Afghanistan site by Sarah Kamal

Welcome!

Thank you for visiting. My name's Sarah Kamal and these are some of the projects, writings, and research papers on Afghanistan I have worked on over the course of several years. Please browse:

Personal (for the e-Book)

This series of articles chronicles personal reflections and learning sparked by visits to Afghanistan and the surrounding region.

Entries date from June 2001 to January 2008.

Afg 1: Purgatory Found Initial impressions on refugees in Pakistan
Afg 2: I'm Pissed Off Anger and re-entry shock in Iran
Afg 3: I Promise Sadness leading to determination
Afg 4: The Darkness Behind my Eyes Concern over Sept. 11th
Afg 5: Soul-Music The reality when bombs rain/reign
Afg 6: Preponderance Silent mass madness
Afg 7: I Don't Want to Be Here Whorls and spirals
Afg 8: Lumbar Support Revisiting burqas and friendship
Afg 9: In the Wavering Light Shelter
- Afg 9.1: Shelter Lyrics and song
Afg 10: When the Sky Falls My friend the beetle (new)
Afg 11: Checking Out Ending a relationship (new)
Iran 4: 10-Kiss Goodbye Afghan refugee youth in Iran
Iran 6: I'm a Garbage Collector Guilt and resilience

Pass Ye Not

This series of emails have been written in response to the detainments, electronic tracking, and curtailed civil liberties of foreigners in the United States, as implemented by the US Department of Homeland Security. Along with Interlink, a student initiative to keep ourselves informed, connected, and proactive, this series is local (to my university) in its details, but broad in its implications.

Entries date from November 2002 to January 2005.

Border 1: It got worse Special registration in the United States
Border 2: Immigration lawyer will be on campus Know your rights!
Border 3: Homeland Security and MIT's response Int'l students
Border 4: Arrests of hundreds of Iranian and other Muslim men
Border 5: Looking at the broader picture The politics behind it all
Border 6: Patriot II and Tony's troubles Anti-terrorism?
Border 7: Operation Liberty Shield and some numbers Humanity
Border 8: Permanence of Patriot Act? Privacy perspectives
Border 9: Special registration to end Biometric cards instead
Border 10: Follow-up/fall-out Effects of US border policies
Border 11: They lied Still getting fingerprinted!
2Be Diversity: On Being an Iranian in North America Belonging

Political

These essays are invitations to countervail the dominant political ethos of our times.

Entries date from September 2001 to February 2002.

WTC 1: Beware the Media, not bin Laden Press sensationalism
WTC 2: Global Citizen Thinktank Creating ‘little people’ webspace
WTC 3: OUR World, not Bush’s Invitation to connect/mobilize
WTC 4: Thrilled the Taliban have gone? Question complacence
WTC 5: Be Counted, Canadians! An MP-influencing opportunity
WTC 6: CAWCA/Urgent! Direct action to support Afghans
WTC 7: Tortured moans and the Axis of Evil Bush's speech

Letter to the UN envoys at Bonn Women's representation?
Letter to the Prime Minister My Canada includes Afghanistan
Letter to America Interdependence vs. unilateralism

Pictures

Security considerations and concerns over maintaining dignity and agency of the people I would otherwise love to photograph has kept this section sparse.

Entries date from June 2001 to July 2001.

Kabul One week in June 2001
An Afghan Refugee Camp One week in July 2001

Projects

The following are projects I have initiated and run in my spare time.

Entries date from June 2001 to November 2004.

e-Book: Even the Faceless Eat Icecream Personal writings
GCT: Global Citizen Thinktank Research/discuss/act for Sep 11th
RPP: Radical Peace Proposal ‘Human Shield’ in Afghanistan?
Hesperian: Where Women Have No Doctor Book adaptation
Translated poem: i wish i were in kosovo An Afghan poet's voice
Appropriation art film: Avaz (song) Eyes, voice, power, humanity - my first attempt at a film (14 minutes, 33MB, needs Quicktime)
Award?: Questioning a peace awardee's background Writing a letter when I was 23 got me into more than I expected
Research: rural community radio modelling An excerpt from a research paper on creative uses of radio technology for rural Afghans

Publications

My publications on Afghanistan-related subjects are available at the following link. (new)

I've got a lot of work going on, so some of what you see above may not be fully current. Ask me if there's anything you find unclear or would like expanded.

Thank you for your interest! I wish you joy in your many freedoms. May your dreams take flight and dance like dandelion fluff, seeds scattered in fertile land....