It is the second anniversary of the assassination of Ahmad Shah Massoud, being commemorated in silence and without marching around the city by his followers and supporters. While the September 9 used to be official holiday in the government calendar and the day was being marked officially by the government. According to Article 41 of the labor law of the previous government, this day was a public holiday as the day of “Martyrdom of Ahmad Shah Massoud and the beginning of Martyr’s Week”. But the Taliban, group has removed this day from the country’s official calendar and did not allow his supporters to commemorate this day.
A number of citizens and politicians of the country consider the opposition of the Taliban to be due to their ethnic animosity and fundamentalist approaches toward national unity movements and events and emphasize that they do not expect permission from this group to celebrate this day in the country, with respect to the conflicts in the ideologies of Ahmad Shah Massoud with that of the Taliban.
The anniversary of the death of Ahmad Shah Massoud, and the week following September 9 was being commemorated in the memories of Jihadists’ and security forces’ sacrifices for the country. But with the takeover of the country by the Taliban, this date is removed from the calendar and no one has the permission to commemorate this event within the country. In addition to the official government academic and public institutions used to commemorate the martyr’s week and the assassination of the Ahmad Shah Massoud and thousands of his supporters used patrol and march on streets and roads in Kabul and a number of provinces
The Taliban group has officially removed this day from the country’s calendar this year, and the supporters of the former leader of the Resistance Front also commemorated the anniversary of their late commander in “silence” due to the interrogation and fear of the Taliban. However, a number of protesting women and girls, despite the opposition of the Taliban, commemorated on social media and held cultural events to rewind the memories and history of the resistance. These women and girls honored their photos next to the photo of Ahmad Shah Massoud Design and from this day.
Farzaneh Moj Ghafouri, one of these protesters, speaking to Hasht-e-Subh, said: “If he had not been martyred, we would have had a better fate today.” The woman emphasizes that the Taliban tries to destroys every possible event that relates to the history.
Mrs. Ghafouri adds, “Ahmed Shah Massoud used to really special attention to the rights of women. He used to talk and emphasizes on women’s rights and participation in the society in every of his speech and his effort was that women should work alongside men and be included in power.”
Marzia Ahmadi, one of the women’s rights activists, believes that Ahmad Shah Massoud was the voice of political awakening, which was being suffocated during the first-time rule of the Taliban. Heshowed courage at that time and fought to the death against international terrorism. She emphasizes that Ahmad Shah Massoud’s views on women reflect the role and participation of women in politics and power as far as they are reflected in the media.
The Ahmad Shah Massoud Foundation, led by Ahmadwali Masoud, commemorated this day by holding cultural meetings under the title of “National Hero of Afghanistan”. But this year, by publishing a statement on Facebook, he said: “21 years after the martyrdom of Ahmad Shah Massoud, the national hero of the country, his enemies once again paved the way for Taliban to reemerge in power, and his path followers willraise agains out of the ashes tofight for freedom and justice in the name of resistance.” In the statement the foundation, it has been said that popular resistance has opened a window of hope for the people quickly and more than expected.
Meanwhile, Hamid Karzai, the former president of Afghanistan, also wrote on his Facebook page: “I honor the 21st anniversary of the martyrdom of the country’s national hero, Ahmad Shah Massoud.” Mr. Karzai named Ahmad Shah Massoud as a national hero, a mujahid, and a patriot, and said that he was killed as a result of a “conspiracy by foreigners.”
Similarly, Abdullah Abdullah, the former head of the High Council of Reconciliation and one of Ahmad Shah Massoud’s friends, wrote on his Facebook page: “For more than two decades, the name of Ahmad Shah Massoud has been a symbol of manhood, equality, independence, realization of social justice and struggle in the opposite has been disguised as rape. In this message, Mr. Abdullah has not talk about Ahmad Shah Massoud’s resistance against the Taliban and only mentioned the time of his war against the former Soviet Union.
Haji Mohammad Mohaghegh, the leader of the Hezb-e-Wahdat has also written in a short message on his Facebook page: “September 9, the 21st anniversary of the martyrdom of Ahmad Shah Massoud, the national hero of the country and the martyr’s day for all the oppressed people of the country and the resistance fighters of the right fronts against tyranny and tyranny.” And xenophobia, be a consolation.”
Salahuddin Rabbani, the leader of Jamiat-e-Islami Afghanistan, has also published a statement saying that Ahmad Shah Massoud had a detailed understanding of the social contexts and power relations in Afghanistan and emphasized the meaningful participation and representation of the will of all people in the political structure and decision-making.
However, Maulana Mohammad Abdullah, a journalist and deputy of the former Independent Election Commission, speaking to Hasht-e-Subh, says that the purpose of Ahmad Shah Massoud’s campaigns is to oppose the things that the Taliban are doing. According to Mr. Abdullah, “Ahmed Shah Massoud’s struggle was against aggression, oppression, occupation, intimidation, extremism and any other act that destroys the spirit of humanity and citizen’s rights” and therefore the Taliban are in intellectual conflict with Ahmad Shah Massoud’s ideology and school of thoughts.
He further adds that Ahmad Shah Massoud’s resistance was for the institutionalization of social justice, the provision of citizenship rights, the transfer of power by people’s votes, mutual acceptance, cultural diversity, and the institutionalization of moderate religious beliefs, which the Taliban once again have try to demolish. They are in complete opposition to these values.
Mr. Abdullah continues, saying that this time, the Taliban are acting “more violently” than before and have filled the prisons with innocent people based on alleged allegations and affiliation to certain resistance groups. He emphasizes that the current resistance, in terms of narrative and advocacy, is the continuation of the first resistance and the plans of Ahmad Shah Masoud. He emphasizes that the current resistance is “legally and morally” permissible and they do not expect the Taliban to allow the supporters of Ahmad Shah Massoud to commemorate.
Wais Ahmad Barmak, the Interior Ministerof the former government, while talking to Hasht-e-Subh, says that the Taliban group has been against Ahmad Shah Massoud’s vision from the very beginning their emergence in the 1990s. According to him, Ahmad Shah Massoud resisted the Taliban until his “martyrdom” and now that this group controls most of the geography, they don’t allow his supporters to commemorate this day.
He adds: “When some Taliban layoff flower wreaths on the grave of Amanullah Khan and on the contrary, insults are made on the grave of Amer Sahib, displays a matter of ethnic hatred with should not be promoted and fueled by the Taliban “Disrespect, humiliation and insult have unfortunate consequences for Afghanistan.”
Khalid Amiri, the commander of the resistance front’s combat forces, also told Hasht-e-Subh, “We have no expectations from Taliban to allow anyone to remember the martyrdom of Amer Saheb.” Because the national hero has spent a part of his life fighting against Taliban.”
Mr. Amiri explains the purpose of fighting against the Taliban in the current situation as, “Our narrative is the establishment of a legal government based on elections, ensuring social justice, respecting human rights and laws, respecting the basic rights of men and women in this country.”
Meanwhile, the city of San Diego in the United States of America has declared September 9, “Martyr Ahmad Shah Massoud’s Day”. Previously, the meeting was held on the 21st anniversary of the death of Ahmad Shah Massoud, on Wednesday, September 7, at the British Parliament initiated by two Scottish MPs, Alison Thewliss and Patrick Grady from the Nationalist Party of Scotland and Mohammad Bustani, a member of the Scottish Local Council. The supporters of Ahmad Shah Massoud commemorated this day in the United States and a number of European countries with convoy patrols and holding political and cultural circles.
Ahmad Shah Masoud has been the only war commander in the world who has had many books written in different languages and articles and research treatises about him. The book “Massood, Napoleon of Afghanistan” is one of dozens of books written in the new year by Syndical, the master writer of England.
Meanwhile, Maulvi Hanzaleh Hanif, one of the imams of the mosques in Panjshir, gave a speech about the personality and political struggles of Ahmad Shah Massoud, which was praised by social media users.
At the same time, since last night, the words “Resistance Continues” have been written on several walls in Kabul.
Ahmad Shah Massoud was killed 21 years ago on September 9, 2001, two days before the September 11 incident, by two Arab suicide attackers affiliated with the Al-Qaeda network, who had introduced themselves as journalists, in Khawaja Bahauddin Takhar. He was one of the prominent commanders of Afghanistan against the Soviet invasion and resistance against the Taliban in the 1990s.
