Post on 20-Apr-2022
While the Department of
Immigration and Citizen-
ship, DIAC, persists on its
policy of mass refusal of
Afghan asylum seekers’
refugee applications in
Christmas Island and other
detention centres, many
regions of Afghanistan in-
cluding the capital Kabul
continue to rock with vio-
lence and insecurity. Last
month a suicide car bomb
attack targeting a passing
NATO convoy killed at least 20
people and injured more than 50
in the Afghan capital, a city
which the DIAC deem to be safe
for Afghans. Although it was the
first major attack in Kabul since
February 26 when Taliban sui-
cide bombers targeted guest-
houses, killing 16 people includ-
ing westerners, the situation in
Kabul and other parts of the
country remains alarmingly un-
stable.
A story of heart break, despair and anguish
TH
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Issue 11
Number One in Serving the
Afghan community in
Australia
A story of heart break,
despair and anguish
Zamera’s Award
Call for Justice
Interpreting Scholar-
ship for Afghans
Not just a language
school
A tough journey, a
great achievement
Housing information
forum
Inside this issue:
Editor:
Azadeh Baghaki
By Hamed Saberi
Dallas Mazoori, a former advisor to our manage-
ment committee who has been living in Afghani-
stan describes the situation there as the worst
she’s seen since going there in 2005 with no
signs of improving. In a random snapshot of
what she has seen around the country, Dallas
writes: “Areas where I would have travelled to
by road one year ago, you couldn’t pay me or get
me to fly there now. Everyday across the country
there are bombs, rocket attacks, assassinations,
beheadings/hangings, disappearances, abductions
of girls, extortion, curtails on freedom of expres-
sion, and the list goes on.” Continued on page 4
Zamera Shariffie, vice president of the
association of Hazaras in Victoria was
among 20 people recognized as VRRR
recipients at a ceremony held on 17
June 2010.
Launched in 2004, Victorian Refugee
Recognition Record is an official recog-
nition of the tremendous contributions
that people from a refugee background
have made to their own communities
and to the State of Victoria. This annual
event provides a great opportunity for
all Victorians to celebrate and docu-
ment the diverse contributions that
people from a refugee background
have made.
Zamera’s award is a recognition of her
outstanding community works as a
board member of the association in
past few years. It came just a few
weeks after her nomination for the Ca-
sey Volunteer Award. She was one of
six people nominated for the Young
Volunteer Award when she was pre-
sented with a certificate of appreciation
by the mayor of Casey, Cr Lorraine
Wreford.
Victoria’s new arrivals who do not
speak English confidently can be-
come isolated and restricted from
participating in many activities,"
Mr. Merlino said while addressing
the audience.
"They are also at risk of not secur-
ing the health, education, legal and
employment advice they need for
their new lives in Australia."
Professor David Hayward, Dean of
the School of Global Studies, So-
cial Science and
Planning, said the
RMIT Translating
and Interpreting
program had be-
come the major
training provider in
these rare and
emerging lan-
guages.
"Our graduates are
often the only ac-
credited interpret-
ers in these languages in Australia"
Professor Hayward said.
According to George Lekakis the
Chairperson of Victorian Multicul-
tural Commission, since 2003, 192
students have been assisted by the
Victorian Multicultural Commis-
sion to undertake the Diploma in
fourteen languages, resulting in 98
accredited interpreters entering the
profession.
By Abdul Hamid Qasemi
Seventeen Afghan students have
recently received scholarships from
the Victorian Multicultural Com-
mission to undertake a Diploma of
Interpreting at RMIT University.
The Award and Scholarship cere-
mony took place at Queen’s Hall in
Parliament House on the 28th of
April this year.
The Minister assisting the premier
on Multicultural Affairs, James
Merlino, awarded the scholarships
to students from Dari and Tamil
background.
The event was also attended by
George Lekakis, Chairperson of the
Victorian Multicultural Commis-
sion; George Bisas, Chief Execu-
tive Officer of VITS Language
Link and Professor Julianne Reid,
RMIT Deputy Vice-Chancellor
(Academic).
"Without an interpreter, many of
Last month thousands of Australian
Hazara community members took
part in demonstrations around the
country to protest the invasion of
Hazara’s land in Afghanistan by Ku-
chis. Organized by the newly estab-
lished Australian Hazara Council the
protesters in Sydney, Melbourne,
Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth held
banners and placards with slogans
demanding security for
Hazaras in their home land
and condemning the Karzai
administration for their inac-
tion against the perpetrators
known as “Kuchis”.
For five consecutive years the
innocent, peace loving and
vulnerable population
of Hazaras have come
under attack by the
Taliban supported Kuchis. So
far neither the Karzai govern-
ment nor the international
forces have done anything to
stop the killing, burning and
looting.
In Melbourne the protesters
staged a sit-in in front of the
State Library, where speakers
condemned the corrupt government
of Afghanistan for keeping silent
on the massacre of Hazaras. They
demanded that the international
community and the United Nations
intervene and stop the current wave
of attacks on Hazaras by Kochis.
Page 2
Interpreting Scholarship for Afghans
Call for Justice
ISSU E 11
War and tribal violence fuelled by
religious fundamentalism forced mil-
lions of people, particularly Hazaras
to flee for their lives.
Despite all the problems, Mustafa
managed to finish school in his home
town Sarcheshma, which was sup-
ported by a Swedish Aid organisation.
He then entered Kabul University in
1995 and started his Law & Politics
degree. Soon however he was forced
to quit due to his Hazara ethnicity and
the persecutions of Hazara ethnic
group by the Taliban. In 2001 at the
age of 22 he fled Afghanistan fearing
for his life. Next he found himself in a
leaky boat in the hands of people
smugglers on his way to Australia in
search of safety.
On the 26th of August 2001 after float-
ing for 4 days in rough seas with 438
other men, women and children, his
leaky and sinking boat was rescued by
the Norvegian ship “the Tampa”. Af-
ter spending 2 years behind the fence
in Nauru detention centre, in 2003
Mustafa was finally given a 5 year
Temporary Protection Visa to enter
Australia. He was granted permanent
residency in 2007 and in 2008 he be-
came an Australia Citizen.
The management committee wish
Mustafa all the best with his studies
and in life.
It is with great pleasure that the man-
agement committee congratulates
Mustafa Najib for recently receiving a
PhD Scholarship. A former committee
member and a young university stu-
dent and researcher, Mustafa is now a
role model for our young Victorian
Afghan youth who are rebuilding their
lives in Australia. Mustafa is a com-
munity member who is passionate
about giving back to the community
and helping others. Since his arrival
in Australia in 2003, he has success-
fully completed an IT program in
TAFE; gained a Diploma of interpret-
ing, a B.A. in Arts and he is about to
finish his Masters degree. He has also
been working full time and volunteer-
ing for the Association. Recently
Mustafa was offered a PhD scholar-
ship by Monash university.
Mustafa was born in Kabul in 1978,
the same year over a hundred-
thousand Soviet soldiers marched into
Afghanistan. He grew up with daily
experiences of bombardments, rocket
attacks and landmine explosions until
this suffering reached its height under
the Taliban regime in the late 1990s.
The association of Hazaras in
Victoria launched its Dari/Pashto
language school on Sunday the
18th July 2010. Based in Noble
Park English language school,
Andisha* community language
school is going to be the centre-
piece for what is hoped to be a
phenomenal transformation in
the cultural arena in the Victo-
rian Afghan Community.
Afghanistan’s divers and ancient
culture has been around for mil-
lennia with different regions of
the country having their own
unique traditions which reflect
the multi-cultural character of the
nation. Afghanistan has been the
main crossroad for Central Asia,
South Asia, and the Middle East
all of which have influenced its
culture.
Despite their rich and colourful
cultural background, the Afghan
Community in Victoria have had
little success in promoting their
cultural heritage to the wider
Australian multicultural society.
Andisha Community Language
School is determined to amend
this through the education of
young Afghans about their cul-
ture, values and history.
Page 3
Not just a language school
*“Andisha” is a Dari word for thought/idea.
The Association of Hazaras in Victoria is a not-for-profit organization
established in April 2002 to assist Afghan refugees in Australia . The
challenging and diverse work of the Association is carried out by a man-
agement committee of 11 members, elected biannually.
22 Grace Park Avenue
Springvale VIC 3171
PO Box 7268
Dandenong VIC 3175
T HE ASSOCIATI ON OF H AZARAS
I N VI CT ORI A INC.
Phone: 0434 306 038
E-mail: hav@bamyan.org.au
www.bamyan.org.au
Our organizational aims are:
To assist Afghani refugees and migrants with their resettlement in Australia.
To bring the Afghan community together and promote their active participation in
Australia’s multicultural society.
To support human rights, democratic freedoms and the rights of ethnic minorities in
Afghanistan.
The Association of Hazaras in Victoria and New Hope Foun-dation presented a housing information forum for the commu-nity on the 5th of June 2010 at the Balla Balla Community Centre in Cranbourne. The event hosted several speakers to discuss housing in Victoria covering public housing, crisis housing and private renting.
Finding house is a big problem in Victoria but it is more diffi-cult for the new arrivals or people with limited language skills, or those who might not have a fair understanding of their rights and responsibilities as tenant.
Some of the key information discussed on the night were the tenants’ rights and responsibilities and how to seek help when experiencing a problem. Another key topic of discus-sion was about the tenants’ database, where information about your renting history is stored on a database online and new potential property owners can access this information to find out if you have been a good tenant. It was emphasized that it is imperative to ensure that you maintain your tenancy according to the lease contract and also to seek legal advice when needed.
Continued from page 1
The return of the Labour party to power in
the 2007 Federal elections led to a major
asylum seekers policy changes including
abolishing the Temporary Protection Visa,
TPV, and abandoning the “Pacific Solution”.
Since then many Afghan asylum seekers,
mainly from the Hazara ethnic group who
have come to Australian shores claiming
protection, have been treated with the utmost
compassion and humanity. I am of a strong
view that in the past couple of years the
Rudd Labour government has served the
Hazara community with the greatest form of
protection and comfort better than any treat-
ment by a foreign country throughout
Hazara’s history. Having said that, the sud-
den change of policy in April this year,
which has resulted in the blanket rejection of
protection claims by Afghan’s has to be re-
garded as both premature and unfair.
This is by no means advocating for an open
border. Nor is it undermining the dramatic
changes in the political scenery of Afghani-
stan since the collapse of the Taliban in
2001. It is rather an account of a heart break-
ing true story of Australia’s compassion and
mercy which has disappointingly turned sour,
as we approach Federal elections. It is largely
believed that the frustration and despair
caused by the Australian government’s new
asylum seekers policy is even greater than
the one created by the heartless and brutal
polices during the Howard era.
As the flow of boats coming to Australia
continues, a lot of Afghan asylum seekers in
detention centres are anxiously waiting for
reviews of their refugee claims by the Inde-
pendent Merit Review Tribunal. Not surpris-
ingly their greatest fear is that they
might suffer the same fate as those who
returned to Afghanistan from Nauru
several years ago only to never make it
back to their families.