<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail-fullwidth-title" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:20px 0px 30px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:17px;line-height:inherit;font-family:Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,Lucida,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;max-width:1280px;width:915.297px;color:rgb(51,51,51)"><h1 class="gmail-post-title" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 10px;border:0px;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:36px;line-height:1.3em;font-family:"Droid Serif",Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(20,43,68);letter-spacing:0.5px">When Truth-Tellers Must Hide, Societies Collapse</h1><div class="gmail-post-meta" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:1em;line-height:1.4em;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;word-break:break-word">By <a href="https://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/author/wahab-raofi/" title="Posts by Wahab Raofi" class="gmail-author gmail-url gmail-fn" rel="author" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(0,82,165);text-decoration-line:none;word-break:break-word">Wahab Raofi</a> | <span class="gmail-updated" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline">Apr 16, 2019</span> | <a href="https://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/category/regions/asia-pacific/" rel="tag" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(0,82,165);text-decoration-line:none;word-break:break-word">Asia Pacific</a>, <a href="https://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/category/topics/culture/" rel="tag" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(0,82,165);text-decoration-line:none;word-break:break-word">Culture</a>, <a href="https://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/category/features/viewpoints/" rel="tag" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(0,82,165);text-decoration-line:none;word-break:break-word">Viewpoints</a> | <a class="gmail-comments-link" href="https://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2019/04/16/when-truth-tellers-must-hide-societies-collapse/#comments" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(0,82,165);text-decoration-line:none;word-break:break-word">0 <span title="comment count" class="gmail-comment-bubble gmail-post-meta-icon" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;display:inline-block"></span></a> | <span class="gmail-rating-stars" title="Rating: 0.00" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;display:inline-block"><span class="gmail-post-meta-icon gmail-rating-star gmail-rating-star-empty gmail-rating-star-1" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;display:inline-block;width:10px"></span> <span class="gmail-post-meta-icon gmail-rating-star gmail-rating-star-empty gmail-rating-star-2" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;display:inline-block;width:10px"></span> <span class="gmail-post-meta-icon gmail-rating-star gmail-rating-star-empty gmail-rating-star-3" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;display:inline-block;width:10px"></span> <span class="gmail-post-meta-icon gmail-rating-star gmail-rating-star-empty gmail-rating-star-4" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;display:inline-block;width:10px"></span> <span class="gmail-post-meta-icon gmail-rating-star gmail-rating-star-empty gmail-rating-star-5" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;display:inline-block;width:10px"></span></span></p></div></div><div class="gmail-clear" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:17px;line-height:inherit;font-family:Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,Lucida,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;clear:both;width:0px;height:0px;overflow:hidden;color:rgb(51,51,51)"></div><div id="gmail-content-area" class="gmail-clearfix" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:17px;line-height:inherit;font-family:Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,Lucida,sans-serif;vertical-align:baseline;display:flex;width:915.297px;color:rgb(51,51,51)"><div class="et_pb_extra_column_main" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px 12px 0px 0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;display:flex;width:659px;max-width:72%;min-width:72%;overflow:visible"><div class="gmail-post-thumbnail gmail-header" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;width:647px"><img src="https://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/afghanistan-landscape.jpg" alt="When Truth-Tellers Must Hide, Societies Collapse" class="gmail-lazyloaded" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; height: auto; max-width: 100%; display: block; width: 647px;"><div class="gmail-featured_caption" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 20px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:14px;line-height:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;text-align:center">Mountains in Afghanistan (<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Landscape_in_Afghanistan.JPG" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(0,82,165);text-decoration-line:none;word-break:break-word">US Air Force/Public Domain</a>)</div></div><div class="gmail-post-wrap" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px 60px 20px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><div class="gmail-post-content entry-content" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px 0px 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><p class="gmail-subtitle" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:24px;line-height:1.4em;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;word-break:break-word">Nashenas, an Afghan who had to hide his identity to exercise his freedom of speech, exemplifies the dangerous trend toward squelching free speech.</p><div class="gmail-tve-tl-cnt-wrap" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><div class="gmail-tve-leads-in-content gmail-tve-tl-anim gmail-tve-leads-track-in_content-229 gmail-tl-anim-instant gmail-tve-leads-triggered" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;opacity:1;max-height:none"><div class="gmail-tl-style" id="gmail-tve_tcb2_blank" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><div class="gmail-tve-leads-conversion-object" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><div class="gmail-tve_flt" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><div id="gmail-tve_editor" class="gmail-tve_shortcode_editor" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><div class="gmail-thrv-leads-form-box gmail-tve_no_drag gmail-tve_no_icons gmail-thrv_wrapper gmail-tve_editor_main_content gmail-thrv-leads-in-content gmail-tve_empty_dropzone" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:20px 0px;padding:20px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;overflow:hidden;background-color:rgb(222,222,222);border-radius:5px"><div class="gmail-thrv_wrapper gmail-thrv-columns gmail-tcb-tablet-hidden gmail-tcb-mobile-hidden" style="box-sizing:content-box;margin:10px 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;background-color:rgb(23,107,193)"><div class="gmail-tcb-flex-row gmail-tcb--cols--3 gmail-tcb-resized" style="box-sizing:content-box;padding:5px 0px 10px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;display:flex"><div class="gmail-tcb-flex-col" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 0px 15px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;max-width:14.6%"><div class="gmail-tcb-col gmail-tve_empty_dropzone" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;height:116px;display:flex"><div class="gmail-thrv_wrapper gmail-tve_image_caption" style="padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;width:150px;float:none;max-width:100%;box-sizing:border-box;margin:3px auto 0px"><span class="gmail-tve_image_frame" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;display:block;max-width:100%;width:64.125px"><img class="gmail-tve_image gmail-wp-image-28889" alt="The Israel-Palestine Conflict: A Collection of Essays by Jeremy R. Hammond" width="247" height="400" title="Israel-Palestine-Conflict-3-med" src="https://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Israel-Palestine-Conflict-3-med.png" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font: inherit; vertical-align: basel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e and dedication, if one wishes to dig out the truth. But sometimes, doing that can be costly.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 1.6em;padding:0px;border:0px;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:1em;line-height:1.4em;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;word-break:break-word">Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi Journalist, was assassinated in Turkey last year, allegedly by Saudi authorities working at the behest of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Hundreds of journalists have been kidnapped, persecuted and even killed, like Khashoggi, simply for doing their jobs to expose wrong-doing, human-rights violations, corruption or crimes that have been covered up by governments or the powerful.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 1.6em;padding:0px;border:0px;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:1em;line-height:1.4em;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;word-break:break-word">Consider the story of legendary Afghan singer Sadiq Fitrat, who adopted the pseudonym <em style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline">Nashenas</em> (which means <em style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline">unknown</em>) to hide his identity, even from his own family, because singers were relegated to the lower strata of society.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 1.6em;padding:0px;border:0px;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:1em;line-height:1.4em;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;word-break:break-word">In his autobiography, <em style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline">Nashenas Is No Longer Nashenas</em>, he writes that the Pashto language is not as rich as Farsi, and <em style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline">The Pata Khazana</em>(Hidden Treasure) – a book purporting to contain Pashtu poems from the 11th century — is a forgery. And Nashenas himself was Pashtun.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 1.6em;padding:0px;border:0px;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:1em;line-height:1.4em;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;word-break:break-word">In an interview on BBC’s Pashto program, Nashenas said that the <em style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline">Pata Khazana</em> was written in 1944, not in the 11th century, as it had been promoted by the Afghan government. Nashenas’ remarks touched a raw nerve among his fellow Pashtuns inside and outside Afghanistan, but was welcomed by non-Pashtuns, who took a “we told you so” attitude.</p></div></div></div></div></div><div><br></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature">=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+<br><br> Harold F. Schiffman<br><br>Professor Emeritus of <br> Dravidian Linguistics and Culture <br>Dept. of South Asia Studies                     <br>University of Pennsylvania<br>Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305<br><br>Phone:  (215) 898-7475<br>Fax:  (215) 573-2138                                      <br><br>Email:  <a href="mailto:haroldfs@gmail.com" target="_blank">haroldfs@gmail.com</a><br><a href="http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/" target="_blank">http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/</a>    <br><br>-------------------------------------------------</div></div>