Afghanistan

AFGHANISTAN

By: Margaret Casto & Rhonda McCarthy


 * [[image:file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/admin2/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/msohtml1/01/clip_image002.gif width="108" height="72" caption="Flag of Afghanistan.svg" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_Afghanistan.svg"]] ||
 * Flag of Afghanistan.svg ||

2004-Present [] Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Similar to the previous flag, but a different ratio. "دا افغانستان اسلامی دولت" The Islamic State of Afghanistan has been replaced with simply "افغانستان" Afghanistan.

=General Information=

Afghanistan is approximately the size of Texas. It is bordered on the north by Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, and on the extreme northeast by China, on the east and south by Pakistan and by Iran on the west. The country is split east to west by the Hindu Kush mountain range, rising in the east to heights of 24,000 ft (7,315 m). With the exception of the southwest, most of the country is covered by high snow-capped mountains and is traversed by deep valleys.

History
Afghanistan has been at war in one form or another since 1973. King Zahir Shah ruled Afghanistan for 40 years, from 1933 to 1973. He was not considered a good ruler by the people of Afghanistan. When King Shah went to Italy in 1973 for a vacation, his cousin, Daud Khan, who was also the prime minister, decided to seize power. King Zahir Shah did not fight the take over and remained in Italy where he lives today with his two sons, Ahmed Shah and Nadir Shah. On April 28, 1978, tanks and troops came through the streets of Kabul. The Soviet built aircraft of the Afghan air force strafed the Kabul Radio and Television station. Daud Khan was killed. A Soviet backed government took power. The U.S. funded Afghan insurgents and helped them with their battle against the Soviet Union. When the Soviet Union withdrew from Afghanistan in 1989, it was the mujahideen (Al Qaeda) who had gained strength in the country. In 1992, they managed to take control of the government in Kabul from the president, Muhammad Najibullah. This, loosely, was the beginning of the network of jihadists that would become Al Qaeda later. With the Afghan people exhausted and having no support to fight back, the Taliban gained power. With the help of Pakistan, the Taliban took control of Kabul in 1992 and by 1998 controlled most of the entire country. Their extremely severe laws based on extreme interpretations of the Quran, and absolute disregard for human rights, resulted in tens of thousands of people losing their lives. Today we are at war against Al Qaeda who has taken over Afghanistan. We are not at war with the Afghanistan people like so many may believe.

Economy
Since the 1979 Soviet invasion and the unending civil wars, much of the country’s infrastructure is destroyed. Due to the help of the United States and the improvements in agriculture, the economy of Afghanistan has improved significantly since 2002. However, about half of the Afghan people still suffer from shortages of housing; clean drinking water, electricity and employment. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) ([]), the Afghan economy grew 20% in the fiscal year ([]) ending in March 2004, after expanding 30% in the previous 12 months. The growth is attributed to international aid and to the end of droughts ([]). An estimated $4.4 billion US dollars of aid entered the nation from 2002 to 2004, about equal to its Gross Domestic Product (GDP). A GDP of US $4 billion in fiscal year 2003 was recalculated by the IMF to $6.5 billion, after adding proceeds from opium products

Education
Adult illiteracy for the year 2002 for males was 49%; females, 79%. This is the highest illiteracy rate in Asia. Education is free at all levels. Primary education lasts for six years and is theoretically compulsory for 6 years, but only 53% of boys and 5% of girls were enrolled in elementary school in 2002. Boys and girls are schooled separately. A teacher has on average 58 pupils in an elementary school classroom, but only 28 students in a secondary school classroom. Only 32% of the males and 11% of females graduating from elementary school continue into secondary education. Vocational training is provided in secondary schools and senior high schools, and six percent of students are enrolled in the vocational system. Secondary education lasts for another six years. Children are taught in their mother tongue, Dari (Persian) or Pashtu (Pashto), during the first three grades; the second official language is introduced in the fourth grade. Children are also taught Arabic so that they may be able to read the Koran (Qur'an). The school year extends from early March to November in the cold areas and from September to June in the warmer regions. The school-aged population in Afghanistan is 6,650,000. In addition to the secular public education system, the traditional Islamic madrassa school system is functioning. At the madrassas, children study the Koran, the Hadith (Sayings of the Prophet Mohammad), and popular religious texts. Under the Taliban regime, girls were not allowed to have education at all levels. All teachers have civil service status. The educational system is totally centralized by the state. The information in the following table may not be representative of all people from the Afghan culture, but it is indicative of many. This region is steeped in tradition and deep religious beliefs. Many of our students, who come from the area may not share these cultural behaviors, depending on the length of time they have lived in the American culture, but it is much better to take a proactive stance on subjects that could offend our students or their families.

could inadvertently offend the student. || Speak to the student and ask if it is a problem; avoid using left hand for passing out papers, etc. || do so in private || us to avoid embarrassing our students and dishonoring them || time || In America, making eye contact while talking and listening is a sign of respect and interest; teachers generally expect students to look at us when we are speaking || Provide whole group instruction on personal space and how people differ; allow students to discuss and discover cultural differences || without explanation ||
 * Culturally Embedded Behavior || Possible Classroom Implications || Ways to Avoid Cultural Offenses ||
 * Passing things using your left hand can be considered shameful to the person receiving them || When students or the teacher are passing out papers, books, or other materials they
 * Public criticism or reprimand can be harmful to the person’s sense of honor || Many cases arise every day when the teacher critiques the students; when students have differences of opinion; when behaviors must be addressed || When the student needs to be reprimanded or critiqued the teacher should take efforts to
 * Personal space is much smaller than for Americans || Some students in the classroom, especially students whose cultural background requires maintaining wide personal space, may be offended by this student’s physical closeness || Knowing that direct eye contact can be a sign of disrespect in other cultures can help
 * Direct eye contact between men and women should be avoided, when meeting for the first
 * It is important to accept gifts and offers of hospitality in order to maintain honor || Usually teachers should not accept gifts from parents or children || This bit of information can help teachers avoid embarrassing students by refusing a gift
 * Children are not routinely allowed to participate in extracurricular or after school activities || This is important for teachers who wish to offer extra help for students, or when requesting that they join clubs || Always speak to prior to discussing with children; offer tutoring at times more accommodating for students ||
 * The Afghan culture is filled with folklore, music, and storytelling || In the classroom literature and storytelling is a daily activity || These students can be given the opportunity to share their stories with the class; supplied with stories in print from their culture; provided English text of tales similar to those from their culture ||

Resources:
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 * Encyclopedia of the Nations. Asia and Oceana: Afghanistan. Copyright 2009. Retrieved September 18, 2009 from

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 * Infoplease: Afghanistan. Pearson Education 2003-2009. Retrieved on September 15, 2009 from


 * Kalinovsky, A. (2008). OLD POLITICS, NEW DIPLOMACY: THE GENEVA ACCORDS AND THE SOVIET WITHDRAWAL FROM AFGHANISTAN. Cold War History, 8(3), 381-404. [|http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.ucf.edu]


 * Lafraie, N. (2009). RESURGENCE OF THE TALIBAN INSURGENCY IN AFGHANISTAN: HOW AND WHY?. International Politics, 46(1), 102-113. [|http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.ucf.edu]


 * Shirazi, R. (2008). ISLAMIC EDUCATION IN AFGHANISTAN: REVISITING THE UNITED STATES' ROLE. CR: The New Centennial Review, 8(1), 211-233. [|http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.ucf.edu]

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 * Sloan, Mahammad Ismael. “A Brief History of War in Afghanistan”. Retrieved on September 15, 2009 from