WATCH: A Dialogue with Afghan-Americans | Ask Congress to Investigate the Cost of War on Terror in Afghanistan | Thoughts from the Afghan Diaspora | Anti-Racism Training Workshop  

 
WATCH: A Dialogue with Afghan-Americans

Last week ICNA organized a webinar to discuss the current situation in Afghanistan with Afghan Americans! Here are the Speakers for this webinar:

Dr. Daoud Nassimi – Associate Professor of Religion at NOVA Community College, and visiting professor at Kabul and Salam universities in Afghanistan. Holding PhD in Islamic Studies, serving the community as an Islamic instructor, scholar and leader; founder and former president of Islamic Society of Afghans in Washington, DC area.  

Imam Jamal Kakar – Imam and president of Madina Islamic Center in Springfield, Instructor of Qur’an at ADAMS Center in Sterling, Virginia; with educational background in Islamic Studies from Libya and in Teacher Education from NOVA College

Sr. Nasrin Noory – Controller and director of operation in a high-tech company, member of National Association of Professional Women of Washington, DC, member of Trademark Who’s Who, with educational background in the field of finance.

 
Ask Congress to Investigate the Cost of War on Terror in Afghanistan

Today, August 31st, 2021 marks the day that American forces withdrew from Afghanistan, officially ending the 20 years war on terror, leaving Afghanistan under the control of the Taliban.

Like many of us, your eyes have probably been glued to your screen in recent days. The news coming out of Afghanistan is heartbreaking, and the images we see make us feel saddened and helpless. It’s hard to imagine that this is where the last twenty years have bought us. The unending War on Terror has wreaked havoc on families all over the world. 

Here’s what you can do- contact your congressional representative and senators and ask them to form a commission to investigate the cost of 20 years War on Terror in Afghanistan. 

We do not have the ability to take back our actions, or to return life to those who have lost it. We can only move forward by redressing our harms, and giving back what we can- opportunity. 

 

 
Thoughts from the Afghan Diaspora

We spoke to several Afghans around the US to ask how they are feeling about the current situation in Afghanistan. This list will be updated as we speak to more. If you would like your thoughts to be published, please leave us a comment. 

 
The Problem with Imagery in the Discourse Surrounding Afghanistan

In the battle for imperialism, media from the West has had a history of creating images and propaganda that would attempt to gloss over actions by the West. To further clarify, in the current situation in Afghanistan, many news outlets, social media platforms, and individuals are proliferating images that would evoke empathy or compassion towards US soldiers. What must be understood, however, is that these images consistently play into soft propaganda of the US/overall West as saviors, compassionate beings, dedicated to service to humanity, when in reality, soldiers are a tool of the US mission for imperialism. 

 
Anti-Racism Training Workshop

After approximately an 18-month delay due to the onset of the deadly Covid-19 pandemic, ICNA Council for Social Justice held an Anti-Racism Training Workshop on Saturday, August 28 from 11 am- 4:30 pm on the Zoom platform. Rev. Willard Bass, the founder and Executive Director of the North Carolina-based Institute for Dismantling Racism organized and led the sessions before an attentive audience of approximately 25 participants. The interactive sessions tackled the ever-sensitive issue of racism in the United States from a historical and contemporary perspective while emphasizing the necessity for Muslims to be anti-racist and not merely settling for just not being racist. Practical distinctions and examples of each were discussed.


The Anti-Racism Training Workshop included sessions on Racism in the Muslim Community. Imam Khalid Griggs led this discussion that included an analysis of the impact of colonialism on the collective psyches of many Muslim immigrants prior to arriving in the United States and the resultant negative stereotypes often unconsciously held about Black and poor people in the West. Participants left the Workshop with a broader understanding of the necessity for self-inventory and examination of personally held negative feelings about others and the imperative to challenge racist behavior by individuals and institutions, that is, become anti-racist. If you are interested in having an Anti-Racism Training Workshop in your area, please contact the ICNA CSJ national office at [email protected]

 

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