>From: Amara Graps <amara@amara.com>
>A loose collection of perhaps half-dozen associated groups who
>love wild open spaces and have a close affinity with their land,
>who in the past had a long tradition of song, art, poetry and a
>deeply mystical life. They were in the middle of an intellectual
>emergence when the Soviets invaded. At that time, the different
>Muslims (Shia and Sunni) cooperated, their brand of Islam was very
>moderate, women were going to universities and 'unveiled', wearing
>western dress.
>It might be hard to say _now_ who the Afghans are because at least
>1/2 of them are dead or in exile: murdered by the Soviets between
>1979 and about 1985 and later by whoever else. That was about one
>million Afghans killed. Or was it two million? three million?
>Nobody knows for sure. In the mid 1980s, the largest refugee
>population in the world were Afghans: Many millions over the world
>from the four million refugees in Pakistan, a couple of million in
>Iran, hundreds of thousands in London, Paris, Canada, the USA,
>Austrailia. A newly-emerging intellectual class disappeared into
>the Soviet jails in 1979 and were not heard from again. Beautiful,
>ancient towns full of art treasures bombed flat. There is not much
>left of the country any more.
>The Afghans call the Soviet 1979 Invasion: "The Catastrophe".
>I wonder why.
I agree that terrible things have happened to Afghanistan which is
why I think we need to remain after all this is over and help. I
have always had problems with the so called "Prime Directive" on
non-interference.
Colin Powell said yesterday on "Face The Nation" that the U.S. is
committed to helping to rebuild Afghanistan.
I think you will find some information you will appreciate at:
www.lifevalues.com/ten_values_1.htm
Brian
Member:
Extropy Institute, www.extropy.org
National Rifle Association, www.nra.org, 1.800.672.3888
SBC/Ameritech Data Center Chicago, IL, Local 134 I.B.E.W
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