The Murdered Aid Workers: A Mobilization Against This Crime

Today is "World Humanitarian Day." On this day, CASC has prepared a translation from Dari of an important declaration issued by a broad cross-section of Afghan democrats, below:

Fear and panic has arisen as the Taliban shows itself in Badakhshan, one of the most secure provinces in Afghanistan. While an unjust and inhuman action like the murder of these aid workers should be condemned in any part of the world, this is a particularly disgrace to the great and wise people of Badakshan, who are world-renowned for their culture and customs, and do not deserve to be associated with this ferocity.

The cruel murder of these aid workers, eight foreign workers and two Afghan citizens, is a disgraceful, criminal act. The murderers have committed a crime against all humanity. They are the enemies of humanity, enemies of wisdom, and followers of devil. Their bases and terrorist camps are in neighbouring countries, where their fundamentalist education has taught them to regard anything different, anything outside their primitive and blind ideas, is haram, and anyone who does not share their ideas is wrong.

Until this fact is recognized, crime and violence of this kind will continue. Unfortunately, we believe that this crime, not the first, will not be the last.

The only way to halt the devil of darkness and violence is to raise up everyone in the knowledge of humanitarianism. All intellectuals and educated people must now organize tirelessly, with various events and programs, to educate the people about the public good, and raise awareness about what is bad. We must make sustained efforts to awaken the public, to follow the path of awareness of crimes against humanity.

These crimes are against human beings, not just “foreigners” or “Afghans.” These are crimes against human beings, and it does not matter what religion those human beings follow, or whether they follow no religion. This must be our priority: Our homeland needs discourse between scholars from many traditions, from many fields of modernity. We must do this, not for political reasons, but for freedom from the devil of idiocy, for stability, and for the development of our country.

We must promise that with courage, we will use our power and knowledge to grow the tree of equality and coexistence, and workd for the convergence of humanism with our religion. We must grow gardens of knowledge, and teach ourselves and others to follow the International Declaration of Human Rights. Religions and all “isms” are made for humans, to serve humans. We accept no justification from religion to kill any human being. This can never be accepted.

In denouncing the murder of the foreign and Afghan workers in Badakhshan, and the murder of workers like them in any part of the world, we share in the grief and sorrow of all humanity.

We urge you to join us in solidarity and in struggle against this crime.

Rahmatullah Bejanpur, Hamza Waezi, Abed Haidari, Mohammadullah Naqid, Abdulrauf Begi, Mohammad Nadir Khoram, Dr. Hasan Alizada, Dr. Najibullah Massir, Dr. Khaliq Lalzad, Najmudding Kawyani, Dr. Naser Shahi, Adina Mohmmad Niazi, Gulam Dastgir Nayel, Dr. Haroon Ameer Zadah, Mehrab Nawabi, Hafiz Rawand, Akbar Nawabi, Eng. Majid Eskandari, Jalil Shabgir Poladian, Ziabari Bahari, Dr. Safiullah Safi, Eng. Motawali Wali, Begijan Mirzaie, Zahir Zohori, Prof. Rasoul Raheen, Zia Raheen, Ebrahim Sekandari, Farid Syawash, Fawad Maseer, Hamid Hamid, Shafiq Ahmad, Sayed Nizamudding Tahiri, Mohammad Asef Rostami, Hendullah Shariati, Dr. Merza Wali Darwazi, Behroz Bejanpoor, Sadrudding Saqib, Abduljabar Ariayee, Dr. Mojiburahman Rahimi, Dr. Zalmai Nishat, Dr. Latif, Dr. Khosraw, Dr. Aziz Atef, Dr. Halim Hosaini, Milad Ahmad Mouj, Ahmad Mostaqim, Jawad Shamal, Abdulali Faiq Afghanistanni, Ahmad Shah Faiq Khorasani, Sharif Ahmad Faiq Khorasani, Nabil Faiq Khorasani, Amin Faieq Khorasani, Fahima Faiq Khorasani, Maryam Faiq Khorasani, Sabrina Faiq Khorasanni, Shogofa Lalzad, Polad, Hamid Panjshiri, Mones Panjshiri, Abdulrahman Daqiq, Latif Kazimi, Nadera Fani Afghanistani, Fatema Njafzada, Dr. Fawad Osmani, Mohamad Fahim Khairi, Zia Bakhshi, Dr. Nasimi Khorasani.

Supported by: Asada Rasta Habibi (political activist), Kamran Meerhazar (Kabul Press editor, writer), Khairullah Azad (journalist), Shikiba Ebadi (cultural activist), Taiba Sohila (poet), Samih Rafih (writer and artist), Eng. Abdul Moqtader, Fazil M. Moshtaq, Azizullah Hamdam, Tahir Panjshiri, Haj Ahmad Wali Wadid, Amir Kalan Azimi, Ostad M. Amin, Ostad Jahghouri, Hamid Kofi, Nazar Sayed Darwazi, Mohafiz Sohrabi and Habibjan Takhari, Dr. Raziq Roeen, Dr. Dastagir Rezaee, M. Arif Yousofi, Shahjahan Royan, Sameha royan, Haroon Royan, Eng. Noor M khorami, Shahsawar Samangani, Nesar Khorami, Anjela Pagahi (poet), Khalid Mirza Amir, Noor M. Khorami, Soraya Baha, Moulana Gholamgul Mosleh, Sayed Mosleh, Sobhanallah Hamidi, Azim Babak (chief editor, Pendar), Ajmal Shahna, Dr. Abdulkhaliq Mashrab, Wahid Waheed, Dawlat Khoda and many others . . .