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A conference for both the head and the heart

Wednesday, December 9th, 2009

By Bruce Green
Afghan Coalition Board Member

Afghan Coaliton at Global Knowledge Conference

From Left to Right: Teri Lindgren, Rona Popal, Dr. Mohammad Qayoumi, Hamid Nekrawesh, Bruce Green and Qasim Tarin

In 1979 two events shook the world: The Iranian Revolution and the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan. These events caused millions of refugees to scatter around the globe thereby creating the cultures of the Diaspora. Thirty years later the California State University East Bay (CSUEB) hosted the first Global Knowledge Conference where scholars gathered to present research and discuss the dynamics of this Diaspora.

The historic event took place October 22 – 24, 2009. The venue at CSU East Bay was appropriate for two reasons: First, the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area is home to some of the largest communities of Afghans and Iranians and secondly, the president of CSUEB, Dr. Mohammad Qayoumi, is a member of this Diaspora from Afghanistan.

The opening evening reception featured art and music from accomplished members of the Diaspora such as sculptor Sami Nadi and master of the Rubab, Homayun Sakhi. Friday’s dinner featured the Shahrzad Dance Academy performing traditional Persian dances. Original verses were recited by poets Najia Karim and Nosratollah Nooh.

This was a conference for both the head and the heart, featuring scholarly presentations as well as emotional personal narratives.

As the host of this noble gathering, Dr. Qayoumi set the stage with his presentation on the ancient history of Persia. Scholarly workshops from CSUEB faculty covered topics such as “How to Meet the Informational Needs of Afghan Women” by Dr. Valerie Smith and “Causes of High Divorce Rates among Diaspora Afghans” by Dr. Farid Younos, and the results of an extensive survey on “Health and Well-Being of Afghans in Northern California” presented by Dr. Carl Stempel.

Keynote speakers included Dr. Alam Payind, the director of the Middle East Studies Center, Ohio State University, who had just returned two days previously from Afghanistan to bring a fresh report of conditions and attitudes there. Dr. Shafiq Shamel from Stanford University shared his insights concerning “New Directions in Afghan and Iranian Scholarship.” The wrap-up plenary session featured Rona Popal, executive director of the Afghan Coalition and journalist Mizgon Zahir-Darby, discussing “Emerging Issues within the Diaspora.” The final emphasis was on the needs of the new generation, who represent both challenges and great potential for blessing.

The entire conference was videotaped and hopefully will be available for viewing on the CSUEB website in the near future. A published form of the conference will also be produced so the lessons can be passed on to others and the benefits of this effort can be multiplied.

Links:

Presentation by Afghan Coalition Board Member Teri Lindgren, Ph.D., UCSF, “Impact of Sept. 11 on Afghan Women’s Community Participation”

Presentation by Afghan Coalition partner Carl Stempel, Ph.D., CSUEB, Social and Experimental Influences on the Health and Well-Being of First Generation Afghans in Northern California”

Presentation by Afghan Coalition partners Aida Shirazi, Ph.D and Mehra Shirazi, Ph.D., UCB, “Afghan Immigrant Women’s Breast Health Knowledge and Behaviors”

For links to other wonderful presentations from the conference, please click here.

Presenter Biographies

Tags: Afghan Diaspora, Dr. Mohammad Qayoumi, Global Knowledge Confernce, Iranian Diaspora, Rona Popal
Posted in Afghan, Afghan American culture, Afghan art and culture, Afghanistan, Rona Popal, community event, education program, immigration, refugees, women's issues, youth leadership | Comments Off

Discussion on the Global Politics of Afghanistan and Pakistan at Stanford

Monday, November 9th, 2009

Global Politics of Afghanistan and Pakistan - event flyer

THE ABBASI PROGRAM IN ISLAMIC STUDIES is hosting an event on the global politics of Afghanistan and Pakistan at Stanford University.

Thursday, December 3rd 2009, 4:30-6:00 pm
Encina Hall Central, CISAC Central Conference Room
616 Serra Street, Stanford CA

A Discussion Session with:

Tahir Andrabi, Economics, Pomona College
Shahzad Bashir, Religious Studies, Stanford University
James Caron, South Asia Studies, University of Pennsylvania
Robert Crews, History, Stanford University
Gilles Dorronsoro, The Carnegie Endowment
Jamal Elias, Religious Studies, University of Pennsylvania
Shah Mahmoud Hanifi, History, James Madison University
Fariba Nawa, Journalist, Fremont
Thomas Ruttig, Afghanistan Analysts Network
Lutz Rzehak, Humboldt University
Farzana Shaikh, Asia Programme, Royal Institute of International Affairs
Amin Tarzi, Middle East Studies, the Marine Corps University

FREE AND OPEN TO PUBLIC

[Co-sponsored with CISAC, Center for South Asia, Department of History, CREEES]

For more information about the Abbasi Program, please see http://islamicstudies.stanford.edu or contact the program office at abbasiprogram@stanford.edu

Tags: Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Politics, Stanford University
Posted in Afghan, Afghanistan, community event, education program | Comments Off

CSUEB year-long focus on Afghanistan and Iran, programs in April and October 2009

Friday, February 6th, 2009

Two lectures, one on “Literature and the Making of Ethnic Americans,” and the other on the “Hyphenated Lives” of Muslim Americans will be presented by the Cal State East Bay College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences (CLASS) as it continues its year-long series focusing on Afghanistan and Iran.

“Literature and the Making of Ethnic Americans: Literary Expressions of Afghan and Iranian American Identity 30 Years On,” by Persist Karim, Associate Professor of Comparative Literature at SJSU, will be presented from noon-1:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 8 in the Biella Room of the University Library, 25800 Carlos Bee Blvd., Hayward.

Soheila Amirsoleimani, associate professor of Persian at the University of Utah, will speak on, “Hyphenated Lives: Muslim Americas in the United States” from 2-3:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 28, also in the Biella Room.

Both events are free and open to everyone.

Karim will investigate the ways that the Afghan and Iranian communities have forged an ethnic community and identity through literature and the ways they’ve challenged and grappled with representations of their countries, cultures and experiences through poetry, fiction and nonfiction. Amirsoleimani will discuss the ways that these two communities, compelled by the events of the Iranian revolution and the Soviet In vasion of Afghanistan in 1979, have begun to deal with the impact of those events and the ways they have shaped their communities and the second generation.

Karim teaches literature, creative writing and Middle Eastern Studies at SJSU. She is the editor of Let Me Tell You Where I’ve Been: New Writing by Women of the Iranian Diaspora (2006) and co-editor of A World Between: Poems, Short Stories and Essays by Iranian-Americans (1999). She has written numerous articles about Iranian American literature and is working on a collection of essays about Middle Eastern American communities.

Amirsoleimani specializes in medieval Perso-Islamic history and classical Persian literature. Her articles on various Persian texts have appeared in Islamic and Iranian studies journals in the U.S. and Europe.

The CSUEB series began in the fall with the exhibit, “Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul,” at the San Francisco Asian Art Museum, combined with the collaborative conference, “Recovering Afghanistan’s Past: Cultural Heritage in Context,” at the University of California campus in Berkeley, and the panel discussion, “The Future of Afghanistan’s Past: Valuing Cultural Heritage,” also at the Asian Art Museum.

The year-long focus on Afghanistan and Iran will conclude in October 2009 with the conference – “Dar Jahan, dar Hazar (In the World, At Home): Afghan and Iranian Diaspora Cultures and Communities in the Bay Area,” on the Cal State East Bay Hayward Campus. Additional information on the conference will be available on the CSU East Bay Web site.

Tags: CSU East Bay, Muslim Americans
Posted in Afghan, Afghan art and culture, Afghanistan, community event, education program | Comments Off

Afghan Coalition Helps Over 450 East Bay Afghans See ‘Hidden Treasures’

Friday, January 23rd, 2009

Inside the Asian Art Museum

The unique opportunity to view the amazing “Hidden Treasures of Afghanistan” exhibit has almost ended. This world-class display on loan from the National Museum of Kabul will finish its three-month visit to the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco on January 25. The Afghan Coalition, whose clients are among the least advantaged in the large Bay Area Afghan community, wanted every Afghan to be able to visit this treasure, no matter their economic level or transportation resources. We contacted museum officials with our plan to bring several busses, and the museum responded with free passes and a wonderful welcome to our community members.

Afghan Coalition board member Rev. Bruce Green, who facilitates Bridge Building between Christians and Muslims, obtained donated busses from Bridges Community Church for museum field trips on December 7, 2008 and January 17, 2009. On each of these Saturdays two busses transported over 150 Afghans, starting with morning pickups in Fremont followed by afternoon shuttles from Concord and Tracy. Thanks to all the donated resources and volunteer help from Bridges and the Museum, the cost was only $10 for a family of 4 (normal museum tickets for 4 adults would be $48 and BART for 4 is $42 round trip from Fremont). In addition to the 300 who came on these field trips, the Afghan Coalition distributed 150 free passes to Afghans who provided their own transportation.

It was encouraging to see whole families experiencing this treasure together. Many older Afghans remembered seeing parts of the exhibit in the old museum in Kabul before the building was destroyed during the civil war. Children enjoyed playing in the “archeological dig” sandboxes. Perhaps some of them will be inspired to become the future scientists and protectors of their culture and history. Many adults commented how proud they were to see Afghanistan honored and celebrated in this way.

Special mention should be made to Pauline Fong-Martinez, the Director of Visitor Relations for the Asian Art Museum, and Bridges bus drivers Bob Mayer, Dwight Hunnicutt, and Tony Hernandez (all of whom donated their time and were too busy driving to see the exhibit). Also special thanks to Habib Zargi and Qais Habibi of Lemar TV for covering this event and helping with publicity. Soon, we will post a link to a two-minute YouTube video from a Lemar TV interview with Bruce Green featuring pictures from the field trips soon.

Visiting the Afghanistan special exhibit at the Asian Art Musuem

Bridge Builder Rev. Bruce Green and Field Trip Participants

Tags: Asian Art Museum, National Museum of Kabul
Posted in Afghan, Afghan Coalition event, Afghan art and culture, Afghanistan, community event, education program | Comments Off

Rona Popal to speak in San Francisco panel on December 10: ‘Afghanistan A Human Rights Focus’

Wednesday, December 10th, 2008

Rona Popal

With a new Administration coming on board, what should be the basis of U.S. – Afghanistan relations?

Afghan Coalition Executive Director Rona Popal, author and lecturer Tamim Ansary, author and journalist William T. Vollmann and professor Dr. Zaher Wahab will present.

Details are on the attached flyer.

Afghanistan A Human Rights Focus – Panel Discussion
When: December 10th 6:30–8pm
Where: Koret Auditorium in the Main Library – San Francisco (next to Civic Center BART)

Link to Rona Popal’s Speech

Posted in , Afghan, Afghanistan, Rona Popal, education program, human rights, women's issues | Comments Off

Afghan Coalition hosts a special visit to the San Francisco Asian Art Museum

Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008

Courtesy of the Asian Art Museum

This Saturday, December 6, the Afghan Coalition is hosting a special visit to the San Francisco Asian Art Museum to tour the exhibit titled, “Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul.” The exhibit presents 228 artifacts and artworks from the National Museum in Kabul, illuminating the multicultural heritage of Afghanistan. Please join us and other community members for the only showing of this exhibit on the West Coast.

When: Saturday, Dec. 6, 2008

Bus Pickup/Drop-off Times and Locations:

Fremont

10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Meet & return at Afghan Coalition office
39155 Liberty Street, Suite D-460

Concord

12:00 noon – 5:30 p.m.
Meet & return at Afghan Market
1500 Monument Blvd. F 12
Concord, CA 94520

Tracy

12:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Meet & return at Afghan Market
3258 North Tracy Blvd.
Tracy, CA 95376

Cost: $10 per family covers the cost of transportation and entry to the museum.
For Information Call Bruce Green, Afghan Coalition Board Member, at (510) 828-4561

For Tickets and Reservations call:
Afghan Coalition’s Fremont office at (510) 745-1680 or visit the Afghan Market in Concord or Tracy.

The Afghan Coalition is grateful to Bruce Green and the Asian Art Museum for supporting this special event.

For more information on the exhibit:

Visit the Asian Art Museum website:
http://www.asianart.org/afghanistan.htm

National Geographic is also presenting historical and cultural information Afghanistan and Silk Road cultures as well as stories about how the artifacts in the Asian Art Museum exhibition were hidden for 25 years.
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/mission/afghanistan-treasures/index.html

The Asian Art Museum exhibit runs through January 25, 2009.

“A nation stays alive when its culture stays alive.”
—Inscription on the National Museum, Kabul

Goblet depicting figures harvesting dates (Begram, Room 10), 1–200 CE glass and paint National Museum of Afghanistan ©Thierry Ollivier / Musée Guimet

Male or female head (Aï Khanum, Temple with niches, Courtyard), 200–100 BCE unfired clay National Museum of Afghanistan ©Thierry Ollivier / Musée Guimet

Crown (Tillya Tepe, Tomb VI), 100 BCE–100 CE gold and imitation turquoise National Museum of Afghanistan ©Thierry Ollivier / Musée Guimet

Posted in Afghan Coalition event, Afghan art and culture, Afghanistan | Comments Off

Women’s Rights in Afghanistan with Sakena Yacoobi on May 18, 2007 at the World Affairs Council

Tuesday, May 15th, 2007

Friday, May-18-2007

The World Affairs Council hosts

Women’s Rights in Afghanistan with Sakena Yacoobi
Co-sponsored by Afghan Women’s Association International (AWAI)

Sakena Yacoobi, Executive Director of the Afghan Institute of Learning

Sakena Yacoobi, founder of The Afghan Institute of Learning has brought education and health services to rural and poor urban girls, women and other poor and disenfranchised Afghans. Until the fall of Taliban in 2001, AIL operated underground, supporting home schools for over 3000 girls and was the first organization to open Women’s Learning Centers which taught women to become economically independent. Since 2002, with the adoption of a new Afghan constitution, women have been allowed to return to work and some have been appointed to prominent positions in the government. AIL now serves 350,000 women and children annually and employs about 415 Afghans, over 70% of whom are women. Sakena Yacoobi will discuss the instrumental role that her organization plays in helping Afghan women and girls overcome the challenges wrought by the last quarter century of war and instability.

NOTE: Cancellations must be made at least 48 hours in advance of a program in order to receive a refund

Registration 11:30 AM, Program 12:00 PM,

Members – FREE, Nonmembers – $15, Students – $5 Cosponsors: $7

World Affairs Council Auditorium, 2nd floor, 312 Sutter St., San Francisco

Cosponsored by the International Museum of Women and Afghan Women’s Association International

Posted in Afghanistan, community event, human rights, women's issues | Comments Off

Afghan Coalition Announcements