The Canada-Afghanistan Solidarity Committee is looking for Canadians from all backgrounds and walks of life to join the board of our non-profit society in order to grow the organization, plan new projects and support Canadian initiatives with and for Afghans. We will be drawing from our members for when we nominate a new executive board in the new year.

Board members must already be members of the CASC organization. Learn about how to join CASC.

You can nominate prospective members to our board (including yourself) by sending notice through the official CASC email at info [AT] afghanistan-canada-solidarity [DOT] org

Casting director Rhonda Fisekci is holding an open casting call for 18 to 60 year-old members of the Afghan, Muslim and Amputee communities interested in participating as civilian role players to enact a variety of different village scenarios during various military training sessions in Alberta this fall from August 21 – November 1, 2010.

The Casting Call will be held in Vancouver on August 4 & 5, 2010 at the Holiday Inn, Metrotown, 4405 Central Blvd. Burnaby BC. The casting will run from 2:00pm – 9:00pm.

The roles for both men and women will include village leaders, religious leaders, interpreters and police chiefs in addition to various other community members to populate the “virtual village”. Training will be provided for all participants. The daily rate of pay will be between $195.00 and $290.00 per day, including days off and training days.

Travel from Edmonton & Calgary, meals and accommodation will be provided. A $150.00, return travel allowance will be given to participants from outside of Alberta. These are peacekeeping exercises between civilians and military personnel. No weapons or live fire will be used.

For the Amputee Role Players: Can be of any ethnicity as we will provide the necessary hair, make-up and wardrobe to make you look Afghan. The production does hold what we call “Heavy Casualty Days”. By using special effects make-up etc we are able to re-create a very real aftermath of a bombing which the soldiers come in to deal with. We ask that the applicants not be faint of heart as these scenarios can be very intense and dramatic. Our Amputee participants will be a very important element on these particular training days.

In its commitment to provide military support to stabilize Afghanistan, the Canadian government has engaged the film industry to re-create Afghan villages in Wainwright. By having the motion picture industry re-create dramatic village settings with real civilian and real dramatic situations, military recruits will come to understand cultural, religious and political issues that will help them assist the Afghan people on their own terms. U.S. and British training forces estimate that after recruits have participated in three of these training sessions before traveling to Afghanistan, the casualty rate, civilian and military, dropped from 50 to 4 percent.

* All participants, male and female, must be between 18 and 60 years-old of Afghan or Muslim descent. Farsi, Dari and Pashto speakers are definitely needed.
* All Amputee participants must be between 18 and 60 years-old and can be of any ethnicity as we will provide the necessary hair, make-up and wardrobe to make you look Afghan.
* Separate accommodation is provided for the women.
* Meals and accommodation will be provided by the production.
* Travel is provide from Edmonton and Calgary to the military base
* $150.00 return travel allowance is provided to participants coming in from outside of Alberta
* All participants must complete and pass a security clearance.
* Paid training will be provided.
* Our next sessions are: August 21 – 29, 2010

Sept 13 – Oct 4, 2010

Sept 23 – 30, 2010

Oct 25 – Nov 1, 2010

* The daily rate of pay will be between $195.00 - $290.00 per day – including days off and training days.
* These are peacekeeping type exercises between civilians and military.
* No weapons or live fire will be used.
* All interested participants should bring their BC Care Card, Drivers License, Social Insurance Number and addresses of their place of residence for the past 5 years.
* ALL APPLICANTS MUST HAVE LIVED IN CANADA FOR A MINIMUM OF 5 YEARS.
* NO EXPERIENCE REQUIRED.

Casting Call

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Thursday, August 5, 2010

2:00pm – 9:00pm each day

Holiday Inn, Metrotown,

4405 Central Blvd.,Burnaby BC.

For further information, contact Rhonda Fisekci at email rfisekci@canadafilm.com

The reconciliation process led by the Karzai regime to re-integrate violent Taliban members, or "angry brothers", into the political process, is already causing fear, distrust and injustice for the most vulnerable members of the population: women.

The process has delivered nothing positive in return for what seems like a large-scale surrender of Afghans' hard-won civil rights. Atrocious leadership by the government and a cowardly unwillingness by the international community to hold them to account is the cause of this debacle.

More on this from Wazhma Frogh, an Afghan women’s rights activist, and a Chevening Scholar.

As reported by Human Rights Watch this month, the “night letters” (threatening letters left at night by the Taliban), death threats, and assassinations of female politicians and activists are all squarely the doings of the militants. If anyone at all in the West remembers the oppressive regime of the Taliban’s that was in power until 2001, how can we ignore the current barbaric treatment of women and girls in the militant controlled areas? How many women and girls are able to go to school in the southern provinces of Kandahar and Helmand anymore?

Not only there, but in provinces like Wardak and Logar, which are are only an hour away from the capital, the doors of education and work have closed for women. How could anyone believe that the same militants who controlled the country from 1996-2001, if back in political power in the not so distant future, would respect the Afghan Constitution, which the Taliban have made clear they vehemently despise?

While the Peace and Reintegration Plan has already started releasing militant prisoners without any proper legal scrutiny, 476 women languish in one of Kabul's jails, most of whom should never have been imprisoned in the first place. According to a recent BBC report, half the women are jailed for so called ‘moral crimes,' like adultery or running away from home.

Meanwhile the militants kill, behead and torture Afghans and these are not considered ‘moral crimes'. President Hamid Karzai calls them merely ‘angry brothers', as he did in a recent speech. This is the political dilemma of Afghanistan, and the ethical responsibility of the international community.

The Canada Afghanistan Solidarity Committee welcomes the Government of Canada’s participation in the Kabul Conference this week in Afghanistan, as foreign ministers and others from the donor nations to Afghanistan came together for the purpose of outlining a renewed commitment to the people of Afghanistan.

The recommendations for future Canadian support to Afghanistan that arose from the Solidarity Committee’s consultative report, “Keeping Our Promises: Canada in Afghanistan Post-2011”, are more timely now than ever, including the need to invest heavily in the education sector, to support democratic development and good governance, and to continue supporting the professionalization and growth of the Afghan police and army forces. These recommendations echo the many statements, resolutions and recommendations that came from Afghan civil society in the weeks and days leading up to the Kabul Conference.

The Solidarity Committee calls upon the Canadian Government to be attentive to these recommendations, such as those related to development, education, justice reform and security voiced by Afghanistan’s 50% Campaign, led by Women’s Political Participation Committee: Serious attention must also be given to the numerous open letters and statements from women’s networks, such as the 50% Campaign, the Afghan Women’s Network, Equality for Peace and Democracy, the Afghan Ministry of Women’s Affairs and others, which warn over deal-making with the Taliban and which emphasize repeatedly and unambiguously that women’s rights must not be compromised in any negotiations.

Finally, the Solidarity Committee wishes to express its concern that the Kabul Conference will have been “just another conference” if the international community does not work closely with the Afghan government to ensure accountability for the many promises made to the Afghan people.

Concerns over the likelihood that the new Afghan Peace and Reintegration Plan will not be well-implemented, but will result in huge spending and potential wastage, must be addressed. Canada has a pivotal role to play in multilateral and diplomatic dialogues taking place over Afghanistan and the future of the intervention there, and should use its voice to ensure both good policy and good planning for development and security efforts in Afghanistan now and in the years to come.
 

Iransolidarity-Vancouver in support of International Sakine Mohammadi Ashtiani Day - Citizens of the World against Stoning

Invites you to a rally at Art Gallery in Downtown Vancouver:

Date: Saturday July 24th, 5 PM

Place: Art Gallery - Robson side

The following is for your information about the call for support:

24 July 2010 - International Sakine Mohammadi Ashtiani Day

Citizens of the World against Stoning

We, the undersigned, are extremely concerned about the fate of 43 year old Sakine Mohamadi Ashtiani and fear she may be executed in Iran at any time for ‘having an illicit relationship.’

We call on people everywhere to intensify their protests by marking Saturday 24 July as the International Sakine Mohamadi Ashtiani Day. On the Saturday, we ask you to come out on to the streets and in city centres across the globe at 2pm local time bringing photos of Sakine and messages in her defence and against stoning and execution. Other measures that can be taken include highlighting her case wherever possible, signing petitions

http://stopstonningnow.com/sakine/sakin284.php?nr=50326944&lang=en,

http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_stoning/?cl=651962225&v=6766

and http://freesakineh.org/

 joining rallies, and keeping pressure on the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The mother of two has already received 99 lashes and been sentenced to death by stoning. Sajjad, her 22-year-old son, who raised the alarm of her imminent stoning when there was no further legal recourse via an open letter to the people of the world

(http://notonemoreexecution.org/campaigns/sakineh-mohammadi%c2%a0ashtiani/)

and said ‘there is no justice’ in Iran (www.notonemoreexecution.org/2010/07/07/6july2010-sajjad/ <http://www.notonemoreexecution.org/2010/07/07/6july2010-sajjad/> ) has been summoned to the Ministry of Intelligence for his brave efforts to secure his mother’s freedom (http://notonemoreexecution.org/2010/07/14/press-release-no-16/).

 As a result of the public outcry, the embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in London has issued a press release stating that the regime did not intend to stone her, that stoning in Iran was rare and that there was no truth to the reports (http://iransolidarity.blogspot.com/2010/07/keep-pressure-on-until-we-end...). Her lawyer, however, has made it clear that ‘Iranian embassies are not a part of the judiciary system, and it is the judiciary which should cancel this sentence’ http://notonemoreexecution.org/2010/07/09/pr-sakineh4/

Rather than being rare, a new report has found that over 100 known stonings have already taken place and another 25 known cases await death by stoning in Iran http://countmein-iran.com/Sangsarha%20lst-farshad-july2010.pdf.

Since the global protests, families of others held in Tabriz prison have come forward with news of 170 people sentenced to death, including children, youth, and 18 men and women for being gay. Two other women also await death by stoning in the same prison including Azar Bagheri who was 15 when she was arrested and 25 year old Maryam Ghorbanzadeh who is currently pregnant http://notonemoreexecution.org/2010/07/14/press-release-no-13/

 On 24 July 2010 at 2pm join us and make the world stand still in its rage against medievalism and barbarity and in its support of humanity. Sakine, her children and the many others awaiting death by stoning and execution deserve nothing less.

• Mina Ahadi, International Committee Against Stoning and International Committee Against Executions (Germany)
• Maryam Namazie, Iran Solidarity, Equal Rights Now – Organisation against Women’s Discrimination in Iran and One Law for All (UK)
• Maria Rohaly, Mission Free Iran (USA)
• Shahla Abgari, Human Rights Activist (USA)
• Nazanin Afshin-Jam, Stop Child Executions (Canada)
• Russell Blackford, University of Newcastle (Australia)
• Caroline Brancher, Union des Familles Laïques (France)
• Helle Merete Brix, Journalist and Writer (Denmark)
• Roy Brown, International Humanist and Ethical Union (Switzerland)
• Ed Buckner, President, American Atheists (USA)
• Peter Calluy, Belgian Humanist Society (Belgium)
• Pierre Cassen, Riposte Laïque (France)
• Megan Cornish, Seattle Radical Women (USA)
• Parvin Darabi, Dr. Homa Darabi Foundation (USA)
• Richard Dawkins, Scientist (UK)
• Sanal Edamaruku, Rationalist International (India)
• Bill Flanagan, Queen's University (Canada)
• Tahir Aslam Gora, Writer and Journalist (Canada)
• AC Grayling, Writer and Philosopher (UK)
• Laura Guidetti, Marea Association (Italy)
• Maria Hagberg, Network against Honour-Related Violence (Sweden)
• Johann Hari, Journalist (UK)
• Farzana Hassan, Author (Canada)
• Tasneem Khalil, Independent World Report (Sweden)
• Hope Knutsson, Sidmennt, the Icelandic Ethical Humanist Association (Iceland)
• Leo Igwe, Nigerian Humanist Movement (Nigeria)
• Sonia Jabbar, Journalist (India)
• Trefor Jenkins, University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa)
• Ghulam Mustafa Lakho, High Court Advocate (Pakistan)
• Monica Lanfranco, Marea Feminist Review (Italy)
• Anne-marie Lizin, Belgian Senate Honorary Speaker (Belgium)
• Marieme Helie Lucas, Secularism Is A Women's Issue (France)
• Kinga Lohmann, KARAT Coalition (Poland)
• Mohamed Mahmoud, Centre for Critical Studies of Religion (UK)
• Irshad Manji, European Foundation for Democracy and New York University (USA)
• Caspar Melville, Rationalist Association (UK)
• Behnaz Parman, Artist (Germany)
• Angela Payne, Anti-Injustice Movement (UK)
• Clancy Pegg, Bioethics Journal (UK)
• Naomi Phillips, British Humanist Association (UK)
• David Pollock, European Humanist Federation (UK)
• Venita Popovic, Zenicke Sveske Journal (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
• Gita Sahgal, Human Rights Campaigner (UK)
• Terry Sanderson, National Secular Society (UK)
• Nina Sankari, European Feminist Initiative (Poland)
• Udo Schuklenk, Queen's University (Canada)
• Aisha Lee Shaheed, Women Living Under Muslim Laws (UK)
• Issam Shukri, Defense of Secularism and Civil Rights in Iraq (Canada)
• Elizabeth Sidney, Women Worldwide Advancing Freedom and Equality (UK)
• Joan Smith, Writer and Activist (UK)
• Roy Speckhardt, American Humanist Association (USA)
• Annie Sugier, Ligue du Droit International Des Femmes (France)
• Richy Thompson, National Federation of Atheist, Humanist and Secular Student Societies (UK)
• Christine Tasin, Résistance Républicaine (France)
• Peter Tatchell, Human Rights Campaigner UK)
• Giti Thadani, Writer and Filmmaker (India)
• Shishir Thadani, South Asian Voice (India)
• Gianni Verdoliva, Journalist (Italy)

A 13-year old young lady from Vancouver has helped raise $300,000 so that girls can go to school in Afghanistan. This is simply incredible.

Well done, Alaina Podmorow. You've done more for women's education and civil rights in a few years than most people will achieve in a lifetime.

This is what can be achieved when ordinary people do extraordinary things. Our government ought to be taking notes, here:

When Alaina Podmorow was a shy nine-year-old, her mother asked if she'd like to go with her to a speech about how girls and women were treated in Afghanistan.

"At the time I thought, 'I'm not quite sure what this is about but I get to stay up late so I think I'll go to it,'" she says.

Four years later, having raised nearly $300,000 to help girls go to school in Afghanistan, she recalls eight words from that speech that she says she'll never forget: "The worst thing you can do is nothing."

The inspirational speech was given by Sally Armstrong, a Toronto-based author and human-rights champion who has chronicled the abuse of women under the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and their struggle now for equality.

Poised and confident, Podmorow, 13, now gives inspirational speeches herself as the founder of the non-profit Little Women for Little Women in Afghanistan, a fundraising organization that channels money for teachers' salaries and training through Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan.

"I found that it doesn't matter how little or young you are, you can make this difference," she said in an interview during a conference on Afghanistan hosted by the Canadian Federation of University Women.