#afghanistan (country)

[magicalgirlypop]

i'm feeling controversial today so here's another hot take. and before you type away at your keyboards, know that this is all coming from a south asian.

white leftists have got to stop acting like christianity is the only religion that deserves to be criticized and you cannot touch any other religion because that'd be racist and bigoted. because as an indian who's watching my country progress towards hindu nationalism, this attitude doesn't help at all.

white people see hinduism as this exotic brown religion that's so much more progressive but don't know the violence of the caste system, how it others a large portion of the population on the basis of caste, literally branding them as "untouchables". they teach us in school that this problem is a thing of the past but the caste system is still alive and shows itself in violent ways. and that's not even covering how non hindus are treated in the country. muslims especially are being killed, have their houses bulldozed, businesses destroyed, and are being denied housing, our fucking prime minister called them infiltrators and there's this fear among hindu extremists that they'll outnumber the hindus in the country. portraying hinduism as this exotic religion does a disservice to all those oppressed by the hindutva ideology

similarly, white people see buddhism as this hippie religion that's all about peace but have no idea how extremist buddhists in myanmar have been persecuting the rohingya muslims for years and drive them out of the country.

if anything portraying these religions as exotic hippie brown religions is a type of orientalism itself.

and also y'all have got to realize that just because christianity has institutional power in america doesn't mean there aren't parts of the world where they are persecuted on the basis of religion. yes karen from florida who cries christophobia because she sees rainbow sprinkles on a cake is stupid but christian oppression DOES exist in non western countries where they're a minority. pakistani christians get lynched almost on a daily basis over blasphemy accusations. just look up the case of asia bibi, a pakistani christian woman who was sentenced to death on blasphemy charges because of something she said when she was being denied water because it was "forbidden" for a christian and a muslim to drink from the same utensil and she'd made it unclean just by touching it (which is ALSO rooted in casteism and part of pakistani christians' oppression also comes from the fact that a lot of them are dalit but that's a whole other discussion). and that's just one christian group, this isn't even going into what copts, assyrians, armenians etc have faced and continue to face. saying that christians everywhere are privileged because of american christianity actually harms christian minorites in non western countries.

and one last thing because this post is getting too long: someone being anti america doesn't automatically mean they're the good guys. too many times i've been seeing westerners on twitter dot com praise the fucking taliban just because they hate america. yes, the same taliban who banned education for women, thinks women should be imprisomed at home, and consistently oppresses religious and ethnic minorities in afghanistan. yes, america's war on afghanistan was bad and they SHOULD be called out for their war crimes there. no, the taliban are still not the good guys. BOTH of them are bad. you cannot pretend to care about muslims and brown people if you praise the taliban. because guess what? most of their victims are BROWN MUSLIM WOMEN. but of course white libs who praise them don't rub their two braincells together to make that conclusion.

this post has gotten too long and i've just been rambling so the point of this post is: white "leftists" whose politics are primarily america centric should stop acting like criticism of ideologies like hindutva, buddhist extremism, and islamic extremism BY people affected by these ideologies is the same as racism or religious intolerance because that helps literally no one except the extremist bigots. also america is not the centre of the world, just because something isn't happening in america doesn't mean it isn't happening elsewhere

[ymustutortureme]

I genuinely feel like this isn't said enough. So I'm gonna say it.

To everyone Zionist out there, every pro-genocide, pro-israel bigot, from the bottom of my heart, from the depths of my soul:

Fuck you.

[shalom-iamcominghome]

I remember seeing some people talk about what were the last two afghan jews back when there were still two in the country and how almost... silly and comical it was that they still couldn't get along with each other but like... Imagine being the only two people of a minority group in your entire country because everyone else ran away, were intimidated into fleeing, or were killed. Maybe I'm a killjoy, but I really never found it funny to think of them having petty disputes because, like, obviously people in high-stress situations are going to be more prone to argument and disliking each other. Obviously when your sacred texts are stolen, when your community is snatched away, when you aren't sure if you'll be taken prisoner for the last time and never return... Obviously you're not going to be primed to interact with others pleasantly.

When you look up afghan jews, you'll find this.

[toebeans-mcgee]

Please, don’t forget about the women in Afghanistan.

This image is not at all a commentary on Islam and/or of the different head-coverings that a woman may choose to wear while respecting her faith. Wearing a burqa/burka does not equate to an inherent lack of rights/freedom. This is also not a criticism of the Barbie movie. This is a statement about the brutal treatment of the women and girls in Afghanistan (as well as in Iran). 

I loved the Barbie movie and think it’s a very important and empowering film. However, it is a bit jarring when I’m scrolling through my phone, listening to the Barbie soundtrack, and I come across an article detailing the mounting horrors these women face in these countries. There is so much happening in the world, and it all needs news time, but the virtual media silence on this topic is frightening.

Even though my country isn’t perfect (especially so after June of last year), it’s easy to lose perspective on how privileged I am. 

The many different flavors of western feminism aren’t for everyone and every culture; to think so would be privileged and tone deaf. There is no "one-size-fits-all" kind of empowerment. But, objectively, what is happening to women and girls in Afghanistan and Iran is abhorrent and cannot be forgotten. 

If Barbie can be anything, then Barbie can be an advocate and an activist. Do what you can, Barbies.

“I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.” ― Audre Lorde

[philsmeatylegss]

Okay, idk if anyone will see this, but it’s driving me nuts how Zionists are using the situation in Syria to say “why are no pro-Palestine people talking about this? It’s because no Jews are involved.”

No, it’s because western media rarely reports on tragedies and foreign conflict that they can’t make money off of. And, more unfortunately, the media is aware that most westerners don’t care about humanitarian crises that don’t involve them (or their money).

It’s why you hear very little also about the Sudan war, Ethiopian humanitarian crises (especially with Tigrays and other territories and ethnicities), the very active military dictatorship is Burkina Faso, Haiti becoming a failed state and being abandoned by everyone, the (hopefully soon ending) war in Myanmar/Burma, the dictatorships in Eritrea, Venezuela, Belarus, Turkmenistan, and Equatorial Guinea, the civil war in the Central African Republic, protests in Georgia, the complete stripping of rights for women in Afghanistan, and the humanitarian crises (other than Sudan, DRC, and Palestine) in so many places including but not limited to South Sudan, Yemen, Ethiopia, the Rohingya, Venezuela, Central African Republic, Somalia, Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Haiti, Lebanon, Mali, and Sahel.

It’s not an antisemitism problem. It’s a problem of westerners not giving a shit about developing countries and conflicts that involve our allies/don’t involve us. Which should make you fucking angry.

Palestine, Sudan, and DRC are the tip of a devastating iceberg that includes the current situation in Syria and thousands of other entries. It’s not a competition.

So instead of complaining about who cares about what, use your platforms to spread information about these events. Don’t complain about certain people not talking about Syria, start posting and talking about Syria.

Or will you just admit you are using humanitarian crises and the devastation of millions to further you opinion?

Hundreds of thousands of Syrians are fleeing on top of the millions of Syrian refugees who also have fled in the past years. If that bothers you, talk about them, advocate for them rather than wasting time attacking others for not caring.

Incase anyone is interested in any of the stuff I mentioned above, here’s a few sources:

Syria:

What’s happening in Syria? A simple guide

What’s happening in Syria? How an old conflict in the Middle East erupted again

What's happening in Syria? What to know about the complex, long-simmering civil war

(Video) What is happening in Syria?

Who are the rebels who have seized control of Aleppo, Syria?

Sudan:

Civil War in Sudan

Crisis in Sudan: What is happening and how to help

(Wikipedia) Sudanese civil war (2023–present)

Ethiopia:

Conflict in Ethiopia

Tigray: the war the world forgot

Crisis in Ethiopia: What you need to know and how to help

Desperation in Ethiopia as hunger crisis deepens

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC):

Conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo

A guide to the decades-long conflict in DR Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo crisis, explained

Burkina Faso:

What Burkina Faso’s Tragic History Teaches Us

(Video) Burkina Faso: The World’s Most Neglected War

Once again, Burkina Faso is the world’s most neglected crisis

Haiti:

Haiti crisis: Facts, FAQs, and how to help

What’s Happening in Haiti? Explainer on Gang Violence, Hunger Crisis and Humanitarian Aid to Civilians

Myanmar/Burma:

Nine Things to Know About Myanmar’s Conflict Three Years On

Myanmar, ravaged by civil war, teeters on the edge of famine

UN accuses Myanmar's military of mass killings, torture since 2021 coup

Eritrea:

(Video) Isaias Afwerki: Dictator who has ruled Eritrea for 31 years

Eritrea: Events of 2022

Venezuela:

Venezuela: Reversing the Slide into Dictatorship

Evidence shows Venezuela’s election was stolen – but will Maduro budge?

Belarus:

After 30 years in power, 'Europe's last dictator' remains firmly in control

Why Belarus is called Europe’s last dictatorship

Turkmenistan:

Here's what it's like inside Turkmenistan, the secretive Asian dictatorship

(Video) The Weirdest Dictatorship on Earth: Turkmenistan

Equatorial Guinea:

EQUATORIAL GUINEA: ‘The government uses violence to dominate through fear’

The politics of autocratic survival in Equatorial Guinea: Co-optation, restrictive institutional rules, repression, and international projection

Central African Republic:

Conflict in the Central African Republic

(Wikipedia) Central African Republic Civil War

Georgia:

Georgia is being rocked by growing protests. Here’s what you need to know

Why protests in the country of Georgia matter

Afghanistan:

Afghanistan: Taliban rule has erased women from public life, sparked mental health crisis

Back to basics: Fighting for women’s rights under the Taliban

South Sudan:

South Sudan Refugee Crisis Explained

Instability in South Sudan

Yemen:

Yemen Crisis Explained

Yemen humanitarian crisis

The Rohingya:

Rohingya Refugee Crisis Explained

Far from the Headlines: Myanmar – The Rohingya crisis

Somalia:

Crisis in Somalia

Somalia: Climate change, conflicts and rising cost fuels humanitarian crisis

Lebanon:

What’s happening in Lebanon

Far from home: inside Lebanon’s displacement crisis

Mali:

Crisis in Mali: What you need to know and how to help

Do not ignore Mali’s multifaceted humanitarian catastrophe

The Sahel:

A call to action: The humanitarian crisis in the Sahel is worsening

Violent Extremism in the Sahel

Responding to neglected crises in the Sahel

[loumandforyou]

When my grandpa was around 14 years old, he joined the Greek resistance against the German and Italian occupation (smuggling food, helping Jewish people hide). One of my mom's stronger first memories is going to a protest for the war in Vietnam. One of my own, is standing in a protest against the war in Afghanistan, with people screaming "φονιάδες των λαών, αμερικανοι!" ("Murderers of people/nations, [are the] Americans"). Now I go to protests about Azerbaijan with an Armenian friend.

People have always stood against wars, against the deaths of innocent people.

Why now, protesting against the war in Palestine, is wrong?

[countriesgame]

Please reblog for a bigger sample size!

If you have any fun fact about Afghanistan, please tell us and I'll reblog it!

Be respectful in your comments. You can criticize a government without offending its people.

[curtwilde]

My heart hurts to say this about Bangladesh because I still think of ya'll as my country and my people, but you have really lost the plot.

When will this subcontinent be free of religious dogmatism and religious nationalism?

[storm-of-feathers]

There aren't only three genocides happening. By the way. There's been at least ten ongoing. None of you cared about them until you could hate jews about it, though.

[nerianasims]

I'm always relieved when I see a Ukrainian I know post something after Russia has murdered yet more of them.

I am not relieved that my government is disallowing them from striking military targets in Russia. I don't know wtf is going on there. We can't know everything, or even much, about international politics at this scale, but in this case I can't even imagine what the hell the logic is. Except. One thing.

In a history class on WWII, I read many well-researched papers that argued that Neville Chamberlain's whole appeasement, "peace in our time" thing was a ruse. Britain's army and its allies (especially the United States) were not prepared for another world war yet, in material terms. It was a stalling tactic to build up their militaries. They didn't think Hitler would stop; they were not so stupid. But they figured Hitler (and Stalin, who remember was on Hitler's side at this point) would believe that the Allied powers were weak, and therefore not themselves prepare for a huge Allied war machine.

Things didn't end up going along with the Allies' timeline because war is never predictable. So there was a hell of a lot of scrambling. But while morale and political will are incredibly important to war, so is the simple reality of having the equipment and soldiers to deal with it. And while we could probably crush Russia's military relatively easily right now (so long as we didn't try a land invasion), they are allied with China.

[xtruss]

According to the data compiled by Islamic Relief, this year’s Ramadan will be the toughest ever as more than 600 Million People in Muslim-Majority Countries will mark the Holy Month of Ramadan without enough food. A third of those people are already facing severe Hunger and Malnutrition due to a Fatal Combination of Conflict, Climate Change and Inequality.

[redvelvetwishtree]

There are people on Instagram's book reading community demanding creators don't show books by Russian authors and telling everyone to throw such books away ... ...like ??? How do their brains work? Why are western people sooo sure of their political correctness and shove it down aggressively down others' throats? Everyone can decide on their own what they want to do or not. It is always the western people policing and bullying everyone.

Also, ma'am, when are you throwing away all your American and British literature? Lemme know when please.

[selamat-linting]

skipping wwe ppv's set in the us, france, and australia because of their human rights abuses and ongoing support on neo-colonialism all over the world

[mapsontheweb]

Population density map of Afghanistan.

by @researchremora