“If you are not Afghans, if you do not consider Afghanistan your homeland, then leave this land!”
Author: Fayaz Bahraman Najimi, analyst of regional and international affairs, member of the “Sangar” Advisory Council
In my view, the hashtag “I am not an Afghan” was born from a heavy atmosphere of fear — at the moment when an Afghan or Pashtun individual connected to the CIA committed a premeditated crime, and in response Donald Trump ordered a review of the cases of all those who had been transferred to the United States after the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan.
But this hashtag very quickly revealed a hidden truth on the side of the pursuit of justice; it rose beyond an instantaneous reaction and turned into a protest slogan for all conscious non-Afghans, highlighting the height of the dividing wall between Afghans and non-Afghans more clearly than ever before.
At the same time, this slogan exposed another hidden truth that had always existed behind the masks of the many-faced Pashtun elites. For years, these people spoke of “brotherhood” in a soft tone and in the role of the “older brother,” but reality showed that deep within their minds lurked ethnic chauvinism, racism, and a harsh form of fascism, concealed like a dagger. Most of them are the very same people who, thanks to the Persian language and culture, became educated and “influential,” yet when it comes to Afghan dominance, they are as hard as stone — Afghans to the core and enemies of other peoples.
Now this group of Afghans, seeking to “defend” themselves, attacks, distorts history, and declares to those demanding justice:
“If you are not Afghans, if you do not consider Afghanistan your homeland, then leave this land!”
Here lies the bitter irony of history:
Today, the descendants of those very occupiers, settlers, and plunderers of the lands of Tajiks, Hazaras, Uzbeks, Turkmens, Pashai, and dozens of other peoples dictate to the true owners of this land that “you must leave your own home.”
The response is clear, firm, and merciless:
“No. We will not leave. It is you who will one day be driven out of the occupied territories!”
And to those Tajiks or other non-Afghans who, thoughtlessly and without a moment’s reflection on the blood, historical memory, and identity of their people, hastily cried out, “I am an Afghan,” one must say:
“You are not representatives of our identity; you are festering wounds that have sacrificed — and continue to sacrifice — honor for worthless interests.”
This “group” must be treated in the same manner as European resistance fighters treated “enemies within” and “collaborators” with the Nazis during World War II: they must be pushed from the body of society to the margins of disgrace and be continuously exposed, so that their true face is never hidden from the eyes of the people.
These individuals, who in decisive moments stood against the historical and identity-related interests of their society, should not be insulted but subjected to consistent criticism, documented analysis, and continuous public scrutiny. Their behavior and positions must be carefully examined, recorded, and regularly challenged so that society can recognize their true face as false claimants of ethnic representation and people detached from collective interests.
Such individuals should be removed from the media, public arenas, and decision-making platforms, isolated — not out of revenge, but as the natural consequence of the unveiling of reality and the understanding of the impact their actions have on collective identity.
