Digital Archive of the Middle East

Items

• 'Afghanistan', Issue No.23 (30 June 1998)
  Issue No.23 (30 June - 6 July 1998) of the London-based, Persian-language independent Afghan weekly, 'Afghanistan', with reports on the ongoing conflict between the Taliban and the Northern Alliance, a profile of Osama bin Laden, poetry and other topics.
• 'Afghanistan', Issue No.24 (7 July 1998)
  Issue No.24 (7 - 13 July 1998) of the London-based, Persian-language independent Afghan weekly, 'Afghanistan', with reports on the ongoing conflict between the Taliban and the Northern Alliance, a profile of Osama bin Laden, poetry and other topics.
• "Basharat, Basharat, Basharat..." — The Party-Building of Iran's "Worker Communism" with "Noble" Khalq-Parcham Cadres of Afghanistan
  A critical pamphlet subtitled "A Critique of Farhad Basharat's Interview Regarding the Formation of the Afghanistan Bureau of the Worker-Communist Party of Iran," issued by supporters of the Communist Party of Afghanistan. It responds to an interview with Farhad Basharat published in Issue 16 of Internationalist (Enternasional), the journal of the Worker-Communist Party of Iran (Hekmatist), in Azar 1373 SH (November 1994). The pamphlet criticises Basharat — described as a founding figure involved with the Worker-Communist Parties of Iran and Iraq and reportedly a prospective Afghanistan branch — for establishing an "Afghanistan Bureau" of the Iranian party in coordination with former cadres of the pro-Soviet Khalq and Parcham factions of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan, framing this as a betrayal of the Maoist-derived Afghan communist tradition (Sho'la-ye Jawid lineage) that had historically opposed the PDPA as revisionist.
• A Modern Border on an Ancient Route:  An Urdu Account of Crossing the Khyber Pass (1933)
  Excerpt from 'Sayr-e Afghanistan' [Journey to Afghanistan], an Urdu account of a journey made in October 1933 by Indian Muslim scholar Sayyid Sulayman Nadvi (1884–1953), describing his crossing of the Khyber Pass. Translated and annotated by Nile Green
• Afghan Islamists’ Assessment of Soviet Perestroika and Expectations of the USSR’s Collapse (1990&91)
  Two sources - an anonymous article in the Afghan opposition periodical 'Falaq', (December 1990) and Dr. Muhammad Zahir Sadiq's article in the journal 'Misaq-e Khun' (February 1991), offering Afghan Islamist perspectives on Marxism and the future of the Soviet Union. Translated and annotated by Siarhei Bohdan
• Afghanistan, no. 13 (21 Apr 1998)
  Issue 13 of the periodical, 'Afghanistan', for 21st April 1998.
• Afghanistan, no. 18 (26 May 1998)
  Issue 18 of the periodical, 'Afghanistan', for 26th May 1998.
• Afghanistan, no. 21 (16 June 1998)
  Issue 21 of the periodical, 'Afghanistan', for 16th June 1998.
• By Rejecting Opportunism, Let Us Advance on the Path of the Red Revolution
  A polemical booklet by Dr. Faiz Ahmad and colleagues, published in Spring 1352 SH (1973) under the imprint of the Revolutionary Group of the Peoples of Afghanistan (Guruh-e Enqelabi-ye Khalqha-ye Afghanistan). The text is a critical retrospective on the "Progressive Youth Organisation" (Sazman-e Jawanan-e Motaraqqi) and its journal Shola-ye Jawid, the founding current of Afghan Maoism led by Akram Yari from the late 1960s. It reviews the origins and dissemination of Shola-ye Jawid, then addresses the movement's internal debates on the Pashtunistan question, class analysis, national oppression ("setam-e melli"), and the united national democratic front, before setting out the group's own programme of open and clandestine struggle. The Revolutionary Group of the Peoples of Afghanistan was formed by Faiz Ahmad and a faction that split from the Progressive Youth Organisation over these disagreements; it later renamed itself the Liberation Organisation of Afghanistan (Sazman-e Rahayi-ye Afghanistan) in 1980, a Maoist organisation that fought both the Soviet-backed PDPA government and, subsequently, Mujahideen factions during the Soviet-Afghan war. Faiz Ahmad was assassinated in Peshawar in 1986 in an operation attributed to Pakistan's ISI and Hezb-e Islami.
• Commemorative Assembly of Afghan Migrant Women on the Occasion of 8 March, International Women's Day (8 March 1998)
  A booklet documenting a commemorative assembly of Afghan migrant women held in Quetta, Pakistan, on 8 March 1998, organised by the "8 March Organising Group" (Deste-ye Bargozar-konande-ye Hasht-e Mars). It compiles the speeches, articles, and poems read by women and girls attending the event, which ran from 2:30 to 4:30 PM and drew over 600 women. The event was publicised beforehand via a loudspeaker announcement across Quetta's Hazara Town (Mariabad) neighbourhoods inviting women and girls to attend.
• Comment on the Soviet Intervention in Afghanistan
  A booklet published by the Iraqi Ministry of Culture and Information giving their opinion on the recent Soviet intervention in Afghanistan
• Compiled Activities of the Committee Organising 8 March 1998
  compiled report issued by the Committee Organising 8 March 1998, gathering summarised written and verbal reports on the committee's activities from various units — though the introduction notes that comprehensive reports from most units outside Germany, England, and a few others (particularly Quetta, Pakistan) had not yet been received at time of compiling. The text reflects on the committee's political goals and achievements, situating its formation within efforts to unify the fragmented Iranian and Afghan women's movements around a shared revolutionary political stance, and calling on women, revolutionary forces, and Iranian/Afghan organisations to support the 8 March framework going forward.
• Constitution of Afghanistan (1964)
  Text of the Constitution of Afghanistan (1964), which created a new parliament, and was drafted under the supervision of King Mohammad Zahir Shah (who ruled from 1933 to 1973.)
• Education in Afghanistan: during the last half century (1956)
  Illustrated brochure about developments in education in Afghanistan during the twentieth century, published in Kabul by the Royal Afghan Ministry of Education.
• Individual photographs from the Pamir Commission album
  42 individual photographs from an album compiled by the Pamir Commission of 1895, a joint expedition of Russian and British officers working to delineate the border between India and Russia. The images cover areas along the edge of Afghanistan and what is now Pakistan and Tajikistan, including the Pamir Mountains, Barzil Pass, Lake Victoria, the sculpted Buddha figures on the rocks near Gilgit and glaciers by the Darkot Pass, along with members of the Commission and Afghan representatives.
• Internal Bulletin — Report on the Hanover Meeting (7 October 2000) Regarding a Critical Letter from the Bremen Unit
  An internal bulletin of the 8 March Women's Organisation, marked "not for external distribution," restricted to organisation members. It reports on a meeting held in Hanover on 7 October 2000, convened at the request of the Bremen unit and "Parvaneh," in response to the Bremen unit's letter protesting a lack of democratic practice in the organisation's leadership council (Heyat-e Masoolin) and disputing certain constitutional provisions. The meeting brought together leadership council members, the Afghanistan unit's representative (Tahereh), and Parvaneh to discuss criticisms and proposed resolutions concerning internal democracy and organisational structure.
• Internal Bulletin — Special Issue for the Fourth General Assembly of the 8 March Women's Organisation (Iranian, Afghan), Aban 1382 – October 2003
  The internal bulletin prepared for the fourth general assembly of the 8 March Women's Organisation (Iranian, Afghan), marked "not for external distribution." It contains the annual activity report to the assembly covering September 2002 to October 2003, listing the organisation's proposed priorities (expanding the organisation, connecting with the women's movement inside Iran/Afghanistan, activity in areas of Iranian/Afghan diaspora concentration, expanding internet activity, strengthening unit independence, and improving the Hasht-e Mars publication), plus a review of the past year's nationwide activities including participation in anti-war protests (2002–2003, including against the US invasion of Iraq), the 8 March 2003 commemorations held across London, Toronto, Frankfurt, Cologne, Bremen, Turkey, and the Netherlands, and May Day 2003 events.
• Internal Bulletin — Special Issue for the Second General Assembly of the 8 March Women's Organisation (Iranian-Afghan)
  An internal bulletin issued by the 8 March Women's Organisation (Iranian-Afghan), successor body to the earlier Committee of the 8th of March, prepared for the organisation's second general assembly. Contents include a collective activity report covering the period from the organisation's first general assembly up to July 2001, a report from its Turkey unit, the proposed agenda for the second general assembly, and opinions from activists and supporters of the organisation.
• Internal Bulletin No. 2 — Special Issue for the Second General Assembly of the 8 March Women's Organisation (Iranian-Afghan)
  The second internal bulletin issued by the 8 March Women's Organisation (Iranian-Afghan) for its second general assembly, marked "not for external distribution." Contents include the Afghanistan unit's activity report for 2000–2001, a draft resolution on the position of the Afghan women's movement, a draft resolution on the position of the women's movement in Iran, and a financial report.
• Internal Bulletin No. 3 — Special Issue for the Third General Assembly of the 8 March Women's Organisation (Iranian-Afghan)
  An internal, handwritten bulletin issued by the 8 March Women's Organisation (Iranian-Afghan) for its third general assembly, marked "not for external distribution." The visible pages contain a handwritten analytical text discussing American intervention/occupation in Afghanistan and its impact on Afghan women's organisations, addressing US imperialism, the political situation of Afghan women under occupation, and organisational responses — under a section heading "Women's Organisations (Afghanistan)."
• Interview by the "Haqiqat" (Truth) Bulletin with the Spokesperson of the Communist (Maoist) Party of Afghanistan
  A pamphlet reproducing an interview conducted by Haqiqat ("Truth"), the central organ of the Union of Iranian Communists (Sarbedaran), with the spokesperson of the Communist (Maoist) Party of Afghanistan. The Communist (Maoist) Party of Afghanistan is one of several organisations descended from the Sho'la-ye Jawid ("Eternal Flame") movement, the Afghan Maoist current founded in the late 1960s; its central organ is the newspaper Shola-ye Jawid. The Union of Iranian Communists (Sarbedaran) was an Iranian Maoist organisation formed from the 1976 merger of the Revolutionary Communists Organisation and the Puya group; its journal Haqiqat was published in three successive periods, the second (1984–2001) under the Sarbedaran name reflected here. This issue is dated Farvardin 1377 (March/April 1998) and lists the organisation's contact address as a BM box in London, reflecting its operation as an exile publication during this period.
• Jamal al-Din al-Afghani’s First Trip to India (1912)
  Excerpt from the Arabic diaries of Hibat al-Din al-Shahrastani, a young Shiʿi scholar of Najaf in Ottoman Iraq, written during a trip he took to India in 1912, and containing some valuable information he was told about the Afghan philosopher and politician al-Sayyid Jamal al-Din (1838-97) during his earlier travels in India. Translated and annotated by Sara Purvey.
• Map of Persia, Afghanistan and Beluchistan (1891)
  Map of Persia, Afghanistan and Beluchistan, compiled under the Supervision of Hon. Mr G. Curzon MP by William Jno. Turner FRGS (1891)
• Map of Persia, Afghanistan and Beluchistan, to illustrate the Routes Taken by Lieut. Col. C.E. Yate, 1893-98
  Map of Persia, Afghanistan and Beluchistan, to illustrate the Routes Taken by Sir Charles Edward Yate (1849-1940) during his travels in the region between 1893 and 1898.
• News Bulletin — Committee Organising 8 March 1998
  A news bulletin issued by the Committee Organising 8 March 1998 (Komite-ye Bargozar-konande-ye 8 Mars 98), reporting on the committee's founding in February 1998 and its call for unified International Women's Day commemorations among progressive, revolutionary Iranian and Afghan migrant women. The bulletin lists dozens of endorsing individuals and organisations from Sweden, France, Denmark, England, Switzerland, Australia, Turkey, Indonesia, Germany, and the United States — including women's associations, political prisoner support groups, writers, poets, and student representatives — describing the response as the first successful attempt to organise a unified, nationwide 8 March movement across the Iranian and Afghan diasporas.