It took mere hours to destroy the homes of nearly 22,200 people. When monsoon floodwaters ripped through the Azakhel refugee camp in northwest Pakistan this past August, 6,000 Afghan refugee families were made instantly homeless. With no place to go and hearing that the camp would not be rebuilt, survivors began to displace to other camps, made the heart-wrenching decision to return to Afghanistan, or sought out options in cities and towns throughout Pakistan.

For a group of 74 families, the decision to try to settle in the town of Attock — a couple hours west on the Grand Trunk Road — was motivated by the fact that they knew people there. These families are Turkmen Afghans, and many Turkmen already live in Attock town. Attock is also the home of one of UUSC's partner organizations, Barakat, which helps Afghan refugee families get quality education.

I visited the flood-affected Afghan refugees in Attock in December. I went to Barakat schools and met the students. I spoke with their fathers, and then with their mothers. I visited their rented homes, including the home of the Murad family, which left the devastated Azakhel camp in the aftermath of the flooding.

Mr. Murad, in his late 30s and the father of seven children — one in the womb — fled to Attock with his wife, their children, and his elderly father. Life is bittersweet for Mr. Murad and his family right now. On the one hand, he is among a larger community that is doing what it can to look after his welfare. His Turkmen Afghan neighbors have helped his family find a small place to rent for about $30 a month and work as a subcontracted carpet weaver. Barakat has given Mr. Murad's family, and all of the other 74 flood-displaced families, two small disbursals of cash to help meet their daily housing, food, and health-care needs. Barakat has encouraged the newcomers to send their children to Barakat schools, free of charge.

On the other hand, their recovery is arduous. Back in the Azakhel camp, all of the Murad children attended school. Mr. Murad worked as a carpenter, and that was enough to support his family. But in Attock, making ends meet means that the Murad kids, along with Mrs. Murad, have to stay home to help weave carpets. Mr. Murad goes out in search of daily labor jobs. If he's lucky, he'll earn about $2.40 a day, but a recent injury to his hand has kept him home of late. The Murads are worried about their situation. They want their kids to attend school, and Mr. Murad's father's health is failing.

The Murads' situation — and others like it — reinforces the importance of the partnership that UUSC and Barakat have formed to help flood-affected Afghan refugee families in Attock reestablish their livelihoods and become proprietors of their own businesses. With support for capital investments, the newly arrived families from Azakhel camp will be able to use their existing expertise to reestablish their lives in Attock and send their kids back to school.

Learn more about UUSC's response to the devastating monsoon flooding in Pakistan.

The work of the Civil Liberties unit focuses on protecting the rights of women and activists in the Middle East as well as combating racial and religious profiling of Muslims in the United States. On Human Rights Day, we offer you updates on some of our exciting work with partners around the world.

Barakat

UUSC partner Barakat conducted nine rights training workshop for teachers in Afghanistan. The focus of the workshops is to train teachers on the rights of citizens in Afghanistan, particularly the rights of women, and help them to engage their students on the issue of human rights in the classroom. The success of this program has led to an increasing demand from the government of Afghanistan to expand these workshops to reach a greater number of government schools and departments of education.

HAMSA

Hands Across the Mideast Support Alliance is engaging in groundbreaking dialogue sessions that address issues of faith, civil rights, and freedom of speech. In Cairo, HAMSA led student activists through training sessions on debating and public discourse in order to give these young reformers the tools to address civil-rights challenges through open and respectful dialogue and to celebrate persuasion, rather than violence, as an ideal method for shaping social attitudes and changing public policy.  Students prepared and participated in a live debate that was broadcast on local Cairo radio station, Radio Hortyna.

Building Bridges

Anti-Muslim rhetoric and hate speech in the United States is the highest and most vitriolic since 9/11. The conflation of all Muslims with terrorists is a dangerous and false assumption and threatens the foundations of religious freedoms and civil protections that make up this country's foundations. Two years ago, UUSC created the Building Bridges project in order to combat the negative stereotypes of Muslims and Arabs in the United States and to create a model that local citizens could apply in their own towns and cities. UUSC has teamed up with local Unitarian Universalist congregations to combat this distressing trend and reach out to our Muslim brothers and sisters to change the climate of fear and prejudice. This spring in Seattle, we will host our fourth Building Bridges workshop with local area UU and Muslim organizations.

In the post below, Purnima Bangera, staff member of UUSC partner Barakat, tells us all about their upcoming Walk for Literacy in Cambridge, Mass. Get ready to put on your walking shoes!

On October 16, Barakat, a nonprofit organization that provides education for women and children in South and Central Asia, will be holding its Third Annual Walk for Literacy. Proceeds from this event will support Barakat's schools and home-based literacy programs in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India, and continue Barakat's work of advancing the fundamental human right to education in these countries. Currently, Barakat programs educate over 3,000 women and children across these countries and have encouraged many of their students to advance in their studies. But there is still much work to be done, since even today only 18 percent of girls in Afghanistan can read.

If you want to be part of this great cause, consider participating in the walk — and encouraging your friends and family to do the same! Barakat's Walk for Literacy will be held in Cambridge, Mass., and will consist of a 2.5- or 5-mile route, followed by festivities that include food, music, raffles, and fun family activities. Mayor of Cambridge David Maher and former WBZ-TV anchor and human-rights activist Liz Walker will also give speeches to commemorate the event.

Since the first walk two years ago, the Walk for Literacy has been a great opportunity for people in the Greater Boston community to enjoy the crisp fall weather and stand together for literacy in South and Central Asia. In past years, Barakat has been joined by people of all ages, including elementary-school groups, college human-rights chapters, and families, with each team and individual bringing their own enthusiasm to the cause.

Registration is just $25 and includes breakfast, lunch, and a T-shirt. Barakat also encourages walkers to set personal fundraising goals through Google Checkout or our Firstgiving page. It only takes $40 to educate one girl in Afghanistan for one year, so any funds you can raise will help someone in need! Prizes will be awarded to those individuals and teams that raise the most money. Barakat is anticipating a great turnout of enthusiastic walkers who are driven to make change. Come join them and have a great time in the process! Register today and learn more about the event and our distinguished speakers. Take a step forward for education!

General Assembly is over, the July 4 holiday is past, and we are in the full swing of summer now. So, what is everyone reading over the summer months? This is often an informal time of year, a perfect opportunity to delve into something a little more deeply, when the to-do list is not quite as long. I hope you will share your recommended books with us by clicking on "Add new comment" below; together, we can share our resources and inspirations.

So far this summer, I have read Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith, by Anne Lamott. This is a great personal memoir of the writer's recollection of inspiring and humbling experiences that test and strengthen her beliefs. 

I bought several books in the exhibit hall at General Assembly and currently am reading Creating Congregations of Generous People, an Alban Institute publication by Michael Durall. This book is not new, but is a good review of stewardship program planning and implementation in the context of religious institutions. 

I am also reading Be the Change: Poems, Prayers & Meditations for Peacemakers & Justice Seekers, by Stephen Shick. With a particularly worthwhile foreword by UUSC Interim President and CEO William F. Schulz, this is one of those books that I read the introduction of, and then flip through pages to read one meditation or another, somewhat leaving it up to chance. When I find remarkably meaningful pieces, I mark them for later reference.

My colleague Kate Wallace recommends Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books, Not Bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan, by Greg Mortenson, and Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn.

Don't forget, you can support UUSC by ordering through Powell's online bookstore; any book purchased through our special Powell's Partner program link — not just the books on our Powell's bookshelf — benefits UUSC, with a percentage of the sale being donated back to us. Also, all UUSC members are entitled to a 10 percent discount for online orders with Beacon Press.

So, how about you — what are you reading over the summer? Please click on "Add new comment" below and share your inspirations and resources with us!

On October 24, 2009, UUSC partner Barakat will hold its second annual Walk for Literacy! The Cambridge-based nonprofit organized their first walk last year with support from UUSC, and the event was a great success. Local walkers helped raise $21,000 for literacy programs for girls and women in Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan (where Barakat works).

Again this year, UUSC will cosponsor the walk and UUSC staff will participate. Registration for the event opens at 9 a.m. that day, and walkers can choose to complete a 2.5- or 5-mile loop. If you're in the Boston area, find out more about the walk.

From left: UUSC staffers Cristin Martineau, Fatema Haji-Taki, and Kate Wallace, at the 2008 Barakat Walk for Literacy, in Cambridge, Mass.

Last year, I participated with my colleagues Fatema Haji-Taki and Cristin Martineau (see us pictured at right). Barakat's Executive Director, Damon Luloff, had biked the route before dawn, drawing chalk arrows to guide us walkers.

The fall weather was perfect for following the scenic route, and there was a sense of solidarity and excitement among us walkers. Because of time constraints, we took the free van from a water stop back to the starting point, where we enjoyed a delicious lunch with other walkers. It was an enjoyable way to spend a Saturday morning!

UUSC’s work with Barakat includes a new initiative called Teacher Training for Human Rights. This innovative program trains Afghan schoolteachers in human rights and teaches them how to introduce these fundamental ideas in the classroom. By raising their awareness of children's and women's rights, students and teachers can begin to address these issues in their communities.

Money raised during by the walk helps support projects like this!

I hope you'll join me at the walk to support one of UUSC's amazing partners! Register today.

(Photo courtesy of IRIN, www.irinnews.org) Learn more about UUSC's work to protect and strengthen women's rights in Afghanistan.

As if women in Afghanistan haven't suffered enough from years of war and Taliban leadership, a new scourge has just hit Shia women — a law that forces Shia women to be sexually available, always, to their husbands.

The law applies to women of Afghanistan's Shia minority, who make up roughly 15 percent of the population. A separate family law will be drafted for Afghanistan's Sunni majority.

However, this law is not Shia law, culturally, or legally. It is a law of Afghanistan, written for the Shia population. Its an important distinction, because, all too often, people interpret restrictive decisions like these as cultural norms — and this just isn't the case.

The proposed law, which states that the wife "is bound to preen for her husband as and when he desires," essentially makes Shia women sexual chattel. It goes further, saying, "As long as the husband is not traveling, he has the right to have sexual intercourse with his wife every fourth night. Unless the wife is ill or has any kind of illness that intercourse could aggravate, the wife is bound to give a positive response to the sexual desires of her husband."

Thankfully, Afghan President Hamid Karzai has come under intense scrutiny for signing this legislation last month. Bowing to intense pressure from most of the world, Karzai has agreed to send the law to the Ministry of Justice for review. However, he also defended the law, saying it had been "misinterpreted" by the west.

If you find this deplorable, there are things you can do. You can write a letter to U.S. leadership, letting them know you want them to put pressure on the Afghan government to strike this law from the books. You can write a letter to your local paper, letting them and others know that this is happening. You can also support UUSC's Civil Liberties Program, which partners with groups in Afghanistan that educate women and bolster their rights. But don't let the women of Afghanistan come under even crueler and more restrictive laws than they have already been forced to deal with.

On Sunday, March 29, I attended the Boston Bazaar — a project put together by two UUSC partners, Barakat and HAMSA, and co-sponsored by UUSC.

Watch a short video about the bazaar.

The well-attended multicultural bazaar featured food, dances, henna-painting, and other activities from across the Muslim world. It was great to see two of our Boston-based partners, introduced by UUSC, enjoying such synergy and embarking on their third event together.

Leading up to the bazaar, from March 15-25, the American Islamic Congress held a speakers series on cultural diversity in the Muslim world and in the greater Boston area. Panels explored the cultural richness of Muslim communities, from Russian Tatars to Berber Shi'ites to Sufis who go on hajj to Senegal instead of Saudi Arabia.

I was a speaker for the March 23 panel on The Near East: the Muslim World's Original Melting Pot. I shared details from my experience of growing up in Dubai, a melting pot of immigrant Muslim cultures, where Arabic is not always the first language.

Events and partnerships like these are an example of efforts by UUSC's Civil Liberties Program to provide our constituents an opportunity to "build bridges" between Muslim and Arabs, in the United States and abroad, and help the larger American public gain a better understanding of the Arab and Muslim worlds, as we work together to protect civil liberties.

On Wednesday, November 12, the lives of several young girls in Kandahar, Afghanistan, were changed forever. While they were walking to school, they were attacked by two men who sprayed acid on them, blinding at least two of the girls. It is suspected that Taliban militants are responsible for the act. Under the Taliban regime from 1996-2001, women and girls were forbidden to attend school. Since the fall of the Taliban, women and girls have had the opportunity to attain education, much to the distress of Taliban leaders and militants. In the past few years, several school girls have been threatened, attacked, and even killed for going to school.

Unfortunately, acid attacks on women is not an uncommon phenomenon in South Asian countries like India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh; however, it is usually practiced by men taking revenge against women who refuse to respond to a man's romantic or sexual overtures. The recent horrific acid attack in Afghanistan seems like a new tactic being used by the Taliban in their ongoing assault on girls and women practicing their right to education.

UUSC has four program partners in Afghanistan — Afghan Center, Afghan Women Judges Association, Barakat, and Humanitarian Assistance for Women and Children of Afghanistan. All of them have reported a worsening security situation that makes their work more challenging. Anyone following the news knows that over the past couple of years, many of the gains in establishing security and advancing rights for marginalized populations in Afghanistan have been lost.

One of UUSC's newest program partners, Barakat, is an organization that creates educational opportunities for women and children in Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan. What began as a weaving project in the late 1980s has since developed into an innovative strategy for helping local communities shape their own future.

Barakat's programs in Afghanistan are an attempt to fill the void and expand opportunities for girls and women. Barakat's educational programs include schools, literacy programs, and women's empowerment programs. In particular, UUSC supports Barakat's efforts to raise awareness about citizens' rights under the constitution, which guarantees human rights, women's rights, and civil liberties. To achieve this, Barakat provides human-rights training to Barakat School and Literacy Course teachers, who can then introduce these topics in their classrooms.

We asked Barakat's Program Manager, Arti Pandey, on her thoughts about the acid attacks and here is what she had to say:

"It is just appalling...it really chills the heart that someone could so callously, easily, and willfully destroy the life of another individual — a stranger to them but a symbol of something they oppose! I can't imagine how much hatred they must carry in their hearts to actually perform an act like this...

I don't know how widespread it is in Afghanistan. It has been happening in India and Pakistan but most often [it] is a case of "punishing" some woman/girl for not responding to (or breaking off from) a man's romantic overtures. It is the ultimate manner (and very safe too because it is done from a distance) in which to finally humble and reduce a woman (short of rape) without actually killing her... Plastic surgery is expensive and most of these women/girls will not be able to afford it.

I do believe that the Taliban act with more impunity and openness in the southern districts like Kandahar where this attack happened... The Pashtoon population is dominant in Kandahar — there are also Hazaras and Tajiks there, though as minorities. But an incident like this has repercussions for everyone across the country. After all, even our own Country Director sends his daughters to school in Kabul (they walk to school) and something like this would chill his heart for fear of his own children's safety — that is a natural reaction — isn't it? How can it be such a curse to simply be born a girl?"

We at UUSC are committed to working with our partners in Afghanistan to create a fair and just society that protects the rights of all Afghans, especially women and girls.

To learn more about UUSC's Civil Liberties Program and how you can get involved, visit www.uusc.org/civilliberties.

 

A couple of weeks ago, we learned that one of our program partners, the Afghan Women Judges Association (AWJA), will be suspending its activities on December 1, 2008, due to the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan.

AWJA was established in 2003 after the ousting of the Taliban, when Afghans had new hopes and dreams for the future of their country. Funded by the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the organization aimed to ensure the active participation of female judges and lawyers in Afghanistan's newly established judicial system and promote quality and reliable legal advice for vulnerable Afghan women.

UUSC has three other program partners in Afghanistan — Afghan Center, Barakat, Humanitarian Assistance for Women and Children of Afghanistan. All of them have reported a worsening security situation that makes their work more challenging. Anyone following the news knows that over the past couple of years, many of the gains in establishing security and advancing rights for marginalized populations in Afghanistan have been lost.

It is no secret that the Bush administration's misadventure in Iraq came at the expense of devoting vital resources to rebuilding Afghanistan. During the vice presidential debate last month, Senator Joe Biden poignantly explained that the United States has "spent more money...in three weeks on combat in Iraq than we spent on the entirety of the last seven years that we have been in Afghanistan building that country."

This is particularly disheartening because after the United States successfully defeated the Taliban regime, President George W. Bush said, "I can promise, too, that America will join the world in helping the people of Afghanistan rebuild their country." Not soon after that statement, he made yet another promise: "We're helping Afghanistan to claim its democratic future, and we're helping that nation to establish public order and safety...We will stay the course to help that country develop."

Just last week, a foreign aid worker, Gayle Williams, was brutally killed by the Taliban on her way to work because she was accused of proselytizing, which is illegal in Afghanistan. Her crime apparently seems to have been working for SERVE Afghanistan, a Christian charity registered in the U.K. Williams was the latest victim in a string of recent deadly attacks against aid workers, even in Kabul, which has long been considered a safe haven for international workers compared to other areas.

"While aid organizations are tightening their security in the wake of the killing, SERVE has not yet decided whether to withdraw its workers from the country. We need time to catch our breath. The safety of our people is very important," said Mike Lyth, a SERVE board chairperson.

As the Bush administration counts its final days, it can add "rebuilding Afghanistan" to its list of failed policies. One can only hope that the new administration and Congress will pay more attention to Afghanistan and work with the international community to devote the resources needed to rebuild this important Central Asian country

On my part, I proudly participated in Barakat's Walk for Literacy on Saturday to take a step forward for girls' education in Afghanistan. As we celebrate U.N. Day and the upcoming 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rigths, I want to take a moment to reflect on the innocent lives lost and the continual denial of basic rights to the most vulnerable populations in Afghanistan. Even if the international community — the United States in particular — has fallen back on its promises, we at UUSC are committed to working with our partners in Afghanistan to create a fair and just society that protects the rights of all Afghans, especially women and girls.

To learn more about UUSC's Civil Liberties Program and how you can get involved, visit www.uusc.org/content/civil_liberties.