By Jillian Bailey O'Connor

News from the war in Afghanistan and the surrounding region has not been good this week. A recent Pew Global Attitudes study conducted in Pakistan found that while support for the Taliban and Al-Qaeda is declining there, 64 percent of respondents now consider the U.S. an enemy. This week, as Afghanistan prepares for its second presidential election since the U.S. occupation began in 2001, American troops are fighting a pitched battle against Taliban fighters to secure the southern town of Dananeh. On August 15, the Taliban claimed responsibility for a car bomb that exploded at the NATO headquarters in Kabul, killing seven civilians and wounding dozens more, children among them.

Afghan Star

Directed by: Havana Marking
Release Date:
Theatrical: June 26, 2009
Running Time: 87 minutes, Color
Origin: UK | Afghanistan

While many reviews of this documentary are laudatory, suggesting that the popular Afghan television show is helping to build democracy and modernize the country after the Taliban, our viewer—a native of the region—has some bones to pick with Havana Marking's film. Our suggestion is that you go see it for yourself and decide. Whether you agree or disagree with the perspective that follows, you can post a comment and participate in the debate. —Ed.

Using film, music and scholarship, on August 5th, speakers will explore the Mizrahim (Eastern Jews):

• Are the Jews of the Middle East/North Africa as Arab or Iranian as their host nationalities?
• 
  How were they received in Israel?
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  Are the Mizrahim/Sephardim a missing link to Middle East peace?

By Catherine Batruni

Samira Atash: click on the image to read more about Samira...How many Muslim musicians, comedians, artists, filmmakers, actors, journalists, photographers, poets, dancers, and community leaders can you name? Probably not many. 9/11, Osama Bin Laden and the Taliban et al made sure that mainstream American media would often portray Muslims as barbaric, backward, oppressive, and violent. The fact of the matter is, Muslims in America have had a much tougher time than others in reaching their dreams to become successful and respected artists. The lifestyle blog television site Beauty and the East is one resource that displays hip, trendy and cool Muslim artists living in America. By utilizing the universal languages of expression and art, Beauty and the East strives to break stereotypes and combats ignorance.

Middle East Arts Festival for Peace, May 23, 2009: photo Joel MosesIn a paean to peace, Angelenos of diverse cultural and religious backgrounds came together Saturday, May 23rd, 2009 as Levantine Cultural Center celebrated its eighth anniversary. The “Middle East Arts Festival for Peace”—a benefit for the center—included such performing artists as Tony Khalife from Lebanon, Mamak Khadem and Hamid Saeidi from Iran, and the Silk Road Music & Dance Ensemble, representing Turkey, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, with Serpil Borazon on vocals, Nyofu Tyson on saz, Neil Siegel on tar, and Robyn Friend on daf. Friend also performed a traditional dance from Uzbekistan. Kutsal, the indie rock singer from Istanbul, sang songs in both English and Turkish. Armenia’s folk/rock star, Gor Mkhitarian, whose latest album is Spirit, poured his heart into several songs in Armenian, while film composer and keyboardist Richard Horowitz ("The Sheltering Sky", "Any Given Sunday") played the ney in both Moroccan and Persian modes. Actress Shiva Rose from the film “David & Layla” read one of her own poems, and performing poet Niloufar Talebi of The Translation Project read in Farsi and English. The world electronica fusion group, Naked Rhythm, whose compositions can be found on Tanta Lounge and Buddha Bar compilations, raised the tempo of the night with percussive electronica in both Arab and Indian modes.

Raziq FaniRaziq Fani was one of Afghanistan's most celebrated contemporary poets. His work is described as mystical, compassionate, and patriotic. His poems portray the suffering of the Afghan people through decades of war, destruction, and exile. His most famous lines are: "Hama jaa dokaan-i-rang ast, hama rang mayforoshand; dil-i-man ba sheesha sozad, hama sang mayforoshand (everywhere is a paint store, everyone sells color; my heart breaks for the glass, everyone sells stone.)"

Hassina SherjanHassina Sherjan is the Executive Director of Afghanistan Libre, Vice President of Public Affairs for the Afghanistan Information Center. She is the force behind the organization and has traveled extensively throughout the region to participate in Afghan women's rights conferences, conduct surveys for local development conditions, and assess education systems. On May 8, 2009, she published her views in the New York Times:

Talked to Death

By Hassina Sherjan

For several years, President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan has been trying to negotiate and reconcile with supposedly moderate elements of the Taliban to end the insurgency. This approach has failed every time. Thus it is puzzling to many Afghans that President Obama has also been talking about negotiating with “moderates.” Let’s hope that when the two men met in Washington this week, along with President Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan, the idea of reaching out to the Islamic extremists was shelved once and for all.

[Los Angeles, May 7, 2009] Levantine Cultural Center presents a salon on the politics and culture of Afghanistan, Friday, May 15, 7-9:30 pm, when authors Paul Fitzgerald and Elizabeth Gould—who as documentary filmmakers and journalists have been visiting Afghanistan since 1981—discuss their new book “Invisible History: Afghanistan's Untold Story” (City Lights 2009), including a DVD presentation followed by Q/A and book signing. They will be introduced by Afghan-American lawyer-activist Mariam Atash Nawabi. The evening includes Afghani-American indie singer Ariana Delawari presenting some of her rock/folk repertoire. The program is copresented by CODEPINK: Women for Peace.

$10 or $20 with autographed book (free entry for members and students with I.D.).Doors open 7 pm. Even 7:30-9:30 pm. Refreshments available.

Afghanistan's Untold StoryOn Friday evening, May 15, Levantine Cultural Center hosts a salon devoted to discussion of Afghanistan, past and present. Authors Paul Fitzgerald and Elizabeth Gould will be talking about their new book Invisible History: Afghanistan’s Untold Story (City Lights 2009) including a DVD presentation. They’ll be introduced by a prominent Afghan-American attorney and activist, Mariam Atash Nawabi, and the evening will wind up with live music by  young Afghan-American singer/songwriter Ariana Delawari. Read more about them here.

In reality, many of us are already asking ourselves if Afghanistan wasn’t the Soviet Union’s Vietnam—and many have begun to wonder if it will become Obama’s Iraq.

Book Party and Concert May 2Reza Aslan presented his new book How to Win a Cosmic War: God, Globalization, and the End of the War on Terror May 2, at Café-Club Fais Do-Do, at 5257 W. Adams Blvd., LA 90016. Also appearing were Turkish indie rocker Kutsal and Arab hip hop artist Omar Offendum.

check out a few pix from the event: