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Ahmad Shah Massoud Commemoration in Netherlands
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Negele, Netherlands - After being ravaged by the Soviet Union for ten years until 1989, and then by the Taliban for four years until they were ousted by the Northern Alliance with US help, Afghanistan is in danger of descending into government by barbarism for a third time. This was the stark message Amrullah Saleh, former head of Afghanistan's Intelligence Service, delivered from Kabul by phone to those gathered at the ninth Commemoration of Ahmad Shah Massoud on September 19 in the Netherlands.
It is widely thought that Saleh resigned as a result of pressure from Pakistan; he in turn warned: "They (the Pakistan government) are weakening him (President Hamid Karzai) under the guise of respecting him. They will embrace a weak Afghan leader, but they will never respect him." Unfortunately, the 'Great Game' that English poet Rudyard Kipling wrote about in 1902 is still being played, but now it is even more complex and devious.
While many of those present already feared that the country was sliding into Taliban anarchy, it must have still been shocking to hear such a knowledgeable and respected public figure speak out so clearly in public on such a day; but there was also a sense of commitment to prepare to resist this threat, and the memory of Massoud brought with it more courage.
The Massoud Commemoration is held every year near the anniversary of the date when he was assassinated (September 9, 2001) by Arabs posing as filmmakers wishing to interview him, in an attack that it is widely thought was connected with the 9/11 attacks on the United States. Massoud was the greatest enemy to the Taliban, and he, if anybody, would have been able to find Bin Laden post 9/11.
The venue for the Commemoration was Partycentrum Dellaram in Nagele in northern Netherlands. Both the venue and refreshments were donated. In addition to those now living in the Netherlands, there were delegations from Belgium, Britain, Denmark, Germany. and Sweden.
Noor Ahmad Soltani, who had been a close friend of Ahmad Shah Massoud and now runs the hall, acted as the Master of Ceremonies. As is customary, the event began with a recitation from the Qur'an, by Qari Shaikhol Hoda; after which the room remained silent as the image of Ahmad Shah Massoud was projected onto a big screen in the stage area. Throughout the program, more clips of Massoud were shown.
Afghanistan's Chargé d'Affaires in the Netherlands, Dr. Jamrad Jamshed, gave a complimentary speech, after which came the telephone conversation with Amrullah Saleh. While the audience listened respectfully to Dr. Jamrad Jamshed, who is expected to soon be appointed Ambassador, there was an intense, expectant silence in the room as everyone listened to the latest update from their homeland.
The meeting was then addressed by a number of respected Afghanis now living in Europe, including Abdul Qadir Alam, a politically active writer and former Governor of the province of Goor; M. Ekram Andishmand, a writer and former Director of Afghanistan national TV in Kabul; Dr. Basir Kamjo, a politically active writer from Germany; and Abdul Jabbar Ariaie, Director of the NGO Ariana Afghanistan in London.
Mojiburrahman Rahimi, a writer, researcher and former diplomat now living in Britain, testified to Massoud's discipline during his struggle. He said: "Ahmad Shah Massoud was a good organizer of all things. He could bring all things, and all the people under a good rule and system."
Most of the speakers were Afghanis and spoke in Persian, the main language of communication in the country.
Mawlana Mohammad Rafiq Roshan, a member of imams congress in Holland, originally from Suriname, spoke in Dutch, calling Massoud an international hero. He also insisted that the Taliban and others who acted in a similar way were terrorists and what they did had nothing to do with Islam.
Christopher Davies, representing UPF-Netherlands, spoke about his impressions of a short video accompanied by a beautiful, haunting Afghani song. "I would suggest that one thing you can do is to share your beautiful culture."
In the West, Massoud is usually described as a military leader. But while he is credited with being possibly the greatest guerrilla leader of the 20th century, he was more than that. He established schools, ensuring that girls receive education equal to that of boys. He did not kill those who had opposed him, as was the custom of the time - rather he forgave them. He also went beyond the tribalism that still plagues much of Afghanistan, and allowed all to join his cause.
UPF Founder Rev. Sun Myung Moon's commitment to help Afghanistan goes back to when he encouraged documentary film maker Lee Shapiro, "we have to push the Soviets out of Afghanistan. You make a movie." When travelling to interview Massoud, Shapiro's party was attacked by a Soviet helicopter gunship and he was killed, when he tried to recover his film.
Two sisters from Britain, Awista Aria and Anahita Aria, recited poems about Ahmad Shah Massoud. Whether one understood the words or not, their style was captivating.
A special message for the occasion was sent by Prof Buhanuddin Rabbani, former President of Afghanistan. The message was read by S.N.Taheri, Director of Nasr Foundation and Ambassador for Peace. "The big hope of Ahmad Shah Massoud, our national hero, was establishing respect for human rights, a government chosen by a real election, and women participating in government," the message read. "I hope one day we achieve all the goals of Ahmad Shah Massoud in our country."
A student representative, Ghofran Badakhshani, spoke respectfully about Massoud; and a poem "Ayaari Akhiri Khorasan" (The Last Brave Man of Khorasan) dedicated to Massoud was read by S.E.Taheri, member of the Commemoration Committee.
It was very noticeable how many young people were present. A new and very stimulating addition to the Commemoration programme was a quiz competition with seven young men being tested about their knowledge about Massoud and his accomplishments. It was impressive to see how much they knew and encouraging to see that Massoud's tradition is still very much alive. After the prizes were awarded, there was a final address by M. Aslam Salim.
After an afternoon of talk, which actually passed remarkably quickly, M.C. Noor Ahmad Soltanim invited all to enjoy the traditional Afghan dish Kabuli pulao.
If anyone doubted that Massoud was essentially a man of peace, they would have been won over by the peaceful atmosphere of fellowship that pervaded the whole event. Whether or not one is religious, anyone who attended this commemoration would know that Massoud is still very much alive!