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       The Salaam Afghanistan event took place in Bridge Hall on January 30th.  An interested and engaged group of 125 gathered to hear the stories and the hopes and dreams of the six panel members.  A spirited question and answer period followed, along with delicious Afghan food and with music by Abdul Hossimi who played the rabob, an elegant Afghan stringed instrument made of wood and animal skin.  

       A donation of $210 was given to the Honorable Michael Whipple, Councilmember, City of Laguna Niguel and President of International Orphan Care, an organization founded by Hasan Nouri, one of the panelists.

The panel members were Hasan Nouri, Sadiq Tawfig, Mahboobullah Afgan, Nazi Etemadi, Roshana Olomi, and Sattar Langary.

       Hasan Nouri, is the founder of International Orphan Care, which cares for and educates the estimated 1.5 million Afghan children who have lost one or more parents in the seemingly endless warfare that has engulfed Afghanistan. 

       Sadiq Tawfiq has operated Laguna Beach’s “Khyber Pass” Afghan decorative arts and rug shop for the past 22 years, and founded two schools in his hometown of Herat, Afghanistan.

       Mahboobullah “Mahboo” Afgan is a foreign exchange student from Afghanistan who is spending his junior at Laguna Beach High School.  Mahboo explained the difference between our cultures, including that between his roomy native Afghan trousers and the tight American levis worn by LBHS students.  He also explained the burkah worn by women in Afghanistan; only the feet are visible; the burkah has a veil in the eye area to permit the woman to see without being seen.

       Nazi Etemadi fled Afghanistan with her family in 1979, but never forgot her homeland and the people left behind.  Her journey in compassion has been to raise awareness about her homeland and to find avenues to bring hope, aid and self-sufficiency to those suffering in her native land.  Through Afghanistan Relief Organization, Nazi has visited her homeland on numerous relief trips, distributing supplies to many remote parts of the country often overlooked by other relief agencies.

       Roshana Olomi also fled Afghanistan in 1979 following the Soviet invasion.  Before settling in California in 1992, Roshana and her family lived in Pakistan, India, Saudi Arabia and Virginia.  A practicing Muslim who teaches the Koran in her home, she explained the basic beliefs which are central to Islam.

       Sattar Langary was born in Kabul.  He fled Afghanistan when the Taliban took power, immigrating to Pakistan with his family.  In Pakistan he worked as a translator for Human Rights Watch and with the UN High Commission for Refugees.  He went back to Afghanistan in 2003 and enrolled in Kabul University where he graduated with a double major in Sociology and Philosophy.  In 2007 he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to obtain a master’s degree in sociology at Cal State Fullerton.  He is in his final semester and is applying for a PhD.

       A special thank you is reserved for two people.  First, Robin Pierson provided hauntingly beautiful photographs of Afghanistan and the Afghan people which introduced the evening. Her untiring effort brought us all six of the panel members and the amazing food.

Second, our thanks to Steve McBride, who took time from his busy schedule to turn Robin’s photos into a user-friendly slide show.  Much merit to you both.

Afghan Film February 27th at NCC:

“View from a Grain of Sand”

       As a follow-up to Salaam Afghanistan, the documentary film “View from a Grain of Sand” will be shown Friday, February 27th, at 7 PM in the Sanctuary. This film is a journey through the past 30 years of Afghanistan’s history, as lived by three Afghan women.  Shot in Pakistan and Afghanistan, a doctor, a teacher and a social activist show how their lives were violently affected by wars and three different regimes in Afghanistan.  Director/producer/writer Meena Nanji will join us for a question and answer period after the film.

Middle East Event March 20th at NCC:

Peace and Justice in the Middle East

       On March 20th, JOY Ministry is sponsoring an event with (1) Wafa Shami of American Friends (Quaker) Service Committee and (2) Vivien Sansour of Imaginaction.  Wafa Shami, who is Program Director, Middle East Peace Education, for the Quaker organization, will discuss her recent trip to Jordan to work with Iraqi refugees.  Vivien Sansour, who joined the Olive Tree Circus in Palestine in October and stood in silent protest with the olive farmers, will tell of her experiences there.  These two women, each in her own way, work tirelessly for peace and justice for the oppressed peoples of the Middle East.  This promises to be a most enlightening evening.

       Stay tuned!

Next JOY Ministry Meeting:

Sunday, March 1st, 11:30 am, NCC Library