Nasim Fekrat
The World Through My Eyes
Mortification of the flesh for sanctifying the body
Ashura, the 10th of Muharram is a holy day for Muslims and especial day for Shi’a. This day is a remarkable day of Muharram in Islamic calendar, the day of mourning for the martyrdom of Hussian the son Ali and the grandson of Muhammad in the battle of Karbala in the year 61 (AD 680). (more…)
Muharram, the month of mourning for Shia Hazaras
Traditionally, it is Mullah’s job to recite the elegy of Imam Hussein who was killed 1300 years ago in battle of Karbala, but in this local mosque in Shiite community in west Kabul, a literate person took the job by delivering an elegy to the mourners.
The depiction of Imam Hussein in pictorial form
The depiction of Hussein in pictorial form has widely circulated in areas inhabited by Shiite Hazaras. In recent years this form of elegy has become a lucrative business for publishing company based in Iran. (more…)
Muharram arrives in Kabul
Afghanistan’s Shiite Hazaras are preparing for Muharram by erecting giant gates ornamented with black cloth and banners that are donated by Iran. (more…)
Afghanistan’s opium production peaks
Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has released a report today that United States has spent approximately $7.6 billion on counternarcotics efforts in Afghanistan. (more…)
Afghanistan’s drug addiction: a growing burden
Afghanistan is the world’s largest producer and cultivator of opium poppies; it produces almost three quarters of the world’s illicit opium. While a significant amount of the opium produced in Afghanistan is trafficked out of the country, in 2009 it was estimated that almost 10 per cent of Afghans aged between 15 and 64 were drug users. Read a full report on UN report.
Afghanistan’s drug addicts
As opium production increases despite billions spent to stop it, Afghanistan’s addicts are also on the rise. (more…)
Afghanistan inhaling its own smoke
A U.S. Department of State report in 2009 estimated there are two million drug users in the country with at least 50-60,000 drug addicts in Kabul alone. Curbing the cultivation of opium poppies, which are used to make heroin, is the goal of a U.S. program that has doled out $80 million (54 million euros) since 2007. (more…)
Afghanistan’s Fatal Injections
From 2005 to 2009, the use of opiates doubled, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, putting Afghanistan on par with Russia and Iran, and the number of heroin users jumped more than 140 percent. (more…)
Afghanistan: Drowning into the hell of heroin
It is no surprise to hear that a country which has often been entitled as the world’s largest opium producer, today, has it holds the highest number of addicts. Afghanistan is not only at the brink of a civil war as a result of its dysfunctional polity and its bellicose contenders who are not willing to compromise, but because of its increasingly opium cultivation and trade that might splinter the country into mini states. (more…)
Afghanistan deepening into tragedy of drug use
It is no surprise to hear that a country which has often been entitled as the world’s largest opium producer, today, has it holds the highest number of addicts. Afghanistan is not only at the brink of a civil war as a result of its dysfunctional polity and its bellicose contenders who are not willing to compromise, but because of its increasingly opium cultivation and trade that might splinter the country into mini states. (more…)
Afghanistan: A dangerous place for children to be born
Afghanistan has been through decades of conflict and it become of the most dangerous places in the world for children and their mothers to live. Here are some facts to know about Afghan children: One in seven Afghan children will not live to see their fifth birthday. Enrollment in primary education has vastly improved over the past 10 years, but still only 7 girls for every 10 boys are enrolled in primary education. (more…)
Berry that brings hope
Maria has been selling berries to make money for her family. She was 10 years old, and hopeful to finish her school and eventually find a job to support her family. Today, I have been looking for photos of a trip that I had to then Northern part of Salang pass, Baghlan and came across Maria’s photo. (more…)
Old part of Kabul city
This is an old part of Kabul city called “Temor Shahi Bazaar,” sometimes it is simply called ‘Temor Shahi.’ Known for its bustling shops, Temor Shahi has lots of buried memories deep into its alleyways, corners, and warrens of mud houses. (more…)
Homeless And Despair After Kuchis’ Attack In Behsud
Fatema 45, the mother of five children, left homeless and hopeless after the Pashtun Kuchis destroyed and burned down her house and many other houses in her in neighborhood in Behsud district. (more…)
Hazara Mosque Burned by Sunni Kuchis
This is a Shiite Hazara mosque in Behsud district that was burned by Sunni Pashtun-Kuchis. Every year around April and May, violent clashes erupts between local Hazaras and incoming Pashtun Kuchis in the pastures of Eastern Hazajarat. (more…)
A Melody of Hope
This headless person who plays this piece of music is me. I improvised this melody while I was procrastinating with my homework. I’m a beginner and pardon me for any mistake if you noticed. I recorded it last year when I was in college and presented to my friend Bilal.
Rabab is one of the most respected instruments in Afghanistan and it is originated in Afghanistan and then spread throughout Indian subcontinent. (more…)
13 Years after Bamiyan Buddhas Destroyed
Afghanistan’s historic Bamiyan Buddhas, destroyed by the Taliban 13 years ago, on March 11, 2001. The statues were 1,500-year-old and could be repaired if UNESCO and Afghan government plan to. (more…)
Afghan Women’s Rights, Better But Not Enough
Afghan women’s rights in bigger cities have improved drastically; millions of girls go to school, thousands of women have got jobs in the government and private sectors; almost half of parliament members are female and of course their presence is palpable in every places. Of course, this is not enough. (more…)