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Shelter Now International
Shelter Now (also known as ''Shelter Now International'' and ''SNI'') is an international Christian humanitarian aid organization based in Germany and with operations focused in Afghanistan. ''Shelter Now'' began its work in the late 1970s, but did not formally register as an international aid organization until 1983. From 1988, the organization's activities focused on providing aid to Afghan refugees who were displaced during the Soviet–Afghan War, which lasted from 1979 to 1989. The organization's work included developing factories for producing roof-building materials and rebuilding irrigation systems. In August 2001—just six weeks before the September 11 attacks—Shelter Now garnered international attention when the Taliban arrested two Americans, two Australians, and four Germans working in Afghanistan for the organization, on charges of proselytism. Some 100 days later, on November 15, the aid workers were freed from Taliban custody by Northern Alliance forces and U.S. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Special Forces (United States Army)
The United States Army Special Forces (SF), colloquially known as the "Green Berets" due to their distinctive service Berets of the United States Army, headgear, are a special operations special operations force, force of the United States Army. The Green Berets are geared towards nine doctrinal missions: unconventional warfare (United States), unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, direct action (military), direct action, counter-insurgency, counterinsurgency, special reconnaissance, counter-terrorism, counterterrorism, information operations, counterproliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and security force assistance. The unit emphasizes language, cultural, and training skills in working with foreign troops; recruits are required to learn a foreign language as part of their training and must maintain knowledge of the political, economic, and cultural complexities of the regions in which they are deployed. Other Special Forces missions, known as secondary ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dayna Curry
Dayna Curry (born November 4, 1971) is an American citizen, who was held a prisoner by Taliban government of Afghanistan in 2001. She befriended fellow aid worker Heather Mercer while attending Antioch Community Church in Waco, Texas. In 2001 the pair were part of a German-based missionary group called Shelter Now International when they were imprisoned by the Taliban for proselytization. Their captivity coincided with the September 11 attacks and the beginning of the US-led War in Afghanistan. In November 2001, Curry and her fellow workers were rescued from Taliban captivity by US military forces. Early life Curry was raised in Forest Hills, Tennessee. In 1989, she graduated from Brentwood High School in Brentwood, Tennessee and went to Baylor University in Waco, Texas. A social work major, Dayna volunteered at the Waco Center for Youth (a residential facility treats teenagers with emotional and behavioral problems) while she was attending Baylor. After graduation, Curry took a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Heather Mercer
Heather Marie Mercer (born 1976) is an American who was one of 24 aid workers arrested in August 2001 by the Taliban in Afghanistan in connection with their work with the Germany-based Christian aid organization Shelter Now International. She, along with seven other Western aid workers and their sixteen Afghan coworkers, was arrested on August 3, 2001, and put on trial for violating the Taliban prohibition against proselytism. She was held captive in Kabul until anti-Taliban forces freed her in November 2001. She co-authored a book with her fellow captive, Dayna Curry, published in 2002 and entitled ''Prisoners of hope: the story of our captivity and freedom in Afghanistan.'' Afghan trial Mercer arrived in Afghanistan in March 2001. She and another American, Dayna Curry, were working for a Germany-based aid group called Shelter Now International. On August 3, 2001, the Taliban arrested the two women. After their arrest, the Taliban raided the group's offices and arrested the si ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kabul
Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. According to late 2022 estimates, the population of Kabul was 13.5 million people. In contemporary times, the city has served as Afghanistan's political, cultural, and economical centre, and rapid urbanisation has made Kabul the 75th-largest city in the world and the country's primate city. The modern-day city of Kabul is located high up in a narrow valley between the Hindu Kush, and is bounded by the Kabul River. At an elevation of , it is one of the highest capital cities in the world. Kabul is said to be over 3,500 years old, mentioned since at least the time of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. Located at a crossroads in Asia—roughly halfway between Istanbul, Turkey, in the west and Hanoi, Vietnam, in the east—it is situated in a stra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Iraqi Kurdish Civil War
The Iraqi Kurdish Civil War was a civil war that took place between rival Kurdish people, Kurdish factions in Iraqi Kurdistan during the mid-1990s, mostly between the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party. Over the course of the conflict, Kurdish factions from Iran and Turkey, as well as Iranian, Iraqi and Turkish forces, were drawn into the fighting, with additional involvement from American forces. Between 5,000 and 8,000 fighters and civilians were killed. Background Autonomy in Iraqi Kurdistan was originally established in 1970 as the ''Kurdish Autonomous Region'' following the agreement of an Autonomy Accord between the government of Iraq and leaders of the Iraqi Kurds, Kurdish community. A Legislative Assembly was established in the city of Erbil with nominal authority over the Kurdish-populated governorates of Erbil Governorate, Erbil, Duhok Governorate, Duhok and Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Sulaymaniyah. As various battles between separatist Ku ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Westernization
Westernization (or Westernisation), also Europeanisation or occidentalization (from the ''Occident''), is a process whereby societies come under or adopt Western culture in areas such as industry, technology, science, education, politics, economics, lifestyle, law, norms, mores, customs, traditions, values, mentality, perceptions, diet, clothing, language, writing system, religion, and philosophy. During colonialism it often involved the spread of Christianity. Westernization has been a growing influence across the world in the last few centuries, with some thinkers assuming Westernization to be the equivalent of modernization, a way of thought that is often debated. The overall process of Westernization is often two-sided in that Western influences and interests themselves are joined with parts of the affected society, at minimum, to become a more Westernized society, with the putative goal of attaining a Western life or some aspects of it, while Western societies are themselve ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peshawar
Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is the capital of the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where it is the largest city. Peshawar is primarily populated by Pashtuns, who comprise the second-largest ethnic group in the country. Situated in the Valley of Peshawar, a broad area situated east of the historic Khyber Pass, Peshawar's recorded history dates back to at least 539 BCE, making it one of the oldest cities in South Asia. Peshawer is among the oldest continuously inhabited cities of the country. The area encompassing modern-day Peshawar is mentioned in Vedic scriptures; it served as the capital of the Kushan Empire during the rule of Kanishka and was home to the Kanishka Stupa, which was among the tallest buildings in the ancient world. Peshawar was then ruled by the Hephtha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nasir Bagh
Nasir Bagh ( ps, ناصر باغ) was an Afghan refugee camp on the edge of Peshawar in North-West Frontier Province (known in Afghanistan as "شمال مغربی سرحدی صوبہ Śhumāl Maġribī Sarhadī Sūbha") province of Pakistan. The camp was opened in 1980 following the outbreak of the Soviet-Afghan War and at one time had a population of 100,000 refugees. The camp was closed down by UNHCR in May 2002, with most refugees returning to Afghanistan (the Taliban were ousted by then) and the remaining moving to other camps in the region. See also * Muhajir Afghan * Sharbat Gula * List of parks and gardens in Lahore * List of parks and gardens in Pakistan * List of parks and gardens in Karachi {{Short description, none The following is a list of parks and gardens in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Many of them are maintained by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation. Public parks * 5B Park (Phool Bagh), North Nazimabad Town * Afza Altaf Park * ... References http://pk.ge ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Islamic Fundamentalism
Islamic fundamentalism has been defined as a puritanical, revivalist, and reform movement of Muslims who aim to return to the founding scriptures of Islam. Islamic fundamentalists are of the view that Muslim-majority countries should return to the fundamentals of an Islamic state that truly shows the essence of the system of Islam, in terms of its socio-politico-economic system. Islamic fundamentalists favor a literal and originalist interpretation of the primary sources of Islam (the Quran, Hadith, and Sunnah), seek to eliminate corrupting non-Islamic influences from every part of their lives, Roy, ''Failure of Political Islam'', 1994: p. 215 and see "Islamic fundamentalism" as a pejorative term used by outsiders for Islamic revivalism and Islamic activism. Definitions and descriptions Definitions vary as to what Islamic fundamentalism exactly is and how, if at all, it differs from Islamism (or political Islam) or Islamic revivalism. The term fundamentalism has been deemed ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Balkh Province
Balkh (Dari: , ''Balx'') is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the north of the country. It is divided into 15 districts and has a population of about 1,509,183, which is multi-ethnic and mostly a Persian-speaking society. The city of Mazar-i-Sharif serves as the capital of the province. The Mazar-e Sharif International Airport and Camp Marmal sit on the eastern edge of Mazar-i-Sharif. Balkh, also called VazīrābādThename of the province is derived from the ancient city of Balkh, near the modern town. The city of Mazar-e-Sharif has been an important stop on the trade routes from the Far East to the Middle East, the Mediterranean and Europe. Home to the famous blue mosque, it was once destroyed by Genghis Khan but later rebuilt by Timur. The city of Balkh and the area of Balkh Province were considered a part of various historical regions in history including Ariana and Greater Khorasan. The province serves today as Afghanistan's second but main gateway to Ce ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paktia Province
Paktia (Pashto/Dari: – ''Paktyā'') is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the east of the country. Forming part of the larger Loya Paktia region, Paktia Province is divided into 15 districts and has a population of roughly 623,000, which is mostly a tribal society living in rural areas. Pashtuns make up the majority of the population and a small percentage include Tajiks Gardez is the provincial capital. The traditional food in Paktia is known as (dandakai) which is made from rice and mung bean or green gram. In 2021, the Taliban gained control of the province during the 2021 Taliban offensive. History Paktia used to be a unified province with Khost and Paktika till Khost became a separate province in 1985. These three provinces are now referred to as ''Loya Paktia'', meaning "Greater Paktia". Paktia came to prominence during the 1980s, when a significant portion of Afghanistan's leadership originated from the province. Some of the more notable leaders inc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
