By: Dr. Muhammad Gulzari,
Irish Research Council-Research Fellow,
Adjunct Assistant Professor,
Department of Mechanical,. Manufacturing and Biomedical Engineering,
Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.
On 8 oct 2022, the Hazara community in Ireland gathered at O’Connel Street, Dublin, Republic of Ireland to protest against Hazara genocide and persecution happening over the course of more than a century in Afghanistan and this is still going on… They protest against the Hazara persecution and genocide and request fellow Irish community, Irish government, Irish media and other human rights organizations to show solidarity and support. The history of Hazara genocide is quite long and it takes days explain every incident. However, as a member of the community, I will briefly highlight some of these incidents happened in recent past between 2015-2022 especially the current incident at Kaj Education Centre where more than 60 young Hazara students were brutally killed and more than hundred were badly wounded. The attack took place inside their classroom and ironically most of victims are female Hazara students, belonging to poor families and have travelled hundreds of miles from their villages to Kabul, Afghanistan for University entry test preparation. All the victims were of age of 16-18 with a dream of better future and love for education. They were killed because of being Hazara and belonging to most peaceful yet most vulnerable community in Afghanistan.
The irony is, on one side, Hazaras are being killed by ISIS-K, Taliban terrorists, on the other hand Taliban terrorists are torturing family members of the victims by creating obstacles for blood donation at the hospitals and in fact not allowing them to search body parts of their loved ones at incident site. The international community should understand that Taliban is not a solution for Afghanistan and if international community don’t intervene, we fear that Hazara Genocide will continue further and may convert into mass ethnic cleansing. Today we have gathered here to protest against the Hazara Genocide in Afghanistan and request the international community to intervene and Stop the Hazara Genocide in Afghanistan.
This recent attack on Kaj education centre is not a single attack. Hazara in Afghanistan have been persecuted and genocide through various attacks that include but not limited to Attack on Education Centres, Attack on Healthcare Facilities, Attacks on Places of Worship, Attacks on Protests, Attacks on Commemoration Ceremonies, Attacks on Sports and Recreational Activities, Attacks on Cultural Centers, Attacks on Markets, Attacks on Voter Registration Centers, Attacks on Passengers and Civilian Transport Vehicles, Attacks on Weddings and Celebratory Events, Attacks on Hazara Workers and Work Sites, Attacks and forced occupation of Hazara properties, Abductions and forced displacement. Now I will put forward some of these incidents, as I mentioned, the list of attacks on Hazara in Afghanistan is very long…
I will start from
- Attacks on Education centres that include the recent Kaj Center Attack on 30 September 2022 that killed more than 60 Hazara students and more than 100 wounded. An attack of similar nature took place in March 2020 at Kawsar Danish Education Centre Kabul that killed 30 Hazara students and more than 70 wounded. Five months later, on 15 August 2018, another attack at Mawoud Educational Centre Kabul took place that killed more than 50 Hazara students and wounded around 100 students. Two weeks before Taliban occupation of Afghanistan, on 5 August 2021, another attack on Hazara School at the West of Kabul killed more than 85 students, all aged 11-15 and wounded 165+ students. On 28 Dec 2017, 52 Hazara students were killed and around 90 wounded in an attack on Tabyan Education Centre, Qala-e-Nazr, Kabul, Afghanistan.
- Attacks on Healthcare Facilities including the 25 Oct 2020 attack inside a maternity hospital that killed 24 Hazara mother including newly born babies and more than 30 wounded.
- Attacks on religious gathering that include 11 Oct 2016 attack in Sakhi Mosque Kabul that killed around 20 Hazara and wounded more than 60. 1 month later, on 21 Nov 2016, another attack in Baqer-ul-Ulom mosque killed more than 35 Hazara and wounded more than 60. On 23 July 2016, an attack on Ashura procession killed around 14 Hazara and wounded more than 70. On 1 Aug 2017, an attack in Jawadia mosque killed more than 40 Hazara and wounded more than 70. On same month, 25 August 2017, an attack on Imam Zaman Mosque Kabul killed more than 40 Hazaras and wounded more than 100.
- Attack on cultural gathering that include 21 March 2018 attack in Nawroz festival that killed more than 40 Hazaras and wounded more than 65 others.
- Attacks on Sports and Recreational Activities that include 5 Sep 2018 attack in Wrestling Club, Qala-e-Nazr, Kabul, Afghanistan that killed more than 35 Hazara sportsman and around 100 wounded.
- Between 6-8 August 2017, more than 50 Hazara men and women were brutally killed in Mirza Olang village, Sar-e-Pol province of Afghanistan. On 22 April 2018, an attacked on the Tazkira centre (National identity care centre) in the Hazara dominated west of Kabul killed more than 70 Hazaras and wounded more than 120 others. On 6 March 2020, an attack on Shaheed Baba Abdul Mazarai, (a Hazara leader who was brutally killed by Taliban in 1998) in Dasth e Barchi, Western Kabul killed more than 40 Hazaras and wounded around 81 others. On 24 Nov 2020, on a road side bomb attack, planted by Taliban terrorists, killed 24 Hazaras and wounded 55 others. On 17 August 2019, an ISIS suicide bomber targeted a Hazara wedding festival in the West of Kabul and killed 70 Hazara men, women, children including the wedding groom and wounded more than 200 Hazaras. During the Ashraf Ghani regime, on 29 Jan 2021, the Afghan security forces opened fire on peaceful Hazara protestors and killed 11 Hazaras and wounded more than 40.
- Let me remind international community about recent Taliban attack on Hazara-Jat areas including 7 November 2018 attack of Taliban on Jaghori, Ghazni, province of Afghanistan that killed around 100 Hazaras and wounded many more. Two days later, on 9 November 2018, Taliban attacked Malistan, another district of Ghazni and killed 15 Hazaras and wounded many more. Beside these causalities, they burn the Hazara properties and crops in these districts. Yes, they are same Taliban terrorists who are now sitting in Kabul and enjoying ruling Afghanistan.
- These are few incidents that I have highlighted and in all incidents Taliban and ISIS terrorist organization have claimed the responsibilities. Yes, the same Taliban who is now ruling Afghanistan under some secret agreement that took place in Doha last year. We, Hazaras have alarmed the international community multiple times that perpetrators cannot be protectors, how international community can expect that under Taliban rule, Hazaras are safe in Afghanistan.
What I highlight so far is few attacks that happened between 2015-2022 and in all attacks either ISIS and/or Taliban terrorist organizations have claimed responsibility. However, Hazaras are massacred and subject to genocide since 1885 when Afghanistan was ruled by British backed ruler, Abdul Rahman Khan. The Hazara persecution is happening since then and to date its happening. In short, no place in Afghanistan are safe for Hazara. We request the international community, the Irish community who have faced similar persecution in past to come forward, stand with us in this difficult time and Stop the Hazara Genocide in Afghanistan. We request the international human rights organization, international media organization to investigate the Hazara Genocide in Afghanistan. We plea and request the United Nation Security Council and Human Rights Commission to investigate the Hazara persecution and genocide in Afghanistan and intervene to protect Hazara community in Afghanistan. We request all people who stands with humanity, who value human lives to stand with us to stop the Hazara Genocide in Afghanistan. We request the Students Organizations in Ireland and Student Organizations Across the Globe to stand with us, raise your voice against persecution and Genocide of Hazara students. We request the women human rights organizations, please come forward, stand with us Hazaras, raise your voice, show solidarity and support to stop Hazara Genocide.
Protect humanity, protect Hazaras in Afghanistan, Stop Hazara Genocide…
