything all right? Am I in trouble?

Taliban soldier: I don’t know, I was just asked to take you the district building to meet our commander.

Boy: By the way, you don’t speak Pashto like other Taliban! Where are you from? You look quite educated and civilized boy.

Taliban soldier: I am from Kabul. I studied 12 years of school in Kabul?

Boy: How come you are with the Taliban? I thought, they are all Pashtuns and they are mostly from Kandahar, Helmand, Uruzgan and those areas which are bordered with Pakistan. Now it is a surprise that you are with them.

Taliban soldier: Yes, that is true. There are many soldiers from other countries such as Arabs, Chechens, Pakistani as well as other unknown men with us. But do I look like an extremist?

Boy: No, you don’t, that is why I am not afraid of you so much and that is why I can ask you all this.

Taliban soldier: Can I tell you something? A secret? And don’t tell any of the Taliban about this ok? Otherwise they will kill me.

Boy: Ok trust me. I won’t tell anyone. What is it?

Taliban soldier: I was walking on the streets of Kabul to go to the market and buy some food for my family. The Taliban stopped the car and arrested me and all other men walking on the street and put us inside a track. They took us to their base and gave us guns and sent us to different districts and provinces as soldiers. We have no choice. I haven’t seen my family for 2 years now. The situation is not good around here. I think I will die here every day. Can you hide me in your house for some days? And then help me escape from here?

Boy: Are you joking? Maybe your commander will kill me when I go there. Will they leave me go back home?

Taliban soldier: Yes, they won’t kill you. They warn you about something.  

Boy: Ok, even if they release me. I am so sorry to tell you that I can’t help you. You know I can’t risk my life to help you. First if they get to know about it, they will kill all my family. Even if they don’t know anything about it, the locals will see you and they will report you either to them or to other parties after collapse of the Taliban and they will kill me in the other regime by the name of helping Taliban. I hope you can understand me.  

Taliban soldier: (looking down and feeling sad he said) Ok, it is ok, no problem. Just try to be bold and don’t be afraid to talk to them what they ask you. If you are afraid, they will think you are a bad guy. Do you speak Pashto?

Boy: Yes, I learned it at school.

Taliban soldier: Ok, that is very good. Speak to them in Pashto, it will help you, it can save you from many troubles, and tell them that you are not doing anything wrong and you just sport everyday and these people came and joined you for free. Show them that you are a good Muslim. If you have learned some prayers from school, here is the time to show that you know some Arabic prayers; they may also help you save your life from these dangerous people. Don’t show them that you are a highly educated man, they may feel jealous. Just pretend that you are a stupid religious Pashtun who does nothing except saying 5 time prayers in a day and those sports. If they ask you about your religion, don’t tell them that you are Shiite, they can’t prove it and maybe you have studied Sunni books at school and you know everything about Sunni religion, you better tell them that you are Sunni Hanafi but you are interested in Wahabi thoughts as well and tell them that you read some of his books. Tell them that your brother is fighting in the first line of Taliban in Kandahar even if you don’t have a brother. If they ask you why do you train these boys in sports? You better lie about it and tell them that sport is good for Taliban. Tell them that they are those Taliban soldiers that you are hiring them from the community and they are getting ready to join with you in the fight.

Boy: Ok, thanks for the advice. Why you are helping me?

Taliban soldier: Because I know what they think from inside and I don’t want you to suffer from them like me. I hate them but I can’t do anything. They send us in the front lines where there are land mines and save their own soldiers. If we go ahead, the Northern Alliance and Hazaras will kill us and if escape from the front line of the war, these Taliban will shoot us from behind. I don’t know this area very well and I can’t find my way to escape. If they find me after I escape, they will just shoot me right in my forehead because they shot many of my friends who escaped.

On half of the way, the boy meets another soldier of the Taliban who has a Kalashnikov on his shoulder

Taliban soldier: Here is my friend. He is also like me from Kabul. We both are the only Dari speakers who remained alive here and learned Pashto with them here. He is also looking for a way to escape.

Boy: Samalaikum, you look exactly like Akshay Kumar, a Hindustani film star. Do you know him?

Taliban soldier 2: He smiles and takes his finger against his lips and says (Assshhh) which means don’t say it loudly or be quite. Don’t talk about films and Hindi films for the Taliban. Real Taliban will kill you if they hear those names. Yes, I know him very well and I watched many of his films before the Taliban regime. But now TV, Radio and all other sorts of entertainment tools are prohibited.

Boy: Ok, I know it. But not among us.

Taliban soldier 2: Let’s forget about it in order to stay alive.

They reached the building after 30 minutes walk

The building has trees and there are many broken pieces of cassettes, tape recorders, taps and TV sets hanging on the trees which mean that they have broken it down. You all gun men around you with Turbans and they all look at you as another species. They have broken all the tables and chairs and they are using carpets such as rugs inside the office and they all sit on the floor. Some of them can’t speak properly because they have some “Naswaar” in their mouth. Everyone has a gun either on his shoulder or just beside him. There are no women in the offices. All of them are either old men or young boys. 

  

Taliban soldier: Sir, here is the sportsman.

Boy: Assalamo - alaikum wa rahmatullah-e- wa barakaatuhu! (Peace be upon you and the Mercy and Blessings of God be upon you).

Commander: Wa-alaikum-asalam (Peace be upon you too). Hagha de sport malem ta ye? (Are you the sports teacher? He asks the question in Pashto).

Boy: Yes sir that is me.  

Commander: Every day I see that you are training some boys. Are you training some soldiers against us in this area?  

Boy: No sir, they are ordinary boys who do the doing exercise to stay fit and healthy and some of them are those who are hired for the Taliban as soldiers because they need money.

Commander: I warn you to make sure that you don’t create problems for us. We already have too many people fighting against us just outside this village and we don’t want any other problems inside this village.  Ok?

Boy: Ok sir, if you order sir, I will stop this exercise.

Commander: Ok stop it then. Let me take you out to show you something.

They go out in the yard and see two men who have no top clothes and other two men are whipping them strongly and they cry loudly.

Commander: Do you know this man?

Boy: Yes sir, he was my student in sports.

Commander: And the other man?

Boy: No, I don’t know him sir.

Commander: He is his farmer. What kind of a person was your student?

Boy: He is a good boy sir.

Commander: You ask me to release him?

Boy: I don’t know what has he done?

Commander: He had an affair with the sister of his farmer. We knew it already. One day they both were caught in a barn of the cattle of the farmer’s house by the girl’s brother. He took the girl home and imprisoned the boy there and sent his own parents to the house of the boy and asked their parents to make an arrangement to make the two young to get married. The parents of the boy did not agree and the mother of the boy came reported a kidnapping of his son to the Taliban. We sent some soldiers and got the boy, the kidnapper brother and the girl. Now you have to do your job as a teacher to solve this issue.

Boy: I can’t do anything sir. Please don’t involve me in this case.

Commander: Are you sure you are not going to help with the Taliban? Do you know what does that mean?

Boy: What should I do sir?

Commander: Not much, because you speak good Pashto and that is why I am going to ignore all your sports and other problems that you can create, you just go to the parents of both families and tell them to bring us 5 million Afghani each so that we can arrange to ignore this issue by making these two young couple to get married after a 100 whips in the public. Otherwise the girl will remain as our bride and the boy will be tortured here in the prison.

Boy: Ok sir, I will take the message. What if the families do not have that much money?

Commander: They will find it because it is a serious issue and they will find it for sure. Tell them to find it by any means, if they want the boy and the girl alive.

The Taliban borrowed a car and a driver for the boy and after 2 hours he returns back

Boy: They don’t have it but it will take time for them to find it. They will sell whatever they have and they will make that much money.

Commander: You may go now, but make sure that you don’t tell anyone about it.

After a few weeks, the boys sees that there are many bodies in a car being carried to towards that building, he sees the bodies of the two boys who were trying to escape from the Taliban. He feels very sad because he could not help to save those two boys.

The boys and the girl were released finally from the prison and they were forcibly married by the Taliban to each other. The next day all the people are gathered in front of the house of the newlywed couple and there are some bodies found and there were blood all over the house.

We asked what happened there. They said that the brother of the girl came to seek revenge and he attacked to their house one night with a gun and fired at all the family and escaped from the village. He took his family already from the area and now he escaped to another country. The newlywed boy lost his parents in the gun shot and lost one of his own legs and his wife also died in the gunshot. The boy sold all what he had and left Afghanistan forever.

All this happened somewhere here.