Unspoken Abandonment Read Online Free Page A

ve been here for almost a week now, and I am constantly seeing new customs of the Afghan culture. Sometimes they are interesting, sometimes they are strange, and sometimes they are just shocking. Since I arrived in Kabul, I ha ve noticed a lot of men hugging, kissing, and holding hands together. Many of the men wear nail polish , and I ha ve seen some wearing lipstick. Not just one or two, but a lot of them. Me and another American soldier talked to Massoud and asked him about this.
    Massoud expl ained to us that in Afghanistan women and men do no t mingle , and dating is not only strictly forbidden it is also a completely unknown practice to many Afghans. Massoud told us that even married men are very rarely seen in public with their wives. Massoud said most marriages are arranged, and a family will essentially sell their daughter to the potential husband that can afford the most. Since men are allowed more than one wife in Afghanistan, you end up with one wealthier man having multiple wives and many men having nothing. Massoud explained that when children are born, females are considered undesirable and very often do not survive to adulthood. This creates a lot of men who will never date a girl, or even meet a girl outside of their own family. As a result , in some instances , the se men “date” each other.
    Massoud said although homosexuality is forbidden in Islam and in Afghanistan, it is much easier to hide than being seen in public with a woman. The very idea of male/ female mingling is not only considered taboo in culture, it is forbidden by law. The penalty for premarital sex or dating can be as high as death. The typical method of execution for such an offense is called stoning. Massoud explained that the man and woman are placed standing in a hole and buried to their waist. Family members and villagers then begin throwing a stockpile of stones at the couple until they are dead. Massoud pointed towards the road and indicated that th e field near the compound was us ed for such executions. He said, “Stay here long enough and you’ll see one.”
    After hearing Massoud’s explanation, I began to understand why so many men show such affection towards one another. I do n o t think they are necessarily homosexual in our sense of the word. I think the men just utilize the only option they have for affection: one another.
    Massoud also said child abuse is extremely common in Kabul. He said many children are raped every day and there is no one championing for their rights or safety. With so many homeless children in Kabul, and virtually no protection for them, it is out of control. Massoud said by the time many boy s reach adultho od t he y ha ve likely been raped multiple times throughout their child hood, causing many to become numb to the idea of having sex with another male.
    It is absolutely shocking and heartbreaking to see how women and children are treated here. I have never imagined anything like this.
    March 1, 2003 :
    It was very quiet throughout the night, but things got very busy right after dawn. Yesterday, a British soldier was out in Kabul when an Afghan approached and shot him. The Brit’s body armor stopped the bullet, and he returned fire, killing the Afghan. A lot of locals are now angry over the shooting of an Afghan, and many decided to protest.
    A protest consisting of about five or six hundred people, in an area just outside of the compound , quickly turned into a riot. Things got worse until a hand grenade was thrown from the crowd into the Afghan Police compound across the street from us. Two Afghan Police Officers were seriously injured, and the Afghan force responded by opening fire on the crowd. Three officers posted on the roof of the Police Station began shooting into the crowd with their AK47s , causing people to run and clearing the crowd. After several short bursts of fire, some people were trampling one another to flee , and others were carrying away those wounded by the gunfire.