I can imagine a little of how frustrating and insulting that must have been. What I find really hard is that my Afghan colleagues - grown, adult men - come quietly into my office to ask me if there is anyway I can buy them some beer for the party for their sister's wedding, or even just to enjoy a quiet drink in their own home. This is not my country, but I have this freedom and they do not. I don't live in Kabul with fancy restaurants, I live in Ghor with only my Afghan colleagues for company and I am always a little angry for them that they have come asking me like guilty teenagers. But in this one regard (alcohol laws) I do remind them that they, as citizens of Afghanistan, also have to decide what kind of a country they want in the future - one with more freedoms and which kind of freedoms - and then they have to use us (the ex-pats) to help them get there. If Afghan's want to retain more social control (alcohol is terribly misused in my home country and causes many social and health problems) then there may be wisdom in that as well...
Unfortunately what we see with people in the third world countries specially Afghanistan that they have a very vague idea about west. There is always this misconception that freedom means "do what ever you like and not be responsible for your action".
I totally agree with Nasim and sympathies with his frustration but you should realise that western culture which includes drinking is not what you should be aspiring to because the downside of it is far greater than it's benefits.
I guess you will only realise all these once you have lived in the west, the social problem in the west is so great and out of hand. Some of the reasons for it are "drinking, the so called freedom that you are after".
I believe that as an educated Afghan who has access to the WWW you should be doing more and striving towards educating others than being upset by someone stopping you from drinking alcohol.
Well guys, get over it, alcohol is only an example. Nasim's story is symbolic of what's going on in Afghanistan. The Talibans are gone (at least for now) but the people who are now making the laws are not interested in citizen's freedom or in the public good. They want to impose their backward wishes on people they see are their subjects. So Afghan people (particularly women) who want to live their life as they wish are prevented to do so by "muscle men" like Nasim experienced it.
By the way, Nasim, I think you should not be too hard on expats. I know many of them are abusing the situation. But please don't forget who the real responsible for your little misfortune are: not the expats but the conservative "lawmakers" (actually thugs and warlords) that are sitting in Kabul.
The people and government of Afghanistan should set the laws and rules of the country and citizens and foreign workers alike should honour them. Only then will Afghanistan be a sovereign Nation.
If alcohol and drugs are not allowed in Afghanistan they should be barred from fancy restaurants as well as in the street.
Sounds like they're trying to make an apartheid system like in Cuba where the foreingers get all the benefits and the citizens get hosed. We can only hope that this will change in time. It's a personal decision to drink, not needing the consultation of a higher authority.
I'm confused that what kind of benefit Alcohol would bring into a society, specially the likes of Afghanistan where people would easily misinterpret the freedom and democracy.
Please be aware that democracy and freedom doesn't mean allowing your people to drink and break the centuries of old tradition.
Adopting to certain rule and specially when there is the word "Democracy" will take a long time, it's a gradual process that people will have to accept and capitalize on not to misuse it.
I think Nasim's story is just an example of double standard in Afghanistan. Here, we have too many do's and don't's that will drive you mad. You can't talk about this, you can't talk about that... because it is Islam or Islamic!!!!! It is frustrating. If you talk about Mujahideen and state your opinion (not good one, of course) then you'll be in trouble. You shouldn't talk about them beaxue if you do, you will be labeled Kafir (infidel). It would be rewarding to kill you. Zero tolerance here.
This is another form of Talibanism. I pray God save us from these Islamists!!
By the way, last night my friends and I had a wonderful time. We had Skyy Vodka and wine - Dancing and drinking till early in the morning. It was so cool
مژده به وبلاگ نویسان افغان
از این به بعد وبلاگ نویسان افغان میتوانند از آپلود سنتر هرات بلاگ برای گذاشتن عکس و دیگر فایل ها استفاده کنند
برای معلومات بیشتر روی لینک زیر کلیک کنسد
http://www.heratblog.com/yaddasht/upload
This happens in many undeveloped country. Foreign investment comes in, but it circulates among foreigners, and then goes back out.
Nasim, here is an appeal from the families of the Korean hostages that you may find interesting. I just hope this can be resolved with no one else getting hurt. Except the Taliban, evil vipers...
This is terrible, Nasim. I hope you write about this in your farsi blog now. I think your neighbors in Iran as well as iranians living in europe and north america need to know about these details too.
This is terrible. My sympathies with all those eduring apartheid in the so-called post-Taliban Afghanistan.
Call it hypocricy, rather than democracy and guess what hypocrites rule this country.
Hi Naseem,
This is my first time to your blog, and I have really liked it (both the good and the bad parts you have written about), Afghanistan looks like a very beautiful country and I hope I can travel there some day.
What you have written about is very frustrating, and I can understand totally. It's not about drinking alcohol(which I feel is only a negative kind of freedom) but about being denied freedom to do things in ur own country while in front of you foriegners are allowed that privilege. I don't think this is about drinking alcohol but just that it is humiliating to be accompanying a foriegner in ur own country who has full freedom and privileges and wealth and be denied the same thing by force in front of a foriegner. I think that wud make anyone angry.
Anyway, I hope Afghanistan will be peaceful and stable in the future. Only thing is, I hope that it does not become a US or European colony. I think to a large extent, it is external influence that has ruined Afghanistan and all less powerful countries like India, Pakistan and afghans etc. need to make sure that they do not just become pawns in games played by stronger countries. Look at Pakistan today (Which was/is a key american ally and in its greed for arms has allowed itself to become a US puppet)where they are ruled by a military dictator who is more popular in Washington and in the US media than he is in Afghanistan.
Foriegn powers don't really care about you, they will only use u as their pawns and then leave u to bear the consequenses. That does not mean that one should become like Iran which is almost on a collision course with the US. All of us need a middle way.
Anyway, this is just something I keep arguins about with everyone (whether americans or indians/pakistanis). Anyway, best of luck, i hope things become better in afghanistan quickly.
Regards,
Rahul
sorry, just to correct my earlier comment, I meant musharraf is more popular in washington than in pakistan and not afghanistan..
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hey Sohran jan,
i am completly agree with you. forighners have brought every thing for themselves. in Afghanistan no thing has been changed it is just the names of the leaders and governament which are changing some time. Rubbani , Mullah Omer khan , Karzai , Emirat Islami or Islamic Repulic.
Yuor Article is just an example, do you know that forighners are aloud to have sex with Afghans Girls easily in Kabul buuuuuuuuuuuuut if An afghan do it you know what will happennnnn. n so many onnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn.
Salaam Nasim
Are you muslim?
Why would you want to drink if you are muslim, it is prohibited for us, I live in USA and I dont drink, believe me freedom to drink will only create more problems, and go easy on epats, they are doing afavor to Afghanistan by being there.
Faaz
I wouldn't blame the westerners. It's the Afghan government that created these laws and raids foreign restaurants making sure they are implemented.
It's the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and public drinking among Muslims is banned as alcohol is indeed banned in Islam.
Dear Nasim,
Although I read your article a quite long time after you published it, please let me comment your story from the expat point of view living in Kabul since two years:
I am the head of a branch office of an international company working in Afghanistan. One of my friends, also an expat, owns one of the so called "international restaurants" in Kabul. But both businesses are not foreign businesses exploiting your country and taking the money abroad, we are Afghan ones. Although we ourselves are foreigners, the businesses are licensed with the Afghan Government, the employees are Afghans and we pay wage withholding taxes, rent withholding taxes and profit taxes to the Afghan Government. In my opinion the final profit after all deductions that remains in the end is ours, and we are free to decide where to reinvest it in this world. We decided several years ago, to take the money we had earned somewhere else in the world and invest it in Afghanistan. We took the risk, always followed all rules and regulations of the Afghan Government and the obligations and cultural specialities of the country. This is called international business and no one is exploiting the other but both are benefiting. The business owners because of the profit we make for the risk we take and the economy of the country because of employment and tax payments we provide with our business activities.
If your country is taking part in international economy there will be always at least a little minority of foreigners working in your country to represent their home countries and home economies. It is the same in my country where people from all over the world come to work and they are most welcome, no matter where they are from as long as they follow the laws. We have an Afghan community who is working there, making profit and sending the money back home to supply their families. Why should we not be permitted to do so vice versa?
Now to the point of alcohol being served to Afghans:
The Afghan Government represented by the Ministry of Tourism issues licenses for restaurants which permit them to serve alcohol. To get the license you have to pay a fee. When receiving this license you have to agree to obey the rule not to serve Alcohol to any Muslim person. This is not an idea of the foreigners, but an obligation of the Afghan Government! Other Muslim countries like Pakistan and United Arab Emirates issue similar kinds of licenses too. Therewith they permit Non-Muslims working and living in these countries to consume goods prohibited to Muslim people.
So your Government is deciding to tell you and us what to do and how to act. Why are you than blaming the foreigners which just obey the rules and regulations and the culture of your country ?
This is an internal Afghan discussion and we do not want and even more - do not have the right to get involved in this. We just obey the rules of the country and the culture and do what we are told to.
If you want mor
Sorry, i did not so see that a post has limited charcters. I am continuing the comment started above herewith:
If you want more freedom to decide and do what you want to do you should take on the responsibility and address to your government instead of shifting the responsibility to us. I think it is quite unfair exploiting us to fight your fight for freedom of decision making. Whatever we do will be wrong. If we criticise the government that this rule exists we will be told not to get involved in internal affairs and that we may leave if we don't like it here. If we obey the rules of the government people start blaming us for being different.
So, if there are regulations in your country you dislike – fight them. But it's up to you to fight them. Stand up for your rights and do not shift this responsibility to your guests.
Now let me tell you what your government is doing to control restaurant owners whether they obey the alcohol rules, what this means for them and what happens if a restaurant owner is not following these regulations:
One day my friend, the restaurant owner, has been visited by two Afghan Gentlemen who asked him to prepare a reception for them and some of their friends. They demanded that alcohol should be served to the people at this reception. He rejected and told them that this was not possible as he is not permitted by Governmental regulations to serve alcohol to Afghans. But they insisted on alcohol to be served and a long discussion followed. After insisting for ten minutes that he is not going to violate this rule, the two gentlemen suddenly took ID cards out of their pockets and identified themselves as police officers. They complimented him on sticking to the regulations and told him that if he had agreed on serving alcohol they would have immediately closed his restaurant.
Now, let me come to the really uncomfortable part to tell you how to follow and implement this rule in daily work in a restaurant:
The owner or the personnel in the restaurants have to ask every of their clients if they are Muslim or not and if they believe, because of their appearance, that they could be a Muslim but pretending not to be one to even ask them for their passports. But in a passport the religion is not mentioned. So you have to decide according to the place of birth if this person could be a Muslim or not.
In my personnel opinion and in the opinion of all my friends this is absolutely discriminating.
I guess you can imagine how uncomfortable an open minded and customer oriented person feels when doing this. Most of us expatriates, as I, do believe that every person is free to decide what he does as long as he is not violating the rights of another person. To implement this governmental rule directly contradicts our attitude towards people, but it has to be obeyed, otherwise you will ruin your business.
Finally, please imagine yourself in the position of the muscle man you faced: Could you imagine that he was jus
Sorry for the long answer, but that is important. Here is the final:
Finally, please imagine yourself in the position of the muscle man you faced: Could you imagine that he was just frightened to loose his business license? Could he know that you are not a police officer in civil close like the ones which had been to my friends' restaurant? Could you imagine how uncomfortable he felt when having to tell you that you are not treated equal to others in his restaurant although he himself does not want to do so? And probably you have not been the only person at this evening to which this had happened so he already was in a really upset mood because he had to obey a rule he dislikes but has to respect?
Some months ago the Afghan Government, represented by the Attorney General started a campaign to check if the restaurants in Kabul, having such a alcohol serving license, are obeying this regulation. Those who did not have been closed down, their owners lost their licenses and some have even been detained. And I believe this is correct because the violated a governmental regulation they agreed to obey.
I hope this helps a bit to more understanding each other. I share your point of view that this is kind of regulation is discriminating, but please try to also understand us and why we have to follow it.
Best regards
Patrick
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