I expected that Afghans do not like Iranians:
I had the feeling that Afghans do not like Iranians. I was measuring the way we (mainly our government) treated them in Iran, very inhuman and criminal. For example they did not ever allowed to be Iranian, so there were Afghans who were born and grown up in Iran. Who never saw any where else except Iran, and we never accepted them as Iranian. They could not go to university, they could not intend in the science or sport competitions, never allowed to vote, etc. They were working very hard and had no job security, no insurance nothing! If this would happen to Iranians here in the Netherlands, we would make big demonstrations. So I really was scared that they would hate me as Iranian. But I was totally wrong!
I was surprise to see every body loved Iran. From the university students, political activist, people walking in bazaar, booksellers, afghan soldiers, or the women in the Women’s garden in Kabul. Every body was approaching me as you are my friend. They were telling me their nice memories from Iran. There was just one guy, who used to work in a farm near Shiraz, who told me the Iranian had treated him bad. Still he was telling me that Rafsanjan was good, he had worked in a farm there too.
I gathered that a lot of the Afghans look at Iran as their culture, history and ideal country. (Funny for me, I thought, cool! it is good to come here and get a little confident with being Iranian! Specially these days when all the burden goes deep in your root. When you are opening a news paper, turn on the TV, or just sit in a bar to drink a beer and some body ask you with frightened face of why do you want to blow up the world with atomic bomb? Why do you want to wipe off the Israel? Why …. )
I wanted to know a little more, I gathered that: afghan women liked Iran, because there is security there, they were allowed to go out of home, they could go to school, and they felt free there. Afghan men who I talked with, were working mainly in big cities, they had their job, and pay had been OK. They were telling me that the Iranian people were nice to them, and they have good friends in Iran. More educated people looking at Iran as where there are culture, poetry, science and history. Even there were Afghan soldiers telling me they want to go to Iran and fight for Ahmadi nejad!, because he is the only one who could stand against the American. I heard this scary subject a lot of time, that people were praising our beloved president!
Although I heard many times from people who would liked to go back to Iran, I just heard from one person who actually said she felt Iran was her home. I was confused, if so many people wanted to go back there, if they were so happy there why nobody wanted to call it home? even the ones who were born and raised there.
6 comments:
We didn't treat our Afghan brothers bad really. When they were dying in their country, Ayatollah Khomeini said, "Islam territory doesn't have any border. Afghans are welcomed to come to Iran." Then they came. Millions of them came to Iran when Iran itself was in war with Saddam. Iranian fed their children by couponi foods, but shared what they had with Afghans. Do the Netherland allow 'millions' of refugee to enter its territory? Haven't you read the news about American building a fence along their border with Mexico? Why did you expect that Afghans don't like Iranians? What else we could do for them?
I have a few Afghani friends here in Australia who have gained their bachelors and masters in Iran
and we didn't use them in our war with Iraq
“We didn’t use them in the war!” what this means?
Do you mean we didn’t accept them as Iranian, therefore they didn’t feel that they have to fight for us?
I am not sure if there weren’t afghans fighting or doing the support in the war! Or do you mean that we had the right to send them to war because they were not even second citizens? In that case you just proved my point that we haven’t treat them well. I laos know some who studied in Iran, they had come to the country much earlier times, mainly the time of Russians! for whatever they got in Iran, they worked. Many times more than an Iranian! And now see what we are doing … maryam
http://www.roozonline.com/archives/2007/04/003831.php
i like afgan people.and iwas iran when they mostly were there.and i think iranian treated them well.i remember when we had war my sister was in the line for milk and oil with the cupon and afganian women were in the same line and teated the same.also i know afganian who went to school and university in iran.the only time iran prevented them to go to university and school was the time that war was finished in afganestan and they had to go back to their country and why not.they wanted to stay in iran eventhouth we even didnot have enough job for our people.and also i saw alot of criminal thing for afgan people in my city shiraz.so what else we can do for them.
Great blog! Usually Iranians don't like to admit the mistreatment of Afghans in their borders.
As an Iranian I have to admit that Iran greatly mistreats Afghans. They are not allowed to get degrees, go to school or own persoanl property of any kind, not even own a home. They are blamed for all of our problems back home, from drugs to murders. This is wrong. Iran was a refuge for Afghans during the war, however the way they were treated was very shameful. I remember as a young student in Iran I was told by my history teacher that Afghans spoke Urdu and this is wrong. Afghans are our brothers and speak Farsi too. Our history is one and same and we even use to be one country. A lot of great Persian people were born in Afghanistan, including Rumi.
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