Mental Disorder and the Cruel Society: True Stroy of Reza Gull

I read this story on social media and decided to translate it into English for the people who can't read Dari or Pashto.

Location: “Kunduz, Khan Abad”

Reza gull, a woman born with mental disabilities in 1992 in Khanabad district of Kunduz Province, Afghanistan. Because of her mental disorders, her parents didn’t accept her. Her family kicked her out and left in the street. Nobody felt responsible for her, she was wondering street to street all alone until she reached to the city of Kunduz. Reza Gull was not safe from children’s stones neither from the cold of the winter and the heat of summer, and even from the rapist beast of the cruel society.

Hundreds of welfare foundations, dozens of organization work in Kunduz city but no one took a step to help her. She was not able to ask the right of living a comfortable life but even the people of the society never felt sorry for her.  

She never experienced the love of her father nor the warm embrace of her mother. She did not know what the love of a family meant. She didn’t know where her house was and how it felt to have a house. She didn’t know what security meant. But she knew that she had to have a shelter, but she did not know that it wasn’t supposed to be ugly ruined buildings with no doors, windows and toilet. She had no proper place to live in. She had spent difficult nights and days in the streets of the city.

By the passing of time, she lost her one eye due to the stones thrown at her by the children. She faced many other injuries as well. Who knows how many times she had cried out? And how many times was she ostracized by seemingly wise human beings?

Reza Gull Didn’t know what rape meant, however, she knew very well that she had to wear a scarf (Chadar) in a place called Afghanistan, but she did not know that having a hijab would not protect her from the evil eyes of sexual predators. Reza Gull was raped many times by the cruel people of the society. According to Dr.Abdul Rasool Talash, “Rizagul was raped more than hundreds of times, was impregnated 5 times, had 3 abortions and gave birth to 2 children.” She unwittingly became a mother of two kids. Because of her mental disabilities she didn’t understand the responsibilities of a mother. All she had was the true love of a mother. Her first child drowned in the river of the city. Her second child died of starvation in her lap, but her motherly instincts did not allow her to leave the lifeless body of her child to be buried. She took the dead body of her innocent child with her wherever she went.

A week had passed, while she was asleep the people of the city took the child from her and buried him. She woke up with a heart full of pain. She cried and cried, but couldn’t find her child.  

Finally, on a cold winter night, her life came to an end, and died in homelessness. The municipality did not help with burial expenses, but with the help of a person named Qomandan Wazir, she was laid to rest.

Translated by: Farhad Mashwani

The reason why I questioned the term VIP

There are many reason that I started to question the idea of VIP (Very Important Person). When I was a student, every month my father used to transfer me some money on the bank. The bank, where I used to get my money was very crowded. Every single time when I wanted to get my money, I had to wait for many hours to get my turn. In the bank there was another hall where people were entering and get their money without waiting for their turn. On the door of that hall a caption “Only VIP” were written. I tried to enter that hall but a man standing next to door stopped me and told me “Sorry sir, only VIP are allowed here”. That time I realized that the idea of VIP is another form of racism which divides people into classes.

        Many people claim, racism no longer exists in the modern world. But I questioned, if racism doesn’t exist than why the people are being treated differently by the name of VIP? I start thinking that racism still exists in every country of the world. The only thing which is changed is its terms and forms. Almost everywhere you will feel the upper and lower class classifications of the people

I believed, that now a days the term of racism is converted to VIP (very important person). This term exactly show how private organizations and hotels classified people into upper and lower classes. If you are not rich, a political figure or a high ranked employee, you will be treated very differently. For instance, if you go to a mall, a bank, or another crowded place, you will wait in a row for many hours to get your turn. But, the VIP will go directly without waiting for his/her turn. Even if you want to travel, the flight services are different for a commoner and a VIP. The flight seats and cabins are divided into first and second classes. If you are a VIP, you will have your seat in first class section. They will provided you good food, comfortable seats and many more services. But if you are a commoner, there will be no good services as VIP.

Regarding to my criticism the answers I got from the people, I came to an outcome that VIP is a marketing term, which is for business purposes. The classes that I mentioned, are set in every bank, flight, and hotel just for business purposes and the wealthy ones simply pay for it. But still, I think the world would be so much better place to live, if there were no classification of the people by the name of classes. The world would be free of greed and cupidity.

Written by: Farhad Mashwani