Najibullah Lafraie
Encyclopedia
Dr. Najibullah Lafraie was the Foreign Minister of Afghanistan
between 1992 and 1996. He is now a lecturer in political studies at the University of Otago
in Dunedin
, New Zealand
.
and his MA and Ph. D. in Political Science from University of Hawaii
. He also lectured at the University of Hawaii while writing his dissertation.
of his home country in the 1980s. Soviet searches of his relatives houses meant many personal items he had acquired while in the west were destroyed. Some of his brothers joined in the jihad aganist Soviet Union, in which one of his brothers became a martyr. He was appointed as Minister of Information in the Interim Government of Afghanistan in 1989 and as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in the Islamic State of Afghanistan after the downfall of the communist regime in 1992. During his time in the Jamiat Islami and the interim Afghan government from 1979 to 1996 he participated in numerous conferences including the United Nations Summit at Commemoration of its 50th Anniversary, two UN General Assemblies, several meetings of the Non-Aligned Movement, Organization of Islamic Confederacies and Economic Cooperation Organisation. He served in that position until the Taliban captured Kabul City in September 1996. One of his brothers was imprisoned by the Taliban, and Najubullah had to hide and escape arrest. While in hiding in Pakistan, his mother died and his family faced many tragedies.
in September 2000. There he started teaching politics at the University of Otago
. He specialises in Islam and terrorism and his life experiences add an extra dimension to his lectures.
. http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~Serlewis/mind/peacelecture.html
and Support Association for the Women of Afghanistan, and as a consequence Lafaie has been targeted by several of these groups.http://www.rawa.org/lafraie.htmhttp://www.rawa.org/lafraie-letter.htm This association has led a smear campaign making extreme claims against Dr Lafraie.
When he migrated to New Zealand, the leader of the Opposition, Jenny Shipley
, criticised his involvement with the Afghan government during a violent period of time.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
between 1992 and 1996. He is now a lecturer in political studies at the University of Otago
University of Otago
The University of Otago in Dunedin is New Zealand's oldest university with over 22,000 students enrolled during 2010.The university has New Zealand's highest average research quality and in New Zealand is second only to the University of Auckland in the number of A rated academic researchers it...
in Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Academic study
He obtained his BA in Law and Political Science from Kabul UniversityKabul University
Kabul University is located in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. It was founded in 1931 but officially opened for classes in 1932. Kabul University is currently attended by approximately 7,000 students, of which 1,700 are women. As of 2008, Hamidullah Amin is the chancellor of the university...
and his MA and Ph. D. in Political Science from University of Hawaii
University of Hawaii
The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
. He also lectured at the University of Hawaii while writing his dissertation.
Return to Afghanistan
He joined the liberation movement against the Soviet invasionSoviet war in Afghanistan
The Soviet war in Afghanistan was a nine-year conflict involving the Soviet Union, supporting the Marxist-Leninist government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan against the Afghan Mujahideen and foreign "Arab–Afghan" volunteers...
of his home country in the 1980s. Soviet searches of his relatives houses meant many personal items he had acquired while in the west were destroyed. Some of his brothers joined in the jihad aganist Soviet Union, in which one of his brothers became a martyr. He was appointed as Minister of Information in the Interim Government of Afghanistan in 1989 and as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in the Islamic State of Afghanistan after the downfall of the communist regime in 1992. During his time in the Jamiat Islami and the interim Afghan government from 1979 to 1996 he participated in numerous conferences including the United Nations Summit at Commemoration of its 50th Anniversary, two UN General Assemblies, several meetings of the Non-Aligned Movement, Organization of Islamic Confederacies and Economic Cooperation Organisation. He served in that position until the Taliban captured Kabul City in September 1996. One of his brothers was imprisoned by the Taliban, and Najubullah had to hide and escape arrest. While in hiding in Pakistan, his mother died and his family faced many tragedies.
Move to New Zealand
Dr. Lafraie and his family moved to New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in September 2000. There he started teaching politics at the University of Otago
University of Otago
The University of Otago in Dunedin is New Zealand's oldest university with over 22,000 students enrolled during 2010.The university has New Zealand's highest average research quality and in New Zealand is second only to the University of Auckland in the number of A rated academic researchers it...
. He specialises in Islam and terrorism and his life experiences add an extra dimension to his lectures.
Personality
Dr Lafraie has strong Islamic beliefs and is a self admitted fundamentalist. "All practicing Muslims are fundamentalists, because they believe in their sacred scriptures as the inerrant word of God and express this by practising the five pillars of Islam. In contrast, extremism is characterized by bigotry and intolerance, religious excess, and violence." http://www.methodist.org.nz/index.cfm/Touchstone/March_2006/Faces_of_fundamentalism.html He is a mild mannered man who is known for his skill in explaining Islam to those unfamiliar with it. He is well respected in both the religious and atheist communities in and around DunedinDunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
. http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~Serlewis/mind/peacelecture.html
Criticism
Organizations that Dr Lafaie has been a member of, such as Jamiat Islami, have been criticised by groups such as the Revolutionary Association of the Women of AfghanistanRevolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan
The Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan is a women's organization based in Quetta, Pakistan, that promotes women's rights and secular democracy...
and Support Association for the Women of Afghanistan, and as a consequence Lafaie has been targeted by several of these groups.http://www.rawa.org/lafraie.htmhttp://www.rawa.org/lafraie-letter.htm This association has led a smear campaign making extreme claims against Dr Lafraie.
When he migrated to New Zealand, the leader of the Opposition, Jenny Shipley
Jenny Shipley
Dame Jenny Shipley, DNZM , served as the 36th Prime Minister of New Zealand from December 1997 to December 1999, the first woman to hold this office and the first, and to date only, woman to serve as parliamentary leader of the National Party of New Zealand.-Early life:Shipley was born as Jennifer...
, criticised his involvement with the Afghan government during a violent period of time.