The media’s the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that’s power. Because they control the minds of the masses.
- El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (aka Malcolm X)
Afghans for Peace is taking part in an awareness campaign to expose what really happened in the widespread protests that have been erupting throughout Afghanistan since last Friday, April 1st. The majority of news reports have been covering a selective portrayal of the events, leaving out many important factors that contributed to the motivation and intention that lead to these demonstrations.
Since Friday April 1st, mass protests have been held in at least nine different provinces across Afghanistan.The media, however, decided to pay attention to one tragic incident and painted the picture that the protests were sparked by a radicalized group of Muslims. However, these were planned demonstrations partially in response to the Qur’an burning, but not limited to. Why would the people of Afghanistan decide to protest now, and violently so, for an action that took place thousands of miles away from home? Also, why would the protesters only pay attention to this one incident when many other blatant violations of their human rights have occurred in this ongoing war?
The demonstration in Mazar-e-Sharif, Balkh was organized ahead of time by community leaders at the local mosque, Balkh University, and Provincial Council. They had informed the Provincial Governor and Police Chief ahead of time that they planned a peaceful protest and some (leaders?) even intended to hand in a resolution to the UN. While many in the crowd of protesters were condemning the Quran burning, it was not what motivated 20,000 people in Mazar-e-Sharif to take to the streets. Witness reports, along with photographic and video footage show that the demonstration consisted of people protesting against both the Quran burning and NATO forces.
Furthermore, the protest in Mazar-e-Sharif was not an isolated incident, rather a nation-wide protest spanning these following areas:
Balkh
Herat
Kandahar
Kabul
Laghman
Nangarhar
Parwan
Paktia
Helmand
As was the case with Mazar-e-Sharif, a peaceful demonstration along with a written resolution was also planned in Herat. The United States consulate in Herat condemned the Qu’ran burning, but the protesters included 13 items.
Three of the 13 items reported in the resolution were:
- Foreign troops to leave Afghanistan
- Stop killing of civilians
- Untie all diplomatic relations with the United States government
In Kandahar, one local religious leader who met with the governor of Kandahar, Mullava Habibiullah, was critical of the Qu’ran burning, yet he specifically said, “People won’t stop demonstrations unless the foreign troops stop night raids and arresting and killing people.”
It begs the question as to why the media has been selective with Afghanistan. Why are protests in other parts of the world reported in detail, but the ones in Afghanistan conveniently brushed aside or inaccurately reported with misleading headlines?
The headlines of most mainstream reports have been falsely describing these protests as being solely in response to the Qu’ran burning that took place last month. However, details are emerging that a majority of the protesters were actually in response to the presence of Coalition forces in Afghanistan and the civilian deaths caused by their attacks. It has also been revealed that protesters “shot back” after police fired indiscriminately at them. In Mazar-e-Sharif protesters disarmed the guards and security forces after they were also fired at first.
AFP is in contact with No One Can Divide Afghanistan, an Afghan-led peace movement, whose members actively participated in the Mazar-e-Sharif protest last Friday. They released the following statements:
“The youths of Afghanistan who were witnessing the demonstration condemn and denounce the lies of the mass media about the reason of protests in several cities of Afghanistan. The main reason of the peaceful protest was demand for the immediate withdrawal of US & NATO troops from Afghanistan. Violence as the result of self-defense as the guard first opened fire on protesters.”
“The sole motivation of the Afghan protest was NOT the Quran burning at the first side, but demand to stop this illegal war and withdrawal of all the US & NATO troops!!! The protest was a peaceful march in front of UN headquarter in Mazar-e-Sharif and those were simple Afghan people who wanted nothing but their voice and demands to be heard. The protest turned violent when guard started to fire in the crowd and 2 people were dead instantly and many injured, and casualties were rising every minute. Please spread the truth about the conditions of the poor Afghan people who are struggling for their lives and voices to be heard. The media is throwing dust in our eyes, twisting the reality and making out Afghans as offenders to justify US & NATO crimes. All they want is to show Afghans this way to western people so they will support this illegal WAR! Afghans in Afghanistan are only victims who want nothing but JUSTICE!”
“Some people were hiding from bullets launched from the both sides of the UN office. Some poor people were confused to see this bloodshed when all they wanted is their voices to be heard by UN, but who cares about us?
The media’s the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that’s power. Because they control the minds of the masses.
- El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (aka Malcolm X)
Afghans for Peace is taking part in an awareness campaign to expose what really happened in the widespread protests that have been erupting throughout Afghanistan since last Friday, April 1st. The majority of news reports have been covering a selective portrayal of the events, leaving out many important factors that contributed to the motivation and intention that lead to these demonstrations.
Since Friday April 1st, mass protests have been held in at least nine different provinces across Afghanistan.The media, however, decided to pay attention to one tragic incident and painted the picture that the protests were sparked by a radicalized group of Muslims. However, these were planned demonstrations partially in response to the Qur’an burning, but not limited to. Why would the people of Afghanistan decide to protest now, and violently so, for an action that took place thousands of miles away from home? Also, why would the protesters only pay attention to this one incident when many other blatant violations of their human rights have occurred in this ongoing war?
The demonstration in Mazar-e-Sharif, Balkh was organized ahead of time by community leaders at the local mosque, Balkh University, and Provincial Council. They had informed the Provincial Governor and Police Chief ahead of time that they planned a peaceful protest and some (leaders?) even intended to hand in a resolution to the UN. While many in the crowd of protesters were condemning the Quran burning, it was not what motivated 20,000 people in Mazar-e-Sharif to take to the streets. Witness reports, along with photographic and video footage show that the demonstration consisted of people protesting against both the Quran burning and NATO forces.
Furthermore, the protest in Mazar-e-Sharif was not an isolated incident, rather a nation-wide protest spanning these following areas:
Balkh
Herat
Kandahar
Kabul
Laghman
Nangarhar
Parwan
Paktia
Helmand
As was the case with Mazar-e-Sharif, a peaceful demonstration along with a written resolution was also planned in Herat. The United States consulate in Herat condemned the Qu’ran burning, but the protesters included 13 items.
Three of the 13 items reported in the resolution were:
- Foreign troops to leave Afghanistan
- Stop killing of civilians
- Untie all diplomatic relations with the United States government
In Kandahar, one local religious leader who met with the governor of Kandahar, Mullava Habibiullah, was critical of the Qu’ran burning, yet he specifically said, “People won’t stop demonstrations unless the foreign troops stop night raids and arresting and killing people.”
It begs the question as to why the media has been selective with Afghanistan. Why are protests in other parts of the world reported in detail, but the ones in Afghanistan conveniently brushed aside or inaccurately reported with misleading headlines?
The headlines of most mainstream reports have been falsely describing these protests as being solely in response to the Qu’ran burning that took place last month. However, details are emerging that a majority of the protesters were actually in response to the presence of Coalition forces in Afghanistan and the civilian deaths caused by their attacks. It has also been revealed that protesters “shot back” after police fired indiscriminately at them. In Mazar-e-Sharif protesters disarmed the guards and security forces after they were also fired at first.
AFP is in contact with No One Can Divide Afghanistan, an Afghan-led peace movement, whose members actively participated in the Mazar-e-Sharif protest last Friday. They released the following statements:
“The youths of Afghanistan who were witnessing the demonstration condemn and denounce the lies of the mass media about the reason of protests in several cities of Afghanistan. The main reason of the peaceful protest was demand for the immediate withdrawal of US & NATO troops from Afghanistan. Violence as the result of self-defense as the guard first opened fire on protesters.”
“The sole motivation of the Afghan protest was NOT the Quran burning at the first side, but demand to stop this illegal war and withdrawal of all the US & NATO troops!!! The protest was a peaceful march in front of UN headquarter in Mazar-e-Sharif and those were simple Afghan people who wanted nothing but their voice and demands to be heard. The protest turned violent when guard started to fire in the crowd and 2 people were dead instantly and many injured, and casualties were rising every minute. Please spread the truth about the conditions of the poor Afghan people who are struggling for their lives and voices to be heard. The media is throwing dust in our eyes, twisting the reality and making out Afghans as offenders to justify US & NATO crimes. All they want is to show Afghans this way to western people so they will support this illegal WAR! Afghans in Afghanistan are only victims who want nothing but JUSTICE!”
“Some people were hiding from bullets launched from the both sides of the UN office. Some poor people were confused to see this bloodshed when all they wanted is their voices to be heard by UN, but who cares about us?!”
Photographs and videos taken of the protests also show signs and banners that are specific to NATO forces, and you can hear people chanting anti-occupation slogans in response to NATO.
There have also been inconsistent reports with details regarding the Taliban’s involvement, and the spontaneity of the protests. When the news media sources contradict one another, how are we to trust the validity of their reporting?
The media has also given excessive coverage of Terry Jones, the Pastor of a Church with less than 50 followers. Why is this man, whose beliefs and actions have little to no significance or importance, constantly receiving attention by the media?
Afghan president Hamid Karzai publicly condemned the Quran burning on March 23rd, why was it important to publicize such a isolated act when US US soldiers have shot at Qur’ans and other Islamic symbols intentionally? Especially since Islamophobia is deeply entrenched and openly practiced in Western military culture. Mosques in Afghanistan have been destroyed by NATO-led forces, so assumingly plenty of Holy books were burned in those incidents. Why is this one individual from halfway across the world any more controversial?
The almost decade long US-led war and occupation may need a excuse to increase, support and prolongue it. Mazar i Sharif was one of the areas planned to be transfered from NATO command to Afghan forces. However, since the UN compound incident, UN and US officials have been questioning this transfer and urging a even stronger presence in Afghanistan.
US General David Petraeus has stated that “additional serious security challenge in a country that faces considerable security challenges.” Ehsanullah Ehsan, a director for a NGO, legitimizes Coaliton forces in a Canadian newspaper: “Afghans know that the withdrawal of western troops would lead only to more war and more terror.” Staffan de Mistura, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Afghanistan who was not harmed during the attack reaffirmed foreign occupation, “Despite this difficult situation, the UN is here to stay.” U.S. President Barack Obama has used it to reinforce Operation Enduring Freedom: ”The brave men and women of the United Nations, including the Afghan staff, undertake their work in support of the Afghan people. Their work is essential to building a stronger Afghanistan for the benefit of all its citizens.”
The unashamed(blatant?) hypocrisy of the US government can be found in a statement by US State Department spokesman Mark Toner: “There’s no justification for the murder of innocent people.” However, if one were to apply his Western rhetoric, then the over one million innocent Iraqis and over 30,000 Afghans murdered by their “War on Terror” cannot be justified. There are many examples of American exceptionalism.
Timeline of these events do not add up either:
February 17th – March 1st: Repeated Civilian Massacres that led to a rare apology from Petraus, and Karzai calling for an end to NATO operations
March 20th: Qu’ran burning
March 21st: Der Spiegel Kill Team Publication
March 27th: Rolling Stones Kill Team Publication
These repeated attacks against the civilian population have frequently sparked anger and protest throughout Afghanistan. In the last week, graphic photos of the “Kill Team” were released to the public, illustrating the gruesome murders of innocent, unarmed Afghan civilians by U.S. soldiers. Ignoring these critical events only serves to create a diversion from the truth and a manipulation on the so-called “Qu’ran burning” story.
When dozens of people have been killed, and hundreds more injured, are we really suppose to believe that this was solely as a result of a book burning? AFP condemns not only violent acts against unarmed, innocent people, but also the exploitation of these events to further justify Islamophobia and the illegal occupation of Afghanistan.
These inaccurate accusations undermine the Afghan voice and attempt to discredit the rapidly growing anti-war movement within Afghanistan. It paints a negative image on the thousands of Afghans who took part in what had initially started out as, and was meant to be, legitimate and peaceful demonstrations.
We encourage those who currently reside in Afghanistan to please continue sending AFP detailed information about these demonstrations.
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