Abaran Kartis
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Abaran Kartis | |
|---|---|
| Born |
October 13th, 1962 |
| Died | May 14th, 2015 |
| Cause of death | Gunshot to the head |
| Nationality | Kolhari |
| Ethnicity | Kolhari |
| Citizenship | Kolhar |
| Spouse(s) | Auloh Kartis |
| Children | Torak Kartis |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
Abaran Kartis (Kolhari: ᯀᯅᯯᯗᯯᯔ ᯞᯯᯗᯖ᯦ᯘ) is a Kolhari Imam. He is widely regarded as the most influential figure among Muslims in Kolhar. He is known for regularly speaking out against the Kolhari fascist regime, which has landed him in prison three times in the past. Abaram is also known for regularly speaking out against calls for jihad amongst some of the extreme Muslims in Kolhar.
Early Life
Political Activism
Abaran's political activism began in 1982, when he started criticizing the Kolhari regime's class-based citizenship. He was given the chance to speak at his local Mosque, after which Abaran reportedly went on a tangent about the political situation. In particular, he noted how Muslim's in Kolhar were not allowed to become first-class citizens in Kolhar's class-based citizenship system, even if they were born into the right sect.
Each time Abaran spoke he seemed to move people who listened to him. Eventually, Abaran gained a small following of like-minded individuals within his Mosque. Still, Abaran limited his political activism to speaking to congregations within Mosque's when given the opportunity.
First Imprisonment
Nonetheless, Abaran's activism gained the attention of the the Kolhari Advancement Party when rumors of what he was saying got out. The authorities then began harassing Abaran, trying to get him to stop his activism. They started small, such as sending insulting junk mail to him, but gradually it escalated to the point where Abaran's home had anti-Muslim graffiti painted on it.
None of this stopped Abaran, much to the irritation of Abaran. On October 5th, 1983, when Abaran was speaking at his local Mosque, the Kolhari secret police forced their way into the mosque and arrested Abaran. This caused widespread outrage among the Kolhari Muslim community.
However, Abaran's arrest came at an interesting time. Kolhari propaganda agianst Muslims was heating up at the moment, mainly due to the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing. When news of the attack spred to Kolhar, some Muslims in kolhar began using the event to draw inspiration for Jihad in Kolhar.
Abaran was reportedly disturbed by this development greatly, and offered to make a call against Jihad. Kolhari authorities agreed to let him make his call against Jihad. The call was publicly televized. In Abaran's argument, he called upon several verses of the Quran by memory to use against the call for Jihad. His main argument was that the Quran only permitted Jihad when all other options had been exhausted, and that he believed that all options had not yet been exhausted.
Abaran's calls against Jihad didn't lower any tension, but Jihad was no longer considered by many Muslims for some time after that.
Abaran spent the next year in prison. There he met another Imam, also imprisoned for political crimes, from which he started learning more about Islam from. He was imprisoned until November 5th, 1984, when Kolhari secret police, thinking that Abaran may be useful in tempering the anger of Kolhar's Muslim minority, released Abaran.
Second Imprisonement
Once Abaran was released from prison, he immediately went back to the Mosque. For the next few years, his political activism declined. This was because he was studying Arabic and the Quran It took around 6 years, but by 1990 he had become fluent in Arabic and had memorized the Quran by heart. With that, he was hired by a smaller Mosque in Vakor to become an Imam.
There, he resumed his criticism of the Kolhari regime. Within his Mosque, he again started speaking out against the class-based citizenship model. He also started speaking out against the falsehoods put forward by the increasing amount of Islamophibic propaganda by the Kolhari government-controlled media. The Kolhari regime, wanting to be able to use him in the event of another call to jihad, initially tolerated this. However, when Abaran started inviting prominent non-Muslim activists to join him in the Mosque for political discussion, the Kolhari regime would tolerate no more.
On one discussion in 1992, the Kolhari government raided the Mosque that Abaran worked at. This time they did it while he was in a political discussion with non-Muslim Kolhari activists. All were arrested and convicted of "disturbances to order", and sentenced to 40 years imprisonment. This outraged the Kolhari Muslim community, which started widespread civil disturbances. On May 7th, 1993 Kolhari people began protesting the imprisonment of those political activists. Kolhari police called to the seen then opened fire on the unarmed protesters, prompting 2 weeks of rioting in the city of Vakor by Muslims and non-Muslims alike. The riots were only quelled when martial law was declared in Vakor and the army called in.
In 1996, the Taliban siezed Kabul, starting the beginning of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Inspired by this, some extremist Muslims in Kolhar again started calling for a Jihad against the Kolhari government. In response to this, Abaran again called against Jihad, saying that Muslims should show everyone in Kolhar that they are not what Kolhari propaganda made them out to be. He further called upon them to follow verse 5:8 of the Quran. He is quoted as saying:
All of you Muslims have reason to be angry. However, let us not prove to them [the fascists] that we are the savages that they make us out to be. God says in the holy Quran, "and let not hatred of any people seduce you that ye deal not justly." If we do not take this to heart now, when would we take this to heart?! So alas, my brothers and sisters, do not show the fascists that we are monsters. Show them the opposite. Show them that we are kind, compassionate human beings. That may not change the fascists minds, but the people of Kolhar will surely see it and be grateful.
—Abaran Kartis
One year later in 1997, Abaran was released. Though officially this was due to "good behavior", most analysts agree that this was so that Abaran would have an easier time spreading his call against Jihad.
Third Imprisonment
Though Abaran did continue his call against Jihad after he was released, he also resumed his political activities again. This time he also started calling for the release of the other activists that he was jailed with. The Kolhari government tolerated this activity for a time, but once it became clear that the Kolhari Muslims weren't going to revolt anytime soon the government started monitoring his activity closely.
On Feburary 6th, 1998, Abaran was again arrested for his political activism. This time he was arrested in front of his home. This time he was given no trial and was just thrown into prison. This increased tensions between the Kolhari government and the Kolhari Muslim community, but the government used a strong police force to maintain control of the situation.
Abaran was in prison for 3 years, where he was reportedly subjected to repeated torture for his political beliefs. However, in October of 2001 the US invaded Afganistan. Since the Kolhari regime was friendly towards the United States this prompted some Kolhari Muslim extremists to again call for a Jihad against the Kolhari government. The government released Abaran almost immediately by dropping him off at his house.
Abaran again called against Jihad, again arguing that Kolhari Muslims should prove themselves to not be what the Kolhari propaganda made them out to be. He further criticized Al-Qaeda and the Taliban for ignoring verse 6:151 of the Quran, which states:
And that ye slay not the life which God hath made sacred, save in the course of justice. This He hath command you, in order that ye may discern.
—Quran, 6:151
Death
Abaran Kartis was killed on May 14th, 2015. The Kolhari Civil War had just broken out, and the government had begun a massive crackdown on dissidents. The Kolhari government expected Muslims to react negatively and again asked Abaran to make a call against jihad. Abaran was given a time on Kolhari national TV to make his call, but instead of making a call against jihad he stated that Muslims in Kolhar were already engaged in a defensive jihad. He further went on to call on Kolhari muslims to stand up against the Kolhari fascist government and join the Kolhari rebels, but he was killed by a gunshot to the head before he could finish his call.
Rioting began soon after news of Abaran's death spread in Kolhar, with Kolhari muslims expressing outrage at the killing of one of their most prominent leaders.