Five Afghan Women Who Made HistoryThe history of women’s struggle for equality and liberation in Afghanistan is often misunderstood and misrepresented. Many still believe that the movement for gender equality in the...Page 3

Taliban burned Kutub Khil’s school in LogarMinistry of Education says that eight armed men burned girl’s school in Mohammad Agha district. According to the Ministry, this secondary school has been set on fire at Sunday night. Ministry of Education...Page 5

Saturday, December 24, 2016 Vol. 2, No. 61

2. Personal Essays3. Opinion4-5. News

6. Star Related7. Literary8. Interview

See Inside Quote of the Week“Wherever you turn, you can find someone who needs you. Even if it is a little thing, do something for which there is no pay but the privilege of doing it. Remember, you don't live in a world all of your own."

―Albert Schweitzer

Star Educational Society Weekly

Interstellar (adjective): situated or occurring between the stars; conducted, or existing between two or more stars

A Village Girl’s Dream Many years ago, I was living in a small village named Aieen in Qarabagh, a remote district of Ghazni Province. At the time, the Taliban were fighting and harassing innocent people in my village. They didn’t allow girls to go to school. Likewise, the people in my village didn’t care about girls’ education. I attended Bibi Zahra High School until grade six and... Page 6

mit and their competition for “innovative ideas to transform education.” The ROYA Mentorship Program had been such a quick success and was already changing lives (See the interview on Page 8). I knew we should compete. Asif and I worked on and submitted our 2500-word proposal. Four weeks later, we were notified that we were among six finalist teams chosen from 875 proposals and 103 countries and would compete at the Youth Summit in Washington DC.

Everything happened so fast. It was still hard to believe that we were finalists. Asif and I agreed that I would be the Team Captain and would have to make the pre-sentation that would decide the outcome of the competition. During my childhood in Quetta, I was a boy who was always criticized and teased. I was considered the dumb one in my family and in school. But because of my English language and computer skills, I became an English in-structor, received a generous scholarship to attend the American University of Af-ghanistan and had many other opportu-nities. And those were the same reasons that I believed so strongly in the ROYA Mentorship Program – a program that was providing nearly 100 underprivileged Afghan youth the opportunity to learn English and computer skills.

The first day of the summit included plenary sessions focusing on the 2016 theme of “Rethinking Education for the New Millennium.” Topics included Edu-cation in Crisis Zones, Gender Equality in Education, and Skills for the New Econo-my. We met talented youth from around the world, including the five other finalist teams. There were over 400 participants representing 75 nationalities. Our com-petitors seemed like experts; they were older, more experienced and more edu-cated than us. The other five teams were from India, South Africa, Nigeria, the United States and Lebanon.

The second day of the summit start-ed with the competition. Each of the six team captains had two minutes to intro-duce themselves, seven minutes to give their presentations and then six minutes to answer questions from the panel of

expert judges. The audience members would choose the People’s Choice winner and the judges would choose the ultimate winner.

I was the fourth presenter and felt im-mense pressure. The first three presenters were strong and confident and had given many presentations before. My 2-minute introduction and the first two slides went smoothly. But then I felt the hopes of the whole ROYA family on my shoulders – the students, their families, the men-tors, sponsors, teachers, volunteers, and my partners - Kara and Asif who were in the audience. As soon as I worried about making a mistake, I froze. I asked the judges to stop the timer, went to the po-dium to compose myself and then contin-ued. I never fully recovered, but I finished the presentation as best as I could. The audience clapped several times during my presentation and were very enthusi-astic after. But I was disappointed in my-self and knew there were four more hours before the winners would be announced.

At the lunch break, I was ashamed to be seen by the other summit participants. But when we exited the auditorium there were dozens and dozens of people wait-ing to greet and congratulate us. They were hugging us and taking photos with us, asking for our contact information, and telling us they wanted to be sponsors and volunteers. Everybody loved our pro-gram. Many people told us they voted for us for the People’s Choice Award.

Afternoon work-shops and sessions followed and then we returned to the audi-torium for the final announcement and award ceremony. I had a small hope that we could win the People’s Choice Award, but no hope that we would win the jury award. When the People’s Choice Award was awarded

to the team from Nigeria, I wanted to leave. I felt that I had failed the ROYA family. I was consumed with thoughts of my failure when the jury winners were announced and I heard the announcer shout, “and the co-winners are…. ROYA, where are you ROYA?!!” I can’t describe the happiness that I had in my heart at that moment. We won the Jury’s Award!! All I had in my mind at that time was the smiles on the faces of our supporters - my family in Quetta, my ROYA family and our new supporters in the audience. I remem-bered the words from an enthusiastic at-tendee from India who said, “Your work comes from your heart and that is what matters! You will be the winner!!!”

We were intimidated by our com-petition because their proposals were complex, hi-tech, and required major funding. But what made the ROYA Men-torship Program shine is the fact that it is a simple, low-cost, high-impact model. We have assembled a worldwide network of people with loving hearts – people who are committed to changing the lives of our underprivileged students. We are a di-verse family with great intentions – nearly 100 students, 100 sponsors, 50 mentors and other volunteers. The win belongs to all of us, not just me and Asif. It was a win for the whole ROYA family and we look forward to watching our family grow… in numbers and in success!!

My friends and I started a volunteer organization in February 2016. Among other things, it was our goal to help poor students

to learn English and computer skills and to promote understanding and goodwill between ethnic groups in Afghanistan. We had conducted several workshops and had many volunteers, but we lacked funding for the bigger projects we wanted to offer. That is when Asif Rasooly (Star teacher) and I partnered with Kara Lozier and the ROYA Mentorship Program to be-come the local coordinators in Kabul.

The ROYA Mentorship Program was established in June, 2016 and is currently helping nearly 100 underprivileged stu-dents to take private English classes and develop computer skills. Each student has a sponsor who pays $12 a month for their class fees, books and weekly internet access so that students can communicate with their sponsor by email and become familiar with technology. We also match our students with a one-on-one volun-teer mentor who serves as a role model and motivates, encourages and supports the student. We immediately began help-ing to identify, interview and select needy students for the program and on July 29th our first group of students began their English classes at Star Educational Soci-ety.

In September, I received an email about the World Bank Group Youth Sum-

Starians Win at World Bank Youth Summit

Written by: Shoaib Mehryar, Star alumnus and co-coordinator of ROYA Mentorship Program

Espand against the evil eye ...Page 4

Fighting for dreamsLife would be more prosperous if ev-eryone set specific goals and pursued their dreams. Wanting to be success-ful is not enough. People should know what they want so that they can work toward those goals because dreams do not pursue the dreamer. People must face challenges and fight for their dreams.... Page 2

December 24th, 2016

Vol.2, No. 61 Personal Essays

Page 2

to start announcing the results. On that day, we were all a bit on edge and most students, including me, were incredibly anxious. My heart was pounding, my body was trembling, my mind was whir-ring in the uncertainty over whether or not I had passed my exams. Everyone was in the same state of nerves over the potential outcome. We had all tried our best to prepare ourselves as much as we could but there was nothing more that we could do. I felt powerless. When the headmaster approached us and began his announcements I found myself strug-gling to breathe normally. He called out several students before my own name and announced their scores. Then as it was my turn, the instructor looked di-rectly at me and asked me, “Could you hazard a guess at your score?”

There was a long pause while I re-mained silent, not knowing what to say. The silence was broken by his disap-pointed tone as he informed me, along with the rest of the room, that I had failed.

“I failed?” I asked him, a sinking feel-ing building in the pit of my stomach.

“You did not work hard enough this year. You have not worked as hard as the students who deserve to move up to the next class. You have no one but yourself to blame. This is a result of your own lazi-ness and neglect, pure and simple!”

“What do you mean I did nothing?” I asked him, incredulous. He made it clear to me that I would have to take this class again, but that this time it would have to be different.

“You’re going to have to show much more commitment and improvement by the end of next year if you want to pass the second time.”

When the remaining scores had all been announced I walked back slowly, feeling sheepish and downtrodden, re-turning home at around 2pm. My father came to me and looked at my results paper, however, since he was illiterate he couldn’t make out what the results meant and my position in the class. After

a student. I was a simple individual liv-ing in a simple and limited world. I re-ally wanted to make a difference, but I needed a place that would offer the right opportunities. After searching and ask-ing about educational centers, I eventu-ally found Star. Star’s motto, “Join Us for a Difference,” helped me make the deci-sion to join Star. The courageous teach-ers, their teaching approach, and the high level of discipline made Star Edu-cational Society very appealing to me. It was the only environment where I felt sufficiently encouraged and motivated. Joining Star was the first step in making the necessary changes in my life to steer me toward my goals.

At Star, I was surrounded with hard working, committed, and really cool classmates. We participated in many programs which helped build our skills in reading, public speaking and test tak-ing - like the speech and quiz competi-tions. I achieved high positions in most of the contests. These are some tangible examples of how Star has taught me the English language and, more impor-tantly, taught me independent and criti-cal thinking. At Star, my confidence was built, I became more motivated, devel-oped new aspirations, and began to fulfill my dreams.

Soon after I earned my English Lan-guage Diploma, I applied for a teaching

Life would be more prosperous if everyone set specific goals and pursued their dreams. Wanting to be successful is not enough. People should know what they want so that they can work toward those goals because dreams do not pur-sue the dreamer. People must face chal-lenges and fight for their dreams.

I joined Star Educational Society as

A Fateful Day at School

It was around 8 am on Saturday morning in the mountainous village of Nawoor District in Ghazni. The weather seemed unusually frigid on that snowy autumn day. All students were walking to Koshkak High School to find out our et-lanama, our exam results. I can honestly say that was one of the most unpleas-ant days in my life, with its memory still haunting me today. All of my relatives including my uncle, cousin, nephew and some others who all lived in the same lit-tle hamlet, gathered in the classroom so that they too could hear the results. The only person missing was my father, who was occupied with work at home.

Meanwhile, the classroom began to fill up with the relatives of my classmates who had also come to show their support. All of them were waiting to hear the an-nouncement of their respective achieve-ments. Growing impatient, the kids were shouting and calling to the instructor

skimming over the page briefly, he swiftly left home to look for somebody to explain the scores to him. I was still in shock and sat down silently in a corner of our living room, waiting. About ten minutes passed when my father returned with a clergy-man who lived right by us who would be able to understand the scores. My father showed him the results and asked for clarification.

“If he was well prepared then he should have nothing to worry about” said the clergyman as he took the page.

The clergy looked up at me pityingly, and then to my father. He broke the news to him that I had not passed the class, that I would need to retake it the next year.

Once he had finished speaking, my father turned to me extremely angrily and shouted shrilly, “You lazy, good-for-nothing son, get out of my house right now.”

“What… really?” I stammered. I was in shock. Could this day get any worse?

“Yes, go!” he said simply. “Go to the mountains and become a shepherd. At least that way you’ll be able to support the family. You can finally learn the value of an education. Leave. Get out and don’t come back.”

I did as he asked and ran out as he began chasing me and throwing stones

at me. One by one, they shot past me like bullets as I dodged left and right.

“If you dare show your face here again I’ll kill you”

“Is that what a father does when his son fails?” I called back.

“Do not compare me with others, boy. I expect more from a son of mine,” said my father seriously.

He continued to chase me around our tiny little village until he became too tired to keep up. By the time he eventu-ally gave up to go home it was around 6 pm. There was no way I could go back so I went to my cousin’s home and stayed there for several hours until I finally sent a repentant message to my father explain-ing how deeply remorseful and contrite I was. I respectfully requested that he for-give me even though I had shamed my-self and my family. I swore that I would change; that I would work harder than ever before until I myself became top of the class.

As it turns out, because of this inci-dent I did indeed go from the laziest to the best student in the class. I can truth-fully say that was the worst, most shame-ful moment in my life, not only because of my own embarrassment but because I had disappointed my parents, but I made the decision to rise up and grow from the experience.

position at Star. After several unsuccess-ful attempts, I finally succeeded in ob-taining a position as an English teacher at Star Educational Society and the first of my dreams was realized. Later, I heard news that my Star classmates, Qamar Nisa and Bahara Mohammadi, both re-ceived scholarships to study in the Unit-ed States. The news that my classmates were also realizing their dreams made me happy and optimistic about our fu-tures.

As I began my new journey as a teacher, I felt honored to be working at one of the most popular educational cen-ters in Afghanistan. By obtaining this job, I dramatically changed my simple life. I felt both calm and excited when enter-ing Star Educational Society’s campus. I taught at Star for four years and those four years passed like lightning. I met many people with such diverse attitudes and personalities. I made mistakes, learnt precious lessons, and gained many good and loyal friends. I met many stu-dents who will be the future leaders of my country, the future teachers of my brothers and sisters. I am now in India, miles away from my country, family and Star Educational Society. I greatly miss my home, especially Star.

I cannot say if I was a good and effec-tive teacher to my students, but I always tried my best. Life is a process of experi-encing and learning. Although I stopped teaching at Star, my journey did not end with them. I appreciate the staff mem-bers and board of directors at Star Edu-

About the author: Mohammad Reza Sharifi is a Star alumnus and former teacher at Star. He is majoring in Comput-er Applications at Vidya Vikas First Grade College in Mysore, India. He aspires to be a computer programmer and to have his own software company in the future.

cational Society for giving me the oppor-tunity to be a member of the friendly Star family. It is a special honor and Star will always be my dream home, the bright shining star in my life. I hope it continues to shine brighter and brighter for future dreamers who walk through its doors.

About the author: Mohammad Zaki Zaki is a Star alumnus and was an instructor at Star's Daikondi branch until he re-turned to continue his studies at Kabul University.

Fighting for dreams

Vol.2, No. 61Opinion

Page 3December 24th, 2016

ists, including female poet Mehri Herawi, and brought Persian language and culture to the forefront of the Timurid dynasty. Herat, the capital of the Timurid Empire, became the hub of cultural renaissance under her guidance. The architecture and arts of that era still remain a crucial part of identity in Herat and Afghanistan. She also built a religious school, mosques and a Khanaqah(spiritual center for Sufi Muslims).

Gawharshad was also a skilled poli-tician. After her husband’s passing, she installed her favorite grandson as the puppet king and ruled the kingdom for 10 years.

Rabia Balkhi was born into the royal family in Balkh, Afghanistan, in the 9th Century. She is considered to be the first woman to have written poems in modern Persian. She is one of the most influen-tial Persian poets so much so that it is ru-mored that a renowned male poet played in role in her murder due to jealousy. Rabia was killed by her brother for falling in love with Baktash, a slave of the king-dom. Her bravery to fall in love, some-thing considered to be taboo for women, and break the class structure by loving a slave, and also write poetry about her

from a family who served– both her fa-ther and brother were policemen. She was the first woman to graduate from the Kandahar Police Academy and the first woman to become an investigator. She focused on cases of gender-based violence. On September 28, 2008, Malalai was shot and killed by a Taliban gunman on her way to work. Malalai’s courage

and tenacity to serve in law enforcement have inspired dozens of women to join Afghanistan’s police force and paved the way for many others.

We are here because of them. May there be more trouble-making, ground-breaking, change-making, world-shap-ing women in Afghanistan and around the world.

Nadiaa Anjuman was born in Herat in 1980. When the Taliban took over the city, Nadiaa joined other local women and began attending an underground school and literary circle, the Golden Needle Sewing School. Under the dis-guise of learning to sew, Nadiaa and oth-er women were taught literature by Pro-fessor Muhammad Ali Rahyab of Herat University, because the Taliban did not allow women to go to school. As soon as the Taliban were ousted, Nadiaa started her formal education at Herat Universi-ty. She soon became a prolific poet and published a book of her poems, Gul-e-Dudi (Dark Flower). Nadiaa’s talents and visions came short when her husband killed her for writing poems about wom-en’s subjugation and attending events. Even in her death, Nadiaa inspires the women of Afghanistan as one of her well-known poems about women’s rights has been sung widely by popular musicians.

The history of women’s struggle for equality and liberation in Afghanistan is often misunderstood and misrepre-sented. Many still believe that the move-ment for gender equality in the country began in 2001, with the help of inter-national forces. While Afghan women have reached unprecedented heights in many fields due to increased opportu-nities since 2001, we have a long history of fighting for our rights. We were never weak and voiceless. We have always found ways to speak up, even under the oppressive Taliban regime.

Here are five women who have made history in Afghanistan with their vision, service, and passion for progress and equality. These women have inspired generations of Afghans who are yearning for peace and justice for all, even when they lost their lives in the fight.

Gawharshad Begum was a re-nowned political figure during the Timurid dynasty (1370-1507). Living in the 15th Century, she was married to Emperor Shahrukh Timurid, but she was a change-maker in her own right. In ad-dition to being a queen, Gawharshad was a minister and a leader in promoting arts and culture. She supported poets and art-

education, finish school, and become someone despite the marriage.

Khadija had been the best student at her school and she was well known for her knowledge. Her new husband was illiterate. He refused to let her finish school, saying it did not follow local tra-dition. This was only the beginning of her struggles. He said that when a girl mar-ries, she cannot continue education or a career; she has to stay in the kitchen or in the house all of the time. Her husband forbade her to go outside the house. She would not be allowed to visit her mother or go to her brother’s house. She would not be allowed to go shopping.

school. After the engagement, she used to cry every single day for the bad luck that had befallen her. She had not met the man, not even during the engage-ment, and the only reason that Khadija’s family agreed to marry her was that the man offered a large dowry.

When she got married, she had to move from Kabul, the city where she grew up, to Samangan, a small village in northern Afghanistan, far away from her family, away from her relatives, away from everyone she ever knew. She tried to convince her heart that it was her des-tiny. She tried to live a happy life with the man, but she wanted to continue her

A forced marriage is one of the most cruel and unfair acts that can be im-posed on a girl. It can bring harm to both families and it happened to Khadija, a girl from my neighborhood. When she was fourteen years old, she was told she would have to marry an illiterate man of forty. At the time, she was still going to

He beat her with his belt. He told her she must do what he liked and follow his orders. He demanded that she be his slave because he had bought her for a lot of money from her parents.

She felt like she was a burden. When she was about eighteen, she gave in to her soul and committed suicide. Khad-ija had dreams, big dreams. She did not want to marry at that young age. She did not know what the future would bring, but being a free girl, and a carefree girl, being imprisoned in the house led her to kill herself.

What happened to Khadija is com-mon in some parts of Afghanistan. Her father now deeply regrets marrying his daughter at a young age to a man who would never care about her happiness. But the regrets came too late.

love has made her an icon for fighting for equality and justice in Afghanistan.

Queen Soraya Tarzi is one of the most influential royal figures in Afghani-stan. Queen Soraya was married to King Amanullah Khan, a progressive ruler who governed from 1919-1929. She was highly educated and a fierce advocate for women’s rights and girls access to educa-tion. Among other things, she opened the first school for girls, and founded the first magazine for women, Ershad-I-Niswan. Her vision for women in Afghanistan still inspires many women across the coun-try.

Lieutenant Colonel Malalai Kakar was the head of Kandahar’s Department of Crimes against Women. Working in a conservative community, she was a trail-blazer for many women. Malalai came

Five Afghan Women Who Made Historywritten by Free Women Writers

https://girlsglobe.org/2016/12/08/five-afghan-women-who-made-history/By: Maryam Laly

About the author: Sveto Muhammad Ishoq is a junior at the American Univer-sity of Afghanistan majoring in Business Administration. She is a writer for the Afghan Women’s Writing Project and vol-unteers as a writing mentor, editor and translator for the ROYA Online Writing Center.

The Short Life of Khadija Who Was Forced to Marryhttp://awwproject.org/2015/11/the-short-life-of-khadija-who-was-forced-to-marry/

Page 4

Editor’s note: Children are com-monly seen on Kabul streets peddling the smoke from Espand. The children who do this are called Spandis. The 8-year-old boy in the accompanying image, Rahmat, is a former Spandi who is now a participant in the ROYA Mentorship Program and is sponsored by Hadi Zaher, the first gradu-ate of Quetta's branch of Star Educational Society and a weekly contributor to the Interstellar Bulletin. You can read an in-terview with Rahmat’s older brother, Iza-thullah, also a former Spandi, on Page 8.

Throughout the area once covered by the Persian empire, a type of herb seed called Aspand, Espand, or Esphand is burned on charcoal to rid children of the Evil Eye. A short verse is recited as the smoke is circled around the child's head. Espand is also used to bring blessings af-ter one has performed a sorrowful rite, such as attending a funeral.

Variants in Espand herbal practiceThe Afghans I met used Espand seed

straight. However, the Iranians added Frankincense and the leaves of an un-known wild Iranian herb to the Espand seed. Except for the additional elements burned by the Iranians, the rite is essen-tially identical in all cases.

Description of the Espand rite by par-ticipants

The rite consists of an invocatory prayer to a deceased but historical king of Persia known as Naqshband, while burn-ing Espand seeds. The word Espand re-fers to a class of Zoroastrian Archangels. Naqshband was not a Muslim but a Zoro-astrian and despite the Muslim conquest of Persia and outlying areas, the spirit of Naqshband is still called upon to destroy the Evil Eye (Bla Band). Here is the spell-prayer:

This is Espand, it banishes the Evil Eye

The blessing of King Naqshband Eye of nothing, Eye of relatives Eye of friends, Eye of enemies Whoever is bad should burn in this

glowing fire.

How do participants believe that this rite works?

Afghan man: "We ask for a blessing from King Naqshband, because he was the one who taught the use of Espand. He obtained this knowledge from the Angels of Heaven. He was a holy man. The use

to Rue (Ruta graveolens) and it is not no-table for growing in Syria, but rather in Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and India.

Espand seed is the richest natural source of two alkaloids, harmine and har-maline (their names come from the In-dian name for the plant, Harmal). These alkaloids are members of a class of drugs called Mono Amine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAO Inhibitors or MAO-Is) that have been used in the treatment of clinical de-pression and, in larger doses, to produce psychotropic effects. In moderate doses, they produce a feeling of well-being and contentment. There are unpleasant side-effects to the ingestion of high doses of concentrated harmaline extracts, such as nausea and lassitude, but these effects do not occur when one breaths the smoke from burning Espand. Among the most commonly reported psychotropic effects of harmaline and harmine are visual and auditory hallucinations, and it is com-monly reported -- even by experiment-ers with no cultural connection to the breathing of Espand smoke -- that these voices take the form of authoritative in-structors. Perhaps the Espand smoke stimulates some portion of the brain that evokes images of Archangels and Holy

of fire is Zoroastrian, not Muslim. It is a very old rite. It is used to remove the Evil Eye from the children, and it is good for anyone."

Iranian woman: "This prayer is the blessing of Shah Naqshband, an ancient King who was a follower of Zarathustra. Shah Naqshband got this blessing from the Archangels and taught it to our peo-ple. It is very effective when you must deal with bad people or sorrowful things. It removes the Evil Eye and it is a blessing to the spirit. It lightens your burdens."

The archangels of Zoroastrian belief are generally said by scholars to be Zoro-aster's incorporation into his religion of regional Iranian gods and goddesses of the pre-historic period. Thus, Spenta Ar-maiti or Spandermat (also spelled Span-dermad or Spendarmaz) was an earth-mother goddess, whose sacred herb was Espand or Esfand.

In the ancient Zoroastrian calendar, the month of Esfand (beginning around February 19) marked the feast of Spend-armat, which was dedicated to the fe-male archangel of earthly and motherly protection, Spenta Armaiti, whose name signifies "Holy Devotion" or "Holy Love." Among modern Iranians, this festival, known as the Esfandgan Feast, is still held on Spandarmaz Day in the month Esfand, the last month of the Iranian cal-endar. It is a celebration of womankind, and particularly commemorates the care, kindness, and self-sacrifices of mother-hood.

The connections between the pro-tective pre-Zoroastrian goddess Span-dermat, the Zoroastrian female archan-gel Spenta Armaiti, the month of Esfand, the contemporary festival of Esfandgan, and the protective herb Espand which is used by mothers to safeguard and purify their children, are clear, even to Muslims living in formerly Zoroastrian territories.

What is Espand and why is it sacred (and spiritually effective)?

Espand is the common Persian / Dari / Farsi name for Peganum harmala, a perennial shrubby herb in the Zygo-phyllaceae or Caltrop family. The name is also transliterated as Espand, Esfand, and Esphand, and the plant itself is also given the regional common name Har-mal or Harmala in Pakistan and India. In the USA its most common name is "Syrian Rue," a highly unfortunate mon-icker since although the leaves of the two plants are similar, Espand is not related

Kings and that -- combined with its anti-depressive activity -- is why it is consid-ered a sacred plant that removes the Evil Eye.

Please note before experiment-ing with Espand yourself that, although MAO Inhibitors have been prescribed for depression, there are severe risks as-sociated with their use because when they are ingested in combination with certain other substances, such as alcohol or aged cheese, some people experience toxic or even fatal reactions to them. For this reason, MAO Inhibitors are no longer popular prescription drugs despite their efficacy at relieving depression. Also, for this reason, all companies that sell Es-pand seed will tell you that it is NOT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION, and if you are wise, you will heed that warning.

ConclusionWhat at first looked to an American

outsider (me) like a simple apotropaic rite -- burning some seeds on charcoal to protect children from the Evil Eye -- turns out to be an ancient Zoroastrian prayer to the Five Archangels, as taught by the ancient King Naqshband, and to utilize a psychotropic drug as its central agent of efficacy.

December 24th, 2016

Vol.2, No. 61 News

Espand against the evil eyeA Zoroastrian rite surviving in Muslim nations

Written by: Catherine YronwodeRepublished (in part) from: http://www.luckymojo.com/aspand.html

Espand seed is the richest natural source of two alkaloids, harmine and harma-line (their names come from the Indian

name for the plant, Harmal). These alkaloids are members of a class of drugs called Mono Amine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAO Inhibitors or MAO-Is) that have been used in the treatment of clinical depression and, in larger doses, to produce psychotropic effects.

Photo by Mh. Asif Rasooly

Page 5

Vol.2, No. 61News

December 24th, 2016

Asadullah Zamir, Minister of Agricul-ture, says, “Government aid has caused improvement of saffron planting in Af-ghanistan. Compared to last year, culti-vation of saffron has increased more than two and half percent.”

Mr. Zamir in a news conference says in this year fields of saffron has increased from 1000 hectares to 2800 hectares which shows 250 percent development.

He says the statistics of Ministry of Agriculture show that in the current year, Afghan farmers have produced nearly six metric tons of saffron, while last year this statistic was three and half metric tons.

Minister of Agriculture said, “The main factor for this development is the support of government to the farmers who cultivate saffron. The attraction of Arabic countries in purchasing saffron and signing the contract of exchanging

Ministry of Education says that eight armed men burned girl’s school in Mo-hammad Agha district. According to the Ministry, this secondary school has been set on fire at Sunday night. Minis-try of Education also mentioned that first eight armed men entered to the school and closed the gate; then, they burned all school’s building. According to the Ministry, in the fire, hundreds of text-books, including religious books, chairs,

Shagul Rezayee, a member of parlia-ment, says that there is a volition of doing fundamental works in the government but all the works done so far have been symbolic and the fundamental work that could guarantee women participation in politics hasn’t been done yet.

Pointing to the challenging rela-tionship between the government and people, she also adds that government has involved women in the government body by using symbolic steps. However, all these movements are figurative and proved to be less satisfactory in the devel-opment of women participation in poli-tics. She says, “Some efforts have been done by government for participation of women in politics. For instance, we can say for the first time, though rejected, a woman was introduced for a member-ship at the Supreme Court.”

between China and Afghanistan are oth-er factors of development in planting of saffron.”

Mr. Zamir says that Ministry of Agri-culture plans to provide dryer machines of saffron to the investors of this sector. He said, “By distributing these machines, parcels of Afghanistan’s saffron will enter to the reliable world markets and these parcels can present the credibility and the image of Afghanistan’s saffron to the international customers.”

Based on Ministry of Agriculture`s statistics, 31 provinces of the country are capable of cultivating saffron. This year, saffron harvest has made millions of dol-lars revenue for farmers. Cultivating area in the country has increased while last year the International Institute of Taste

and Quality in Brussels gave Af-ghanistan the In-ternational Best Saffron Award for the third time among 300 types of saffron.

It is 23 years that saffron is be-ing cultivated in Afghanistan. For the first time, the origin of saffron was planted in Ghorian district of Herat; there-after, cultivating saffron became common in other areas.

tables and official documents related to the school were burned. Kutub Khil was active school in a private building and it had five hundred and fifty students who were all girls. Mohammad Agha district, Sixty- four schools are operating, is lo-cated near to Pol-e- Alam in the center of Logar province. In addition, an employee of local radio station was killed by armed men a few days ago in the mentioned dis-trict.

Mrs. Rezayee says that a fundamental work hasn’t been done in terms of an acute contemplation for po-litical and social par-ticipation of women. Also due to a oriented project perspective to-wards women issues, still there is no sign of a nationwide women movement to expand political participation of women.

She thinks that the zone division policy is challenging factor in front of women’s po-litical participation. In addiotion, Humaira

Saqib, the head of women journalists, says that women issues are not given the priority they deserve and in the issues of violence against women are neglected. She says, “Unfortunately, in majority of cases, women are not given priority after security and hunger chal-lenges they face. Women issues are put in the second and third rankings.”

Meanwhile, Ahad Farzam, the repre-sentative for Human Rights Commission in Afghanistan, said that it was govern-ment’s responsibility to make mechanism and measurements in hand to create ap-propriate job opportunities to expand women’s participation the society. Mr. Farzam said, “Women and children are victims of poverty in Afghanistan; thus, the government is responsible to create job opportunities and guarantee partici-pation of women in the society.”

Ajmal Balochzada, a civic activist and one of the founders of Arman Shahr Foundation, said that government haz-ards and insecurity in the society have ef-fects on the process of women and youth participating in government and politics. Mr. Balochzada added, “ If we look at Af-ghan society, we can observe a clash be-tween two generations; the generation of 2001 and the cold war generation, who still possesses power.”

Translated by: Amir Mohammad ShefayeeSource: Etillat-e- Roz Daily Newspaper

Translated by: Habib AmnapoorSource: Hasht-e- Subh

Translated by: Mustafa SoroushSource: Hasht-e- Subh

2.5 % Increase in Saffron Planting

Taliban burned Kutub Khil’s school in Logar

Women Participation in politics not guaranteed

Many years ago, I was living in a small village named Aieen in Qarabagh, a remote district of Ghazni Province. At the time, the Taliban were fighting and harassing innocent people in my village. They didn’t allow girls to go to school. Likewise, the people in my village didn’t care about girls’ education. I attended Bibi Zahra High School until grade six and then studied in mosques and under the trees until I finished ninth grade. The mosques were safe but crowded. There was more room to study outside, in the clean weather and under the green leaves of the apricot trees. But then the ugli-ness of violence returned and the Taliban started fighting and shooting again. The sound of bombs exploding and our fear of

Page 6 December 24th, 2016

Vol.2, No. 61 Star Relatedtinue my studies. My father was deter-mined for me to continue learning so that I could have a bright future.

My uncle always helped and encour-aged me as if I were his own daughter. I went to a private school in eleventh grade. Everything looked completely unfamiliar and I struggled because it was my first time to be so far away from my parents and my siblings. One year passed and I moved back to my village. My mother and my aunts told me that I could only study up to grade twelve because I was a girl; I had to get married and shouldn’t pursue university studies. I really had to fight for my goals. I faced many challenges strug-gling for my dreams to come true. I con-tinued my studies and kept fighting to achieve my goals.

I graduated from school in 2011 and got accepted to Kabul Education Univer-sity to study in the mathematics depart-ment of the science faculty. University life was a completely new experience for me, studying with people from different backgrounds with different perspectives, but gradually I got used to the universi-ty’s atmosphere. Four years at university passed like four days. I experience many things, met many different people, and I developed remarkably during that time.

too. Do not stress yourself about correct grammar or pronunciation; the people you are speaking to will not be judging the way you speak. Making mistakes will help you learn better and also boost your confidence in speaking with others.

Tip 3: Take it easy! Just because you are speaking Eng-

lish to someone, it does not mean that you end up using all these words that you have learned. Know that it is okay to not say every word in the English dictionary while having a conversation; it is not im-portant to use all of them. But the most important thing to do when you are talk-ing to someone, is to listen carefully. It’s important to hear what the person is say-ing and then find the words you would like to use to answer. Your response can be just a smile, a simple nod, a sentence of a few words, or even a question. You do not need to go on and on and express your ideas in English. It’s OK! Save it for other speaking opportunities and re-member, take it easy.

Tip 4: Practicing speaking will make you a better speaker

The last and the most important tip that I would like to share with you is to be prepared. To prepare means to practice. Confidence and practice in speaking Eng-lish goes hand-in-hand. So, it is important for you to practice because this will build your confidence in speaking overall. For example, talk to yourself in front of the mirror so you can listen to what you are

your abilities of what you do know. This confidence will help you to be open, jump into conversations and work on your abil-ity to speak English well.

Tip 2: Realize that your mistakes don’t matter

This is pretty important! When you are a teenager, you are always thinking about how you speak, how you act, or how how you look. As you grow up, you realize that these things do not matter because other people are actually only worried about themselves. So the same applies for your English speaking skills

Tip 1: Fake it ‘til you make it!In the context of this tip, “Fake it til

you make it” is an English saying that means you should pretend to be good at speaking proper English, even though you actually do not speak English very well; so you “fake it.” One example of this in everyday life is when you pose for pic-tures. When posing in front of the cam-era you smile, even if you are not genu-inely happy about it. You are “faking” that smile so that the picture comes out well. The same applies for speaking English. When speaking English, sometimes you have to fake it and have confidence in

the fighting drowned out the lesson and distracted us from our studies.

When I finished ninth grade, the Taliban closed the doors of high schools and didn’t allow girls to study secondary education at all. I gave up on my dreams for the future and thought I would not be able to reach my goals. My mother was thrilled about this news, because it meant I could help her with housework. She didn’t appreciate the value of knowl-edge and how important it was to me and my future. In our village, sending girls to school was frowned upon, but my caring father was saddened and, although he was illiterate, he understood the value of knowledge. He was interested in learning and encouraged me to continue my les-sons.

I was the eldest child of my family. My father, as the only one who supported me and my dreams, tried his best to find a place where I could go to school and pursue my studies. It was 2010 when my uncle moved with his family to Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. My father sent me to live with my uncle’s family and con-

I am so thankful to my father for the endless efforts and sacrifices that he made for me and my siblings. My father was the only man in our village who sent his daughter to university. In that time, sending girls to university was taboo. They believed that girls and boys from different races studying together in the same classroom was not a good idea at all. But my father did not think of that; instead he thought about my future. It was a big honor for me and my family that I was able to study at university. In my first year of university, people told me that girls shouldn’t go to university, but when I entered my second year I saw how some families in my village allowed their daughters to go to university as well.

I was so happy that I was able to have such an effect on people’s perception about girls’ education. Now, whenever I go to my village, the people of my village encourage me a lot and thank my father. I am very happy that I was able to open up those same opportunities for the girls in my village. Nowadays I am able to wit-ness some of the girls from my village who can achieve their goals and make their dreams come true by going to uni-versity, which is a big honor for me and for all girls in my village.

saying and if you make mistakes you will be able correct yourself and practice how to say the words correctly. Also, review whatever you have learned in the past. Do not jump into new lessons, continue to review what you have learned; this ad-ditional practice will be very helpful.

I hope these tips are useful and with them I am sure you will do great in speak-ing English!

A Village Girl’s Dream

About the author: Adela Khurrami began teaching at Star in 2012 after studying English Literature and Accounting at Iqra College in Karachi, Pakistan and teaching English in Quetta.Below you will find four tips to help you speak English:

About the author: Marzia Sharifi is a Lev-el Six Student at Star Educational Society C Branch. She recently graduated from university and is currently a teacher in a private school.

Building Confidence to Speak English

Page 7December 24th, 2016

Vol.2, No. 61Literary

StoriesMy Grandmother

Told Me

68

About the author: Hadi Zaher was the first graduate of Quetta's branch of Star Educational Society in the year 1999. He has an MA from the University of Wollongong in Australia and is currently a post-graduate student at the University of New South Wales.

designs. The men wore caps of differ-ent colours and had bright colourful topug. Your uncle wore one as a kid, and another when he grew up a little. We made one for your father. It was an essential part of the clothing. Men wore the cap, boys wore the cap, girls wore the cap, and women wore the cap and a once married, put a fabric on the top.

When the first men returned from Kabul, and Iran and Najaf, they brought back other ideas. They brought back chadar and chadari and black veils and white caps, and in my lifetime the colours, and the colour-ful dresses and colourful caps slowly faded away. *topug = popping on the side of caps made from threads*chadar = long scarf*chadari = full veil usually worn in Af-ghanistan and Pakistan

Chadar, Chadari and Hijab came to us from Kabul and Iran. Our people did not know the idea of women covering their hair and

face. We had our own way of doing things, dressing up, and beliefs.

In my days and the days before me, the girls and boys wore caps – co-lourful caps, with topug at the front, and colourful threaded braids hang-ing from the sides. The family sewed up one for every child every few years, and the girls wore theirs until they were married, and thereafter they wore the cap and covered it with colourful scarf and jewellery.

Women worked on the farm, looked after the family, looked after cattle, did the work, while the men sipped tea and lazied in the shade in summers and in the sun in winters. Women sewed those caps and clothes and the topug and the braids and the

Caged in this cornerI am caged in this cornerfull of melancholy and sorrow ...my wings are closed and I cannot fly ...I am an Afghan woman and so must wail.

A Voiceless CryThey're coming in from the road, nowThirsty souls and dusty skirts brought from the desertTheir breath burning, mirage-mingledMouths dry and caked with dustThey're coming in from the road, nowTormented-bodied, girls brought up on painJoy departed from their facesHearts old and lined with cracks

Nadia Anjuman (1980 – 2005) was a Persian poet and journalist from Herat, Afghanistan. The Taliban captured Herat and shut the schools for girls when Anjuman was in tenth grade. She studied in underground schools until the Taliban was ousted and she began studying Dari literature and languages at Herat University. In 2005, while still a stu-dent at Herat University, she had her first book of poetry published, Gul-e-dodi ("Dark Red Flower") which proved popular in Afghanistan, Pakistan and even nearby Iran. Soon after the book’s publication, however, Anjuman was beaten to death. Many believe that Anjuman was killed by her own husband and his family for the transgression of writing.

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when I was compelled to begin working on streets. For two years before that, I wove carpets at home with my mother, the time that I should be in school and should be enjoying fun with other boys. But I had to work in smoke and dirt on the streets to find some money to feed my family. When I began working on the streets, I was ashamed, at first, because other boys my age were dressed in good school uniforms and were so happy but I was full of smoke and dirt.

Talk about the day you first learned that somebody would sponsor your English classes. The day that Mr. Asif and Shoaib told me that I can start studying English at Star, I was so happy! I quickly imagined my first day at the center meeting other fellows, sitting in the chair, opening my book and writing English. I was happy be-cause I always hoped to study in a great English center and I was excited to start speaking English with my classmates and teachers. By learning English, I can con-tact my sponsor, Miss Joy Gaine, who is in the United States. I have never talked with a foreigner up to now and I am so excited to talk to one who knows me and cares about my future. I am thankful to Miss Joy for making an impossible thing possible for me and making my hope into reality.

A short time later, you found out that A More Balanced World was going to pay your weekly wages so that you could stop being a spandi and concentrate on your schoolwork. What was it like to hear that news? I was at work when Mr. Asif and Shoaib came to our home and talked to my family about paying our weekly wages and stopping us from being child labor-ers. When I reached home, everyone was so happy and were smiling. They told me that I won’t need to work anymore. I was too happy because I knew I can focus on my studies after this and that sad faces will turn to happy faces. We will all be happy and we can be together more often. I won’t need to work, nor my siblings. What can be happier than this news? My parents and everyone always pray for them for what they have done. It is a life-changing experience for me to not go out for work anymore. Now, I am the same as others and will concentrate on my studies.

Tell us about your success with your Eng-lish classes. Because I was always passion-ate about studying English, I was a posi-tion holder in both my first and second classes – 2nd and 3rd positions. I was so happy that for the first time I was taking

Saturday, December 24, 2016 Vol. 2, No. 61

This week’s interview is with Izathul-lah who was a spandi until August, 2016. A spandi is someone who sells the smoke from the herb Espand to ward off evil spir-its (see article about Espand on page 3). In August, Izathullah became one of the first students in the ROYA Mentorship Program in Kabul. Children in the program have fi-nancial sponsors to receive English classes, computer training and one-on-one men-tors.

Please introduce yourself to our read-ers and tell them a little about yourself. I am Izathullah, son of Chaman Ali. I am 15 years old and I study in 8th grade. I am also a student in the Junior Beginner One class at Star Educational Society and I was the 2nd position holder last semester. I was born in Behsood and moved to Kabul seven years ago. Currently I live in Shahrak Ettifaq.

Tell us about your life and your daily routine before you were selected for the ROYA Mentorship Program. I would get up at 4:30am and leave my home at 5 am and I would work on the streets as a Span-di until 5pm. But when we had school, I went to school in the morning and worked on the streets in the afternoon. I also sold ice-cream in the summer. I was not enjoy-ing my life, it was like the darkest days I have ever experienced because there was no hope for my future, there was no hap-piness in our family. Moreover, I was dis-appointed for my siblings who were liv-ing in a very bad situation and we didn’t have any idea how to give them a better life. That’s why my younger brother, Rah-mat, also became a Spandi. My sisters were small and they were at home all day weaving carpets with my mother. When we were at home, we all were unhappy. We were praying always and were asking Allah to do a miracle and help us.

How old were you when you started working on the street? I was 12 years old

my English Result Card at home on which it is written “Position Holder.” I was happy because I was much more motivated and inspired by my own results. I love English and was not able to study it when I was a child laborer. I know its value and that’s why I work hard and try to learn more than what I am taught in the center. And now I am quite sure that in a few months I can speak English and can communicate with the ones who have helped me to learn it.

We have been very impressed by your motivation and work ethic. You now at-tend Tarbyath Private High School with thanks to financial support from the Bamyan Foundation. What would you like to say to the people at the Bamyan Foundation who have made it possible for you, two of your siblings and three of your cousins to study at a great private school? Bamyan Foundation, I don’t know who you are, how you look and how many you are, but I know that your hearts are full of love and sympathy. I thank you a lot for what you are doing for me, my siblings, my cousins and all those who you help. Studying in a governmental school in a rural area of Kabul is not beneficial. We don’t have teachers in class most of the times and study-ing there was becoming impossible for me. When I got to know that you will send me to Tarbyath Private School, I was too happy and was dancing. Thank you for making us all happy and making us all smile. We love you all.

What are some of your favorite things to do in your free time? I like walking in my spare time because I feel good when I walk on the street with-out having the purpose to work. I also like reading, that’s why I always read my English books before my teacher teaches that lesson. Though I don’t understand it a lot, I en-joy reading them. I like swimming and cycling. I am going to buy a bicycle for myself. I have saved a little money from my weekly wages, I am so ex-cited to use it and wander around my house with

that bicycle.

What would you like to do in the future? I want to be a doctor to help everyone. On the other hand, I want to be like you. I want to help people who are underprivi-leged. I would love to help them and make them hopeful and happy like myself.

What kind of message would you like to share with our readers? There are times when you will have no hope, no dream and no hand to help you. Please don’t give up. Stand against everything. One day, a miracle will happen and you will be helped and the world will become your supporter. Please appreciate the value of what you have. Study and learn because there are still many people who can’t study because of their weak financial situation.

About the interviewer: Shoaib Mehryar is a former student of Star Educational Soci-ety in Quetta, Pakistan. He is a freshman at the American University of Afghanistan. He teaches English at Symbiosis Institute and is the co-coordinator for the ROYA Mentorship Program in Kabul.

Rising from the ashesFrom child street worker to a position holder at Star Educational Society

Website: http://www.star.edu.af Email: interstellarbulletin@gmail.com

I want to be a doctor to help everyone. On the other hand, I want to be like you. I want to help people who are underprivileged. I would love to help them and make them hopeful and hap-py like myself.

Editor-in-Chief: Ali Reza YasaEditors: Jonathan Greenburg, Murtaza FarjadDesigner: Musa AutbinDistribution: Najibullah Malikpoor 0785103920

B&C Branch: Abdul Khaleq Khleqyaar 0776761455Bamyan: Essa Omid 0773609598Daikundi: Hamid Naderi 0767961513Ghazni: Essa Jamal 0787126362

Add: Star Avenue, Sabiqa Stop, Dehburi, Kabul.A Branch Phone: +93 (0) 785 10 39 20 / +93 (0) 744 56 37 55