By HAMID SULTANI
I was born in a small town in Kabul, Afghanistan, called Afshar-e-Sellow, where in a war against the Hazara people,
hundreds of homes were burnt in 24 hours, hundreds of people, men, women and children and young girls killed, kidnapped and transferred to other cities and countries for being used as slaves and sexual interests of extremists and warlords.
As I was growing up, being Hazara — having a small nose and eyes or in other words, looking like Mr Ban-Ki Moon — was considered a big sin.
My dad was always telling me stories about his life’s experiences — how hard life is for Hazara men and women living in Afghanistan. Where discrimination, and crimes such as sexual abuse, kidnapping and even genocide have been a huge part of the authority’s cultures in the country.
I tried to find out more about our history — it was painful when I found out that more than 60 per cent of Hazaras were killed a century ago.
Unfortunately, killings of Hazaras and systematic discrimination and sectarian assaults against the Hazaras is still happening in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
In recent explosions — in January and February — more than 200 Hazara men, women and children of all ages were killed and hundreds more were injured in terrorist attacks.
Since then, whenever I talk to my daughter, who is four, on the phone, she tells me all about the sound of explosions, and the story of broken windows and glasses at home.
She tells me of the blood on my niece’s face as they were injured in school. I try to change the topic and ask her about the cartoons on TV but again she will start telling me about the blast, which she calls “a balloon blast”.
It is really painful to see that even in this era, where human rights and hundreds of other non-government organisations working for humanity exist, genocide of the Hazaras is being carried out under the nose of world’s most powerful countries.
None of the countries or NGOs seem to take it as a serious matter, even though thousands of children are being victimised, killed, and discriminated for being Hazara, before they even know that what ethnicity and faith they belong to.
But I always was feeling proud that I am a Hazara. I never tried to change my ethnicity or my faith, because we always believed in humanity, in peace and prosperity and living together with other nations in brotherhood.
We believe this planet is our home; if we want to save ourselves and humanity we have to save our planet. Not through destruction and violating rights of others.
My biggest wish was and is to be a strong voice for my people and country, and to help Afghanistan to be a better place.
We are being killed because we have said no to war. We have said no to extremism. We have said no to the Taliban and their mindset.
We are being killed because we believe in peace and harmony in the world, and in the region. We want Afghanistan to be a better place.
If all these are considered as a crime, then it’s great to be a criminal.
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