Ravan A. G. Farhâdi
Encyclopedia
Professor Abdul Ghafoor Ravan Farhâdi (born in 1929 in Kabul
, Afghanistan
) is a retired leading Afghan diplomat who was Afghanistan's Ambassador
to the United Nations
from 1993 to 2006. Farhadi is a linguist, researcher and translator.
. He graduated from Lycée Esteqlal
in 1948. Farhâdi studied at the Institut d'Etudes Politiques
in Paris
, France
, achieving a MA degree in 1952. He then earned his Ph.D.
at the Sorbonne, in Indo-Iran
ian Studies, in 1955. His paper was on "le Persan Parle en Afghanistan", later translated to English and Russian. Farhâdi speaks French, English and Persian fluently.
at Kabul University
. In 1958, he started his diplomatic career as First Secretary at the Afghan Embassy in Karachi, Pakistan. From 1961 to 1962, he was Director of United Nations Affairs at the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Following that, he was appointed Counsellor and Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Afghanistan in Washington, D.C.
, United States.
In 1964, he returned to Kabul to work at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 1964 till 1968, he served as Director-General for Political Affairs at the ministry and then he was Deputy Foreign Minister for 5 years. Between 1965 and 1971 he also was Secretary of the Council of Ministers of the Afghan Government.
In 1973, he was appointed Ambassdor in Paris. After the coup of Sardar Mohammed Daoud Khan
, Farhadi was recalled to Kabul. He served as a member of the Advisory Commission of the Ministry of Culture (1975-1978) organizing international meetings in cultural fields.
in 1979, Farhadi spent two years in Pol-e Charkhi jail as a political prisoner. After that he moved to France again and became Associate Professor in History of Persian Literature
at the University of Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne/University of Paris III: Sorbonne Nouvelle
. In summer 1985, he was a Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University
, in Canberra. He was then an Associate Professor at the Department of Near Eastern Studies, University of California, Berkeley
. At Berkeley, he taught subjects ranging from Persian Literature to medieval Islamic mysticism.
Professor Farhâdi has written a number of historical texts, including The Quatrains of Rumi, where he translated over 1600 of the quatrain
s attributed to Rumi, and Abdullah Ansari of Herat (Khajeh Abdollah Ansari
), a sufi master.
, Farhadi served as Afghanistan's ambassador to the United Nations
. Farhadi presented his credentials as Ambassador Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the United Nations Secretary General Boutros Boutros Ghali on 30 April 1993. Even when the Taliban had taken control of most of Afghanistan, the government of Burhanuddin Rabbani
continued to represent Afghanistan at the United Nations
, with Farhadi as the UN Ambassador representing Afghanistan until the end of 2006. The Taliban, in spite of the strong support of Pakistan
, never represented Afghanistan in the United Nations
.
Since 1993, Farhâdi has served as Vice Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People at United Nations Headquarters in New York. Farhadi is known for his strong commitment to the Palestinian rightsAlgeria Led Security Council Resolution on Israel but acknowledges the fact that Israel has a right to exist.
After his period as diplomat, with American scholar Ibrahim Gamard, he translated into English all the quatrains of the Sufi poet Maulana Jalal ad-Din Rumi.
to include moderate Taliban members in the next government. During the presidential elections of 2009, in which Abdullah Abdullah
was the main challenger of Karzai, Farhadi spoke in favour of Abdullah, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs.
After the fall of the Taliban, Farhadi tried to put pressure on the US government to give more aid to Afghanistan, especially to compensate the families who lost civilian family members in US bombings.
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Kabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
, Afghanistan
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...
) is a retired leading Afghan diplomat who was Afghanistan's Ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
from 1993 to 2006. Farhadi is a linguist, researcher and translator.
Early life and education
Farhâdi is an ethnic Tajik from KabulKabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
. He graduated from Lycée Esteqlal
Lycée Esteqlal
The Lycée Esteqlal is a Franco-Afghan school in Kabul, Afghanistan. It is the second oldest school in Kabul, and was recognized as one of the prestigious schools in the country....
in 1948. Farhâdi studied at the Institut d'Etudes Politiques
Institut d'études politiques
Instituts d'études politiques , or IEPs, are nine publicly owned institutions of higher learning in France. They are located in Aix-en-Provence, Bordeaux, Grenoble, Lille, Lyon, Paris, Rennes, Strasbourg and Toulouse , and their vocation is the study and research of contemporary political science...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, achieving a MA degree in 1952. He then earned his Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
at the Sorbonne, in Indo-Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian Studies, in 1955. His paper was on "le Persan Parle en Afghanistan", later translated to English and Russian. Farhâdi speaks French, English and Persian fluently.
Career as diplomat
In 1955, Farhadi assumed a position as lecturer in the History of Political ThoughtHistory of political thinking
The history of political thought goes back to antiquity. The political history of the world, and thus the history of political thinking by man, stretches up though the Medieval period and the Renaissance...
at Kabul University
Kabul 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...
. In 1958, he started his diplomatic career as First Secretary at the Afghan Embassy in Karachi, Pakistan. From 1961 to 1962, he was Director of United Nations Affairs at the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Following that, he was appointed Counsellor and Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Afghanistan in Washington, D.C.
Embassy of Afghanistan in Washington, D.C.
The Embassy of Afghanistan in Washington, D.C. is the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan's diplomatic mission to the United States. It is located at 2341 Wyoming Avenue N.W...
, United States.
In 1964, he returned to Kabul to work at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 1964 till 1968, he served as Director-General for Political Affairs at the ministry and then he was Deputy Foreign Minister for 5 years. Between 1965 and 1971 he also was Secretary of the Council of Ministers of the Afghan Government.
In 1973, he was appointed Ambassdor in Paris. After the coup of Sardar Mohammed Daoud Khan
Mohammed Daoud Khan
Sardar Mohammed Daoud Khan or Daud Khan was Prime Minister of Afghanistan from 1953 to 1963 and later becoming the President of Afghanistan...
, Farhadi was recalled to Kabul. He served as a member of the Advisory Commission of the Ministry of Culture (1975-1978) organizing international meetings in cultural fields.
Career as professor
After 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...
in 1979, Farhadi spent two years in Pol-e Charkhi jail as a political prisoner. After that he moved to France again and became Associate Professor in History of Persian Literature
Persian literature
Persian literature spans two-and-a-half millennia, though much of the pre-Islamic material has been lost. Its sources have been within historical Persia including present-day Iran as well as regions of Central Asia where the Persian language has historically been the national language...
at the University of Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne/University of Paris III: Sorbonne Nouvelle
University of Paris III: Sorbonne Nouvelle
The New Sorbonne University is a public university in Paris, France.The Université de la Sorbonne Nouvelle is a founding member of the Paris Universitas, a union of 6 Parisian universities....
. In summer 1985, he was a Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University
Australian National University
The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...
, in Canberra. He was then an Associate Professor at the Department of Near Eastern Studies, University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. At Berkeley, he taught subjects ranging from Persian Literature to medieval Islamic mysticism.
Professor Farhâdi has written a number of historical texts, including The Quatrains of Rumi, where he translated over 1600 of the quatrain
Quatrain
A quatrain is a stanza, or a complete poem, consisting of four lines of verse. Existing in various forms, the quatrain appears in poems from the poetic traditions of various ancient civilizations including Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, and China; and, continues into the 21st century, where it is...
s attributed to Rumi, and Abdullah Ansari of Herat (Khajeh Abdollah Ansari
Khajeh Abdollah Ansari
Abu Ismaïl Abdullah ibn Abi-Mansour Mohammad or Khajah Abdullah Ansari of Herat also known as Pir-i Herat was a famous Persian Sufi who lived in the 11th century in Herat...
), a sufi master.
Afghanistan's UN Ambassador
After the fall of the communist government of Afghanistan and the start of the government of Burhanuddin RabbaniBurhanuddin Rabbani
Professor Burhanuddin Rabbani was President of the Islamic State of Afghanistan from 1992 to 1996. After the Taliban government was toppled during Operation Enduring Freedom, Rabbani returned to Kabul and served as a temporary President from November to December 20, 2001, when Hamid Karzai was...
, Farhadi served as Afghanistan's ambassador to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. Farhadi presented his credentials as Ambassador Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the United Nations Secretary General Boutros Boutros Ghali on 30 April 1993. Even when the Taliban had taken control of most of Afghanistan, the government of Burhanuddin Rabbani
Burhanuddin Rabbani
Professor Burhanuddin Rabbani was President of the Islamic State of Afghanistan from 1992 to 1996. After the Taliban government was toppled during Operation Enduring Freedom, Rabbani returned to Kabul and served as a temporary President from November to December 20, 2001, when Hamid Karzai was...
continued to represent Afghanistan at the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, with Farhadi as the UN Ambassador representing Afghanistan until the end of 2006. The Taliban, in spite of the strong support of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, never represented Afghanistan in the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
.
Since 1993, Farhâdi has served as Vice Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People at United Nations Headquarters in New York. Farhadi is known for his strong commitment to the Palestinian rightsAlgeria Led Security Council Resolution on Israel but acknowledges the fact that Israel has a right to exist.
After his period as diplomat, with American scholar Ibrahim Gamard, he translated into English all the quatrains of the Sufi poet Maulana Jalal ad-Din Rumi.
Political views
Farhadi has been highly critical of Pakistan, saying it is supporting the Taliban.Radio Free europe: Afghanistan: Talk Of Strikes Throws Lifeline To Opposition Farhadi was in favour of a government composed of all of Afghanistan's ethnic communities, including Uzbeks, Tajiks, Hazaras, Baluchs and Pashtuns, but rejected the idea of US Secretary of State Colin PowellColin Powell
Colin Luther Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position. During his military...
to include moderate Taliban members in the next government. During the presidential elections of 2009, in which Abdullah Abdullah
Abdullah Abdullah
Abdullah Abdullah is an Afghan politician and a doctor of medicine. He was an adviser and friend to Ahmad Shah Massoud, legendary anti-Taliban leader and commander known as the "Lion of Panjshir". After the fall of the Taliban regime, Dr. Abdullah served as Afghanistan's Foreign Minister from 2001...
was the main challenger of Karzai, Farhadi spoke in favour of Abdullah, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs.
After the fall of the Taliban, Farhadi tried to put pressure on the US government to give more aid to Afghanistan, especially to compensate the families who lost civilian family members in US bombings.
External links
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