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Afghan-American UCLA students voice struggles during war
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by Rachel Makabi
Tuesday, November 13, 2001
(U-WIRE) LOS ANGELES ? Anila Daulatzai stared at the green blinking lights on her television screen on the first day of U.S.-led airstrikes on Afghanistan, wondering if the cities and camps she had visited just a few weeks before would be attacked.
In the days following, her fears were confirmed when she discovered that the Red Cross building she once worked at was bombed.
Daulatzai, a University of California-Los Angeles alumna and a graduate student in international public health, was working in refugee camps in Peshawar, Pakistan, during the Sept. 11 attacks.
As she struggled to find a ticket to leave the country, she knew others in the refugee camps would not have the luxury she had to come to the United States.
“It just felt so wrong, and I felt so guilty because the only difference between us was that I had the money to get out and avoid the bombs,” she said.
“These are people who are already on the go, so now they are like double refugees, but after everything that they have been through, they really do put their hands in God and say ‘Insha’Allah’ ? ‘everything will be OK,’” she continued.
Daulatzi was referring to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, when many Afghans were left as refugees and, she said, America did not continue to give aid once its troops pulled out of the country.
As people struggle to resume life in the aftermath of Sept. 11, Afghan-Americans are contending with another facet of warfare ? one which presses together two countries they call home.
“America has given me tremendous opportunities, like an education,” Daulatzai said. “But there is something very wrong that money my family is paying as taxpayers is being used to bomb my people. It doesn’t make sense to me.”
Yasameen Faizy, a third-year mathematics and economics student and a member of the Afghan Student Association, said it is difficult to live in a country that is at war with the country in which she was born.
“I care for both sides,” Yasameen said. “It really hurt me when I heard about the World Trade Center, and it also really hurt me when I heard about the attacks on Afghanistan. It’s not like one of them mattered to me more than the other.”
Her sister, Nargis Faizy, a fifth-year history student, said that though she lives in America, she will always refer to herself as an Afghan-American.
“I am an American citizen now, and I am very thankful for that, but I will also always be proud of being an Afghan,” Nargis said. “It doesn’t set me apart. ([In] America in general, a lot of people refer to themselves as Mexican-American or African-American; we are just part of this big salad bowl that makes up America.”
In addition to worrying about friends and family in the states, Yasameen and Nargis are also fearful for their aunt in Afghanistan. They have not heard from her since the beginning of the year due to difficulty in getting letters across the border, and because phone lines are down.
“It isn’t even so much the fact that she is part of our family; it is the idea of everyone there being in danger and the idea of innocent lives being taken,” Yasameen said.
For Daulatzai, her concern for the Afghan refugees before Sept. 11 has multiplied as reports come in that millions will not survive the upcoming winter because of food shortages and improper health care.
“The attacks on Sept. 11 were terrible and incredibly unfortunate, but a death in Afghanistan is worth just as much, and I feel like people are forgetting that,” Daulatzai said.
“I’m not proud to be American, Afghan or Pakistani and I’m not even proud to be a human being these days because of the things that human beings are doing to each other,” she continued.
Instead of dwelling on the situation, Daulatzai said she wants to channel her feelings into action that will help Afghan refugees by starting a relief program and focusing on issues of women’s reproductive health.
“Whenever I go back there and see the poverty, I recognize my privilege, and instead of feeling guilty, I want to do something with my privilege,” she said.
Like Daulatzai, fourth-year history student Mahboob hopes to use his privileges to help those living in Afghanistan.
“I am very fortunate to have the lifestyle I have; it’s difficult to see others who don’t have the basic things I have,” Mahboob said. “It makes me feel like I have a responsibility to use the good things I do have here to help others.”
Mahboob said he experienced what the Afghan refugees are facing when he and his family were forced to live in a refugee camp in Pakistan after the 1979 Soviet invasion.
Since the attacks, Mahboob has been involved in telling people about the plight of Afghans in order to raise money and social consciousness.
With some students struggling with the double impact of having two of their countries at war with one another, some said they feel supported by their peers and others in the community.
In the midst of panicked phone calls to Afghanistan and tuning in to news stations 24 hours a day, Yasameen and Nargis said it was comforting to hear friends and neighbors checking up on them, including high school teachers from several years ago.
“I have never felt endangered here, and I have never felt like an outsider here,” Nargis said. “I have never gotten that feeling before, and I don’t have it now.”
As people begin to learn more about suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden ? who is not an Afghan ? and the Taliban, the ruling government in Afghanistan, Nargis said she finds herself explaining the situation in Afghanistan a lot more than she used to.
“Before the attacks, most people didn’t even know where Afghanistan was,” Nargis said. Daulatzai said most people don’t realize that although Afghans have suffered tremendously for more than 20 years, the suffering has made them stronger in their faith in God and in their resolution to survive.
“It’s not that I go to Afghanistan to help them; they are the ones that help me,” Daulatzai said. “Despite their suffering, they have such strong values and such a strong sense of character ? you can’t capture that in an article.”
Anonymous (February 18, 2005 @ 4:56pm):
Dear all
I am proud of these people who are want to talk about the fact of Afghanistan, the words Daulatzai said I am in her side, I think she is absoulutly right, I am the witness with her and the moment when she was in Afghanistan we did search about Afghanistan, and I think she was great person I think we need persons and persons lkes her and specialy my self I am proud of Anila always, Afghanistan always welcome her. I am from Afghanistan I don't feel human but I feel I am Afghan when I am saying I feel Afghan because we have such a long history of the forigner can't stay longer in Afghanistan, if they come here for wrong decision, we want change in our country but we don't want any puppet Governement we need a Governement which is have to be elect by Afghan people and they have to look at the right of people, we don't need a Governement which is full of Opium Buinessmens in all the Cabinet.
we don't exactly know the money which is comming to Afghanistan where it is going? is it realy goitn to Afghan people stomach or it is going to the people who are comming from the broad and they putting the money in their pockets and taking it back, like the UN they buying the Model of the day not the second car Like LandCuriser and big Jeeps, we don't need big jeeps we need Food we need theme to come and see do we have realy right like other country have in the world, I have to tell a story which I am witness.
first of all the women dosen't have right at all they are like couch potato in the house and with the big borka they are wearing, I went a village In East of Afgahsnistan and I saw the women weaving carpet and the man are playing Buzkashi which is Afghan's Traditional Sport, and the small girls waving carpet too and no education no playing no friend nothing at all, you can not belive what I am saying now , they Smoke Hashesh, and they take opium ofcourse it is they are favorite, and the mothers give to thier baby opium that the baby should not cry, I saw Macthes aroud the room wher the women weaving carpet after that I asked the guy who was with me and I said what is that for, he said let me tell you out side and then I sart asking thier husbands, because I was realy Impetient to know about these Macthes and I smelled hashesh inside the weaving carpet room, I didn't knew that is Hashish Semll the guy told me, do you smell hashish I said no, I have no idea what you talking about, the husband of one the woment who was weaving carpet he started and he told me all this story, another thing is if the women can't weave carpet the have no price at all they are completey garbage or hash.
the same thing anila said we are not feeling human I think it is true we are not, sepcial Afghans, because of one person Osama Bin Laden thousend childeren and women, man been killed and still he is not been found what is going on in this world, are they want to kill some more Afghan, these people who are claiming talking about the terrorist are the realy fighting against Terrorist, and there was not only Afghan was killed there was alot Youth American been killed too, we know that, but we want to stop this, now we have the best technology in the world we should find Osama by our technology what is that for.
so at I want to say we Need soemone like Daulatzai to come and see the situation and tell the truth to the world.
thanks for all of you
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