There has been much controversy over the presidential elections which have been taking place in Afghanistan over the last few months, but what’s actually happening?

In August, Hamid Karzai won the election outright, with a clear majority of votes, but it came to light shortly after that this outcome was the product of widespread fraud throughout the election process. President Karzai was accordingly stripped of his victory and it was decided that there should be a second round of the election. Controversially, this second round, which was planned to take place on the 7th November, was called off after Dr. Abdullah Abdullah – President Karzai’s main rival – pulled out of the election race claiming that the vote would not be ‘free and fair’.

So on Monday it emerged that, after the entirety of this long and drawn out election, with all its various complications, that Hamid Karzai will in fact be resuming the role of Afghan President for a second term. Naturally, this decision has provoked yet more outcries at the state of affairs within the Afghan government and electoral system. Dr. Abdullah called the decision ‘illegal’ due to the issues of fraud in the election, whereby Karzai did not win a majority of votes, so he does not technically have the public’s consent to rule them.

Meanwhile in Helmand, the conflict between British forces and the Taliban remains fierce as 5 more British soldiers have been shot dead. The attack has been blamed on a rogue policeman who was being mentored by the men. This news brings the total number of British deaths this year to 92, which is the highest in any year since the Falklands War in 1982. Following the shooting, Gordon Brown stressed that he was confident and hopeful that the new Afghan government would “play its part in confronting the challenges Afghanistan faces”.

In Huddersfield, we would all agree that we have a harmonious and co-operative attitude and there is very little in the way of friction or conflict between different groups of people. Evidently this is not the case at the minute in Afghanistan, although the British troops are doing their best to help the people move on and fight extremism and terrorism. The new Afghan government will have a large part to play in promoting and leading the way to peace. The question is, will they be successful?

Diwali is the Hindu festival of lights which will start on the 17th October 2009. Here are some recipes to get you cooking for Diwali:

Wheat Laddu
Ingredients:
1 cup Wheat Flour
1/4 cup Gram Flour
11/2 cup Sugar Powder
1/4 cup Grated Coconut
1/4 cup Dry Fruit almonds, raisins, kaju etc
1 cup Ghee

Preparation:
1. Heat the ghee.
2. Put both the flours in the heated ghee.
3. When nearly roasted put coconut and sliced dry fruit in the mixture.
4. Now put the ground sugar in the mixture and stir thoroughly.
5. Take off from the heat quickly and make laddus. You may also put the mixture in an oil based thali & make small pieces.

 Kheer

Ingredients:
1 litre milk, 1 tbsp basmati rice(washed), 1 cup sugar, 2-3 bay leaves, 1/4 tsp cumin seeds, 5 cardamoms, 4 cm cinnamon, 4 cloves, a pinch of salt, 1 tsp ghee.
For Garnishing:6 almonds(sliced), a handful of raisins, 8 cashewnuts(chopped), a little ghee.

Method:
Heat ghee in a pressure cooker.Add bay leaves and cuminseeds.When they splutter add 2 tbsp sugar.Lower the heat and stir the sugar.When it caramelises to a dark brown colour, add milk, When the milk comes to a boil, add rice.Stir well.Pressure cook for 10-15 minutes.When cool, mix the rice and milk well with a hand beater.Add sugar and simmer for 5 minutes.Remove from heat.Powder cinnamon, cardamoms and cloves finely, and add to the milk.Stir well. Heat a little ghee and fry the raisins, cashewnuts and almonds lightly.Add to the milk and serve.

Yorkshire events in pictures, 2009.

Asian Voices is developing an education pack in which schools can teach their students aspects of oral history though a social, historical and geographical context. Oral history is about capturing people’s feeling, emotion and experiences of past life to allow individuals to trace developments within an area.

Asian Voices is looking at Huddersfield’s geographical landscape and the way it has changed since the 1960’s through the South Asian influence. We are hoping to produce an education pack viewed through South Asian history in which students from all backgrounds can explore their local community.

Packs will be available free to Kirklees schools from January 2010.

Cresent moon

Ramadham is the month in which the Holy Quran was sent down from heaven by the angel Gibrael (also know as Gabriel) for Muhammad to read and is the month in which all Muslims fast from sunrise until sunset. There are exceptions for the sick, elderly and young, but many will observe the month of Ramadham (pronounced Ram-zaan) for the complete 29-30 days. Muslims go with out food and water during the daylight hours and this year they have been starting their fast from 4am to 8pm, to remember the poor and go through a process of self purification. Fasting enables Muslims to feel sympathy for one another and be grateful for what they have through the process of prayer and abstinence.

Ramdham is the ninth month in the lunar year and starts at the sighting of the crescent moon and continues for up to 30 days. This month is very special for Muslims as they believe the gates of heaven are open and they persevere with good deeds to gain self control and purification. During this month there is a ‘night of power’ on the 27 day of fasting; Muslims pray from the Quran during this night as they believe this night is better than any other, as during the time of the Prophet Muhammad angels were sent down to level one of heaven to pray for mankind. 

The full moon then signals the celebration day of Eid-ul-Fitr in which Muslims start the day with Eid prayer from which celebrations commence. The day is often filled with feasting and visiting relations. The moon is used throughout the Islamic calendar to count days which was the Arab method during the time of the Prophet Muhammad.

We are always looking for people to interview and if you are interested in recording your oral history please contact me via the Asian Voices website www.asianvoices.org.uk.

We are looking for people who have lived or currently live in Huddersfield and are first, second or third generation South Asian.

The Oral History Society Conference was held in Glasgow on the 3rd and 4th July 2009. There were many intriging oral historians from all over the world, who presented papers and workshops, demonstating how much work is done within the Oral History field in relation to taking oral histories from individuals, audiotrails, sport, media, art and theatre and much more. see Oral History website for further details http://www.ohs.org.uk/conferences/2009.php.

One of the conferences guest speakers was  Scottish Poet Rab Wilson, recent holder of the Robert Burns Fellowship and winner of 2008 McCash Scots Poetry Competition, who gave the conference guests a Glaswegian welcome!

It was lovely to meet fellow Oral Historians and gain an insight into the work done in Oral History worldwide.

The British National Party (BNP) have gained their first ever seats in Parliament and despite their clear membership regulations, only allowing “indigenous British ethnic groups deriving from the class of Indigenous Caucasian descendents to join the party” cited Guardian 2009, the BNP now have a say in European policies. Britain is now an ethnically diverse country with ethnic minorities from all over the world and many British English are proud of their dual heritage.

After the Second World War immigration became visible with regards to the colour of a person’s skin, after the migration of hundreds of people from the West Indies and South Asia; this continued migration from all over the world became less and less visible with more recent migration from Europe and Poland and now immigrants are similar in appearance. The BNP policies of ‘indigenous Caucasians are questionable as even English heritage has its dilution of Jutes, Angles Saxons and Romans, from which the Angles and Saxons were from Denmark and Germany.

So how does the majority of Britain feel in relation to giving the BNP two seats in the European Parliament? Is this a sign of things to come for the ethnic minorities or is it just a political cry for help? How do the many South Asians, Irish, Europeans and others born and bred in Britain feel towards the notion of someone telling them to go home? Where is home – I though it was Britain. These residents, descending from migrants, have no other country other than Britain. This is their birthplace, culture and now heritage. Despite many having dual heritages; many have not seen the place where their parents or grandparents originate from so how can they be told to go back home?

Parliamentary seats going to the BNP are said to be a result of people not voting, let’s hope this is the case.

Clashes are continuing in the Swat, Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province with many women and children left homeless and seeking shelter in camps after becoming displaced by the conflict. The severity of the conflict which has destroyed homes and families and left young children parentless is just part of the problem; the rest is the infection and disease in which it is leaving the country. Babies are dehydrated and malnourished while the lack of facilities is causing disease to spread rapidly in a population which has no other choice but to remain where it is and do the best that it can.

War and conflict is often the root of a population’s migration to another country and many from the Swat Valley are fleeing to neighbouring areas to try and find peace. This is why compassion for migrants becomes so important as we need to understand the reason for an individual leaving their home. Often the assumption is that they are intruding on another country but who would leave their home other than for sheer reasons of desperation? This is what is happening now in Swat. It is what has happened before in many countries and will most likely continue to do so all over the World for the foreseeable future.

Former Mayor of Huddersfield

In the final hours of his term as Mayor, Former Mayor Karam Hussain invited me into the Town Hall parlour to take an Oral History recording of his life as Mayor, achievements; his struggles of starting work at the age of 15 in the textile mills and how he still has a strong sense of belonging to Kashmir, his birthplace. He recalled memories of coming to England at the age of fifteen to see his dad who had left for England when he was born and described the way in which his granddad called him back to live in Kashmir after finding out he was working in England in the mills at such a young age.

Karam Hussain spent many years between homes, six months with his parents in England and six months with grandparents in Kashmir. He recalls enjoying the experience and highlights the way in which it has deepened his knowledge and life experiences, but Karam decided to settle in England when he married and started his family; as England provided a better life as was viewed by many South Asians at the time. He describes how life was hard in England and he only managed to go back to Kashmir every now and then, but he achieved his ambitions with will power and determination, describing his previous role as Mayor with a focus of bringing communities together.

Karam Hussain was Mayor of Huddersfield from May 2008-2009. He is the second South Asian Mayor of Huddersfield after former Mayor Mohan Sokhal whose term as mayor completed in 2002.

 Listen to this oral history on the Asian Voices website, along with many other oral histories from the Huddersfield community on www.asianvoices.org.uk.