Iran: A self-goverened school for Afgani kids being closed by the guards
This happened in the city of Qum, a city famous for religious education and a pilgimage center for the Shiites. The city is the most internationally populated in the country, since many seekers of shiite religious studies come to study in this city from different countries in the region and even it is a host to many converts from Africa, USA, Europe and elsewhere in the world.
There are many Afganis who live or study or work in the city as well, but their status is very different. The government has its pocilies set to move them back to their homeland, although many Afganis have lived in the country for decades. There are many of them who married Iranians, many whose children were born and raised in the country, but the authorities insist on their return to the war torn country of Afganistan, where they cannot make money or take care of their families.
Iranians share the same Persian language with many afganises and being neighbors, they share many of their cultural features, for example Nowrooz the Persian new year is celebrated by both people, Iranians and Afganis.
The laws of the country at the time being dos not support Afgani children having a school education. This is enforced on the ones who doe not have permit which the home ministry provides the ones whose staying in the country is warranted. The rest cannot go to school. You can see very intelligent kids being deprived from schooling for being an Afgani national.
In the city of Qum, a group of people who did not approve of a law as such planned for a self governed school, where volenteer teachers would teach the Afgani kids and at the end of the year the embassy of Afganistan would hold a test. The school has recently been closed by the guards, an order from the local authorities. Many people in charge are angered, because this was the least education that those kids could have, while they do not have the right to go to any other school. CLosing of the school is not as significant as the kids not being allowed to be in a school. I wish our ME would react and ask the Iranian authorities to let these Kids ( whom I consider Iranian any way, I don’t care what they say) have the right to go to school as long as they are in iran. It is not their fault being caught up within our boundaries, they are Kids after all…
By the way, I don’t know myself whom exactly should be informed, whom to talk to, who can help with this. I thought our buddies here knowing about it would help promote the very rights of Afganis kids in Iran 
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well done Elinor. there is a need to shed more light on the current Iranian-Afghani interactions in Iran. Afghanis are marginalized and discriminated, though many people admit that Afghan labours are honest and hard-wroking. that may be due to some atrocities done by few afghanis, such as gang-raping that poor girl and recording it by mobile, you know, a copy of which was distributed wildely in the country. by the way, your post may be a goos atarting point
Mohammad,
Thank you for your enoucaging words. I am concerned about the status of Afganis in our country. Many of them had been so long living in Iran and we should call them Iranians. They have contributed to the construction of this country in all phases of development. Well, it is true that most of the well-to-do Afganis have migrated to Europe and the ones who have taken refuge in our country are mostly the ones who are financially challenged, hardworking people who are also discriminated in their own country as well. About the crimes commited by the Afgani national, I would like to say some thing. The crimes are stressed upon as to push them back to their countries, I also understand the rate of crimes commited by Iranians in their own country is not less than what happens through Afganis. About the video that was distibuted and spread and made very one sick, I admit that was really disturbing. Well, I later on understood the girl had gone to the very wrong places a person should and weeded with the same guys and she was their buddy. In that case you migh call for gang rape as well when every one is high and in the suffocating environment of Iran, a girl all alone weeding with a bunch of Afgani guys who might be as far off from women as one could possibly be, don’t you consider that calling for trouble? Honestly? Well all the guys were hanged and the girl was freed. We have had very bad crimes happening through our own criminals, do we care? What does the society do to prevent crimes as bad as what we know about take place in the context of our society.
Any way, it is not just to associate the image of Afgani nationals in Iran with crime, I would rather recall their contribution to the construction of the country under all circumstances, their hard working and their silent concent with any condition set for them. Maybe later on I can find the beautiful Persian Poem of a young Afgani poet residing in Mashad, a poem addressing the Iranians. That is very expressive if I can find it…:)
ROFL… Afghani guys were hanged because they were Afghanis… if it was Iranians raping Iranian girl, judge would have asked for that… how many witness you need to prove a rape occurred again? And the girl would have been hanged or stoned or shot.
Here in the West, white Christians embrace immigrant Christians, whether they be black, brown or what not and help them, but I hardly see this kind of comradery between Muslims in Muslim countries.
Elinor do you consider Hazaras to be Iranian as well?
Danial,
Are you in Europe?
What do you think of the refugees and immigrants of other countries to Europe? When they stay for a defined portion of time in that country, they are called citizens of the country and they gain rights as any other citizens. You know what i mean. Ok Hazaras which i am talking about are those who have lived in Iran for long. They have kids Born in this country. When a person is Born some where he/she loves that soil that land forever. The Hazara whose kid is born in Iran is Iranian! What is wrong with this? Can you deny that? This is some thing that socially and culturally happens but the rules do not ben to fit the situation. In the process many people are considered people with no rights.
I have a sister in Law who is Afgani. His father migrated to Iran and passed away in this country. This girl had never been out of Iran and knows no other land. She is my sistter now, I love her, she is not less Iranian than I am.
Elinor:
You have a multi-national family I see, with some sort of conntection to Kurds as I remember from your previous posts/comment. probably an Arab and a Turk in your family is more than enough for you to be selected as RoME: representative of mideast!
Mohammad, there is almost not a single group I do’t feel for one way or the other. Its our home
We need to embrace all 
That way I feel I exist 
WIth all my brethren, from all didfferent religious and ethnic backgrounds, why to start with Mioddle East? Here we are people are hurting.
Jina dear,
I guess we better define ourselves before we tag ourselves with the concept of religion. I guess that works better.
I do believe if they were Iranian the were not treated as bad, unless they were ethnical minorities. That’s how I see it too.
elinor, no I am not in Europe and that question is irrelevant to me since my residence is in the U.S. currently.
I asked because there is discrimination against Hazaras even in Iran, and for what reason? Because they don’t look like an Iranian? Because their descendants were Mongols who torched Persia centuries ago?
Danial,
I said Europe because I was talking about the laws of absorbtion and immigration and how immigrants gradually take the nationality of the country they move to. Well Hazaras are discriminated in Iran, As well as Afganiztan. Well, we do have poeople exactl looking like Hazaras from Khorasan and Golestan province. It is said that they are from the Mogula who invaded Iran and ruled it for a considerable period of time, but they are shiites, while the Mogul kings were Sunnis.
I guess discrimination has to do with their being poor. I haven’t seen a person of wealth being discriminated ( much).