A propaganda war has ignited on both sides of the debate over the proposed renaming of the Afghan Bazaar to Little Bamyan.
Soon after the opposing community groups submitted their petitions to Greater Dandenong Council on Monday 10 February, the alliance fighting to preserve the Afghan Bazaar name posted a video on social media platform TikTok.
In the video shot at Harmony Square, spokesperson and lawyer Massi Ahmadzay claims Hazara community members who initiated the name-change have a “hidden agenda” that “they want to take control of Thomas Street and claim it as their own.”
“They want to sell Afghan goods, they want to sell Afghan food, they want to sell Afghan rugs, they want to monopolise and claim it as their own for themselves and in the process ignore the contributions by the diverse Afghan, Pashtun, Tajiks, Uzbeks,” he said in the video posted by colleague Khalid Amiri.
“All of that have contributed to this city, they want to claim it for themselves and we’re not going to let that happen.
“It’s Afghanistan – it’s not Hazaristan, its not Bamyanistan and it never will be.”
The Australian-born Mr Ahmadzay is a lawyer by profession who sent a collective letter representing nine Afghan organisations against the Little Bamyan name to the council on Wednesday 5 February.
He told Star Journal that he has “nothing but love and respect” for his “brothers and sisters from the Hazara community and those who contribute to Thomas Street.”
“If I had any racial bias towards them, I wouldn’t have used any of their services to build my home.
“It’s not going to bring me down in any way because I know who I am. I know I’m not racist toward Hazara people but if that’s what they have to resort to, to discredit me, good on them.
“My arguments will be heard in council and potentially in the court of law if that’s what it has to be because that’s where I thrive, that could be the opportunity for people to know the real me.”
He has received a strong backlash particularly from the Hazara community, offended of being accused of “taking control over Thomas Street”. They say they are merely asking for the recognition of the Hazara people in the area and that is not achieved with the term ‘Afghan.’
In response to the post, prominent Hazara community member Habib Sultani uploaded a Facebook video.
He urged people to sign the online petition for Little Bamyan, which sharply spiked from about 3400 on Monday to over 15,000 (as of Friday 14 February). It overtook the opposing pro-Afghan Bazaar online petition, which had swelled to more than 9200.
The issue on whether or not to change the name to Little Bamyan has received worldwide attention, with Afghan-born Pakistani television host and actress Najiba Faiz sharing Star Journal’s story ‘Fight over divisive Afghan Bazaar change’ on X (formerly Twitter) in support of Little Bamyan.
She stated Hazara people have lived under the term ‘Afghan’ for thousand of years and now they’re obstructed from changing the name of a bazaar.
Hazara photojournalist Barat Batoor, of Melbourne’s South East, said he’d collected 173 signatures from businesses including those on Thomas Street for a Little Bamyan petition presented to Greater Dandenong Council on 10 February.
“The person who represented the (opposing) party introduced himself at the Council meeting as “representing the entire Afghan community” and in doing so the person revealed precisely why the term is so problematic and unrepresentative,” Mr Batoor said.
“He does not represent the Hazaras who own the overwhelming majority of businesses on Thomas Street and make up a significant population of Dandenong.
“He does not represent the 176 businesses and 20 organisations on Thomas Street and surrounding precinct who are against the unofficial name (Afghan Bazaar) and are in favour of a name change.
“He does not represent the 11,700 online petitioners who want the word “Afghan” disposed and instead replaced by “Bamyan.”
He says council must desist from using the unofficial and unregistered Thomas Street nickname ’Afghan Bazaar.’
“The Council cannot neglect the grievance of the business community of Thomas Street who are alienated by this name and want it disposed of immediately.
“When the council decided to name it ‘Afghan Bazaar’, the Hazara community showed strong opposition, and the council didn’t listen to it that time. We hope the council will hear it this time or this issue will remain and will keep coming back.”
Mr Batoor says Bamyan is a multicultural geographic location and not just for Hazara people. The name was chosen for its “symbolism, diversity and pluralism”, he says.
“It acts as a memento for the ancient statues which the ruthless Taliban senselessly destroyed in 2001.
“It stands against aggression and despotism and is above all a symbol for resistance and hope.”
Mr Ahmadzay however believes the argument is meritless, echoing his statement from the video.
“The country is not Pashtunistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Bamyanistan, Hazaristan – it’s Afghanistan. And that word Afghan represents every citizen including my Hazara brothers, sisters and I,” says Mr Ahmadzay, who has a Pashtun father and a Tajik mother.
He says he “sticks to that point unequivocally.”
“I can see how inflammatory that is but with utmost respect I’m not withdrawing from that statement in any way.
“It’s not about minimising or ignoring of the Hazara people or discrediting them, I don’t want to get into debate about that, the reality is the war in Afghanistan has been experienced by all including my parents who escaped.
“Using their perceived view that Hazara people have suffered more than anybody else in order to advance that agenda, I feel sorry for them if that’s what they have to do.”
He says his father despite being a Pashtun had to flee the country during the civil war and migrate to Australia in the 1980’s. Now Mr Ahmadzay endures being slanderously called a “terrorist” or “terrorist sympathiser” online by anonymous people.
“I cannot believe it’s got to this point that a reputable Australian lawyer is being referred to as a terrorist.”
