the afghanistan posts below triggered a couple responses from friends/readers about their own reactions and emotions during the events of that time. indeed, even the memories from that many years ago are still emotionally charged.
ellen made reference to The Boondocks comic strip and "The Adventures of Flagee and Ribbon" in her comment on one of the posts. i had no idea that Aaron McGruder, the artist/author behind the boondocks, had taken such a stance. here are some articles on the issue as it unfolded:
-a short essay with images of the cartoons, both the boondocks and adventures of flagee and ribbon.
-respectful disagreement and disapproval from the editors of the Daily Mississippian.
-finally, an article in the Nation recapping the whole issue in early January of '02. here's an excerpt from the article quoting one of the boondocks characters (huey freeman) saying thanksgiving prayer that november:
"Ahem... In this time of war against Osama bin Laden and the oppressive Taliban regime, we are thankful that OUR leader isn't the spoiled son of a powerful politician from a wealthy oil family who is supported by religious fundamentalists, operates through clandestine organizations, has no respect for the democratic electoral process, bombs innocents, and uses war to deny people their civil liberties. Amen."
Showing posts with label afghanistan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label afghanistan. Show all posts
Monday, May 26, 2008
2 thoughts on afghanistan
10/17/2001:
2 thoughts on this situation in Afghanistan. just 2 thoughts... b/c i still don’t want to go there completely. mainly b/c my thoughts aren’t complete. also b/c i don’t know how to bring all the thoughts and emotions in my head on paper properly. anywho... here are my 2 thoughts.
one... more and more groups (i’m thinking mostly sports teams) are refusing to go anywhere where the is a Muslim population. for fear that there would be anti-western protests/riots/attacks. places like Pakistan and Israel are not surprisingly places people (mostly westerners) don’t want to be. but even those so called moderate Muslim countries like the UAE . what to say?
two... American troops are now using psychological strategies to win over support from Afghani people. civilians, troops, whomever will listen. the Psych-Ops branch of the US military is flying planes low and blasting propaganda... pro-American. they’ve even taken over the radio and dropped radio sets to the station they broadcast from.
all this so that the Afghan people can hear how the US doesn’t want to colonize Afghanistan. does not want to attack the Afghan people’s faith. but only wants to deal with these people who are disrespecting the Prophet Muhammad by their actions. HOW DO I EVEN BEGIN TO DESRIBE MY REACTIONS TO THAT?!
people keep assuming that muslims' issues with what the US is leading, this war on terrorism or Islamic Fundamentalism or whatever... has something to do with our support for “Mr. Bin Laden.” instead, it has to do with our suspicions and fear of the west when it comes to our faith. justified or not.
we don’t want to see America extend its war on terrorism to any other countries... b/c, invariably, it’ll be another Muslim country. and, invariably, it’ll be more innocent civilians dying when a “smart-bomb” misses its target due to human error.
Afghanistan now. Iraq tomorrow. Syria later. will it end? that’s why i didn’t want to go there. still so much to process. so many questions that i don’t know who to ask. let alone how to answer.
Lord, make things clear...
2 thoughts on this situation in Afghanistan. just 2 thoughts... b/c i still don’t want to go there completely. mainly b/c my thoughts aren’t complete. also b/c i don’t know how to bring all the thoughts and emotions in my head on paper properly. anywho... here are my 2 thoughts.
one... more and more groups (i’m thinking mostly sports teams) are refusing to go anywhere where the is a Muslim population. for fear that there would be anti-western protests/riots/attacks. places like Pakistan and Israel are not surprisingly places people (mostly westerners) don’t want to be. but even those so called moderate Muslim countries like the UAE . what to say?
two... American troops are now using psychological strategies to win over support from Afghani people. civilians, troops, whomever will listen. the Psych-Ops branch of the US military is flying planes low and blasting propaganda... pro-American. they’ve even taken over the radio and dropped radio sets to the station they broadcast from.
all this so that the Afghan people can hear how the US doesn’t want to colonize Afghanistan. does not want to attack the Afghan people’s faith. but only wants to deal with these people who are disrespecting the Prophet Muhammad by their actions. HOW DO I EVEN BEGIN TO DESRIBE MY REACTIONS TO THAT?!
people keep assuming that muslims' issues with what the US is leading, this war on terrorism or Islamic Fundamentalism or whatever... has something to do with our support for “Mr. Bin Laden.” instead, it has to do with our suspicions and fear of the west when it comes to our faith. justified or not.
we don’t want to see America extend its war on terrorism to any other countries... b/c, invariably, it’ll be another Muslim country. and, invariably, it’ll be more innocent civilians dying when a “smart-bomb” misses its target due to human error.
Afghanistan now. Iraq tomorrow. Syria later. will it end? that’s why i didn’t want to go there. still so much to process. so many questions that i don’t know who to ask. let alone how to answer.
Lord, make things clear...
Thursday, May 22, 2008
and afghanistan
also 10/14/2001:
i have one more thing to say about the trip to bamenda. about how our meeting with the CD went... basically, it just went. no surprises. nothing i hadn’t head before in terms of safety and security protocol, "being vigilant." we observed a moment of silence for the victims of September 11th... i had an urge to add “for the innocent victims in Afghanistan, too.” but not sure that would’ve been appropriate or appreciated. so i kept my peace.
spoke to the CD afterwards. tried to say something about how i felt. wasn’t sure what i wanted to say. it didn’t come out right. said something about wanting to vent. wanting to speak to him. to let him know how a person in my situation, with my vantage point, feels/thinks. i suppose i wanted to give him (someone in a position of authority) my 2 cents.
i believe it came out sounding like (and he saw it as) me wanting to be counseled. comforted. a “diversity issue” is what he labeled it. i guess it is in one sense, but it’s not just that... it’s also me no longer wanting to bite my tongue or keep my peace about thoughts, perceptions and actions that bother me. the stuff coming out of the radio and coming from his mouth, as well. but i sure didn’t convey that.
i want to have just one conversation with him. not so much as a PCV to CD. but i feel compelled to let him know where i, as an arab muslim peace corps volunteer, stand. i feel he needs to know. maybe he won't want to know... maybe he will. who knows?
i have one more thing to say about the trip to bamenda. about how our meeting with the CD went... basically, it just went. no surprises. nothing i hadn’t head before in terms of safety and security protocol, "being vigilant." we observed a moment of silence for the victims of September 11th... i had an urge to add “for the innocent victims in Afghanistan, too.” but not sure that would’ve been appropriate or appreciated. so i kept my peace.
spoke to the CD afterwards. tried to say something about how i felt. wasn’t sure what i wanted to say. it didn’t come out right. said something about wanting to vent. wanting to speak to him. to let him know how a person in my situation, with my vantage point, feels/thinks. i suppose i wanted to give him (someone in a position of authority) my 2 cents.
i believe it came out sounding like (and he saw it as) me wanting to be counseled. comforted. a “diversity issue” is what he labeled it. i guess it is in one sense, but it’s not just that... it’s also me no longer wanting to bite my tongue or keep my peace about thoughts, perceptions and actions that bother me. the stuff coming out of the radio and coming from his mouth, as well. but i sure didn’t convey that.
i want to have just one conversation with him. not so much as a PCV to CD. but i feel compelled to let him know where i, as an arab muslim peace corps volunteer, stand. i feel he needs to know. maybe he won't want to know... maybe he will. who knows?
Sunday, May 18, 2008
afghanistan attacked #2
10/9/2001:
listening to the BBC again this morning. more of the same. seems Bin Laden has given interviews on Jazeerah satellite TV. it’s based in Qatar. one Arab commentator, in that great thick/heavy accent of ours goes “the Americans want to kick butt, but i don’t think there is any butt to kick there.” referring to the lack of any real substantial (or as the US would like to make them out to be) military targets, especially the now infamous “terrorist training camps.”
on the American end they’re calling this an operation of “bombs and bread.” on account of the food rations they’re also dropping on Afghanistan. to which International Aid organizations respond saying it’s blatant propaganda. just token gestures to keep everyone on their side. and across the Muslim world (Palestine, Afghanistan, Indonesia, etc.) people are in the streets rioting. protesting American action. in Gaza a couple of people were killed by the government troops dispersing the crowd. what to say?
listening to the BBC again this morning. more of the same. seems Bin Laden has given interviews on Jazeerah satellite TV. it’s based in Qatar. one Arab commentator, in that great thick/heavy accent of ours goes “the Americans want to kick butt, but i don’t think there is any butt to kick there.” referring to the lack of any real substantial (or as the US would like to make them out to be) military targets, especially the now infamous “terrorist training camps.”
on the American end they’re calling this an operation of “bombs and bread.” on account of the food rations they’re also dropping on Afghanistan. to which International Aid organizations respond saying it’s blatant propaganda. just token gestures to keep everyone on their side. and across the Muslim world (Palestine, Afghanistan, Indonesia, etc.) people are in the streets rioting. protesting American action. in Gaza a couple of people were killed by the government troops dispersing the crowd. what to say?
Friday, May 16, 2008
afghanistan attacked
10/8/2001:
i’m sitting here at my desk in my bedroom and i’m listening to the BBC reporting on “a 2nd night of attacks on Afghanistan.” in and around both Kabul and Kandahar. US led and with Great Britain's cooperation. no civilian casualties reported from Western point of view, a couple dozen according to Afghanistan. this is an attack on Bin Laden’s people and camps. also an attack on the Taliban now and will end with the installation of a “more moderate, representative government” there.
this is disconcerting b/c it has the potential to morph just as easily into a “War on Islamic Fundamentalism” everywhere. the US is already declaring that they may have to extend this war on terrorism past Afghanistan. a war, they say, that may take years. i’m tired though... i wont’ go there. just wanted to document the fact that the attacks began last night, 10/7/2001. according to our CD we are now in “bicycle” of our EAP [Emergency Action Plan]. standfast that is. we have a meeting with the CD in Bamenda about all this on Friday.
i’m sitting here at my desk in my bedroom and i’m listening to the BBC reporting on “a 2nd night of attacks on Afghanistan.” in and around both Kabul and Kandahar. US led and with Great Britain's cooperation. no civilian casualties reported from Western point of view, a couple dozen according to Afghanistan. this is an attack on Bin Laden’s people and camps. also an attack on the Taliban now and will end with the installation of a “more moderate, representative government” there.
this is disconcerting b/c it has the potential to morph just as easily into a “War on Islamic Fundamentalism” everywhere. the US is already declaring that they may have to extend this war on terrorism past Afghanistan. a war, they say, that may take years. i’m tired though... i wont’ go there. just wanted to document the fact that the attacks began last night, 10/7/2001. according to our CD we are now in “bicycle” of our EAP [Emergency Action Plan]. standfast that is. we have a meeting with the CD in Bamenda about all this on Friday.
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