Among Middle Eastern diasporas in the United States, there is growing discontent with the major parties, fueled by the American response to the unrest in their home countries. How do these communities view the presidential race? Second stop: Little Kabul in Fremont, the heart of the Afghan community.
Northern California has been a haven for Afghans since the 1980s, when the first waves of immigration began following the outbreak of the Soviet-Afghan War in 1979. More followed during the first Taliban regime in the 1990s and the U.S. invasion after the September 11, 2001 attacks. The most recent U.S. census counted 75,583 people of Afghan descent in California in 2020.
For a long time, the city of Fremont, in the San Francisco Bay Area, was the cradle of this community. In the Centerville neighborhood, on a stretch of Fremont Boulevard, many businesses advertise their products and services with signs in Dari, one of Afghanistan’s two official languages.
“They call this place Little Kabul,” Samim remarks as the Duty. The smiling young man stops next to us, in front of an Afghan grill counter, to order some specialties from his home country to offer to a customer of his company. The exchange is conducted entirely in Dari.
The fall of Kabul, a decisive moment
The fall of Kabul to the Taliban in August 2021 has caused a surge in the number of Afghans in the United States. In 2023 alone, nearly 26,500 Special Immigrant Visas were issued to Afghans who cooperated with U.S. authorities while in the country. That’s the most since the visa was introduced in 2009, and it represents just a fraction of the Afghans who have sought refuge in the United States since 2021.
Overall, the Afghan-American population nearly quadrupled between 2010 and 2022, from about 54,000 to 195,000, according to the research institute Migration Policy Institute.
The Taliban regime is not universally popular among the diaspora in the United States, notes Farid Younos, a retired professor at California State University, East Bay. He has been living in the United States since 1979 and has long been an observer and spokesperson for the Afghan community. He hosted his own television show for his compatriots living in the San Francisco Bay Area for about 30 years.
“Some people think that this regime has brought a kind of security to Afghanistan,” he explains. “There is no war when the Taliban are in power. Others, like myself, oppose it, in the name of freedom of thought, freedom of expression, women’s rights…”
In his view, the hasty withdrawal of US troops from the country and the subsequent “catastrophic” evacuation was an “irresponsible” decision on the part of Joe Biden. “This abrupt departure from the country created a lot of chaos. They handed the entire system over to the Taliban, without thinking.”
An opinion shared by D.r Salim*, an Afghan who has been living in the United States since 2014. The father is a doctor by profession, but the conflicts forced him to leave his profession to work for the American government in Kabul. His high-ranking status in American diplomacy earned him threats from the Taliban until he left for California. Fearing reprisals against his parents who are still stuck in Afghanistan, he prefers to speak on condition of anonymity.
“Not only Afghans, but any human being agrees that [le retrait des troupes] “It was not a good decision,” he said in an interview at a coffee shop in suburban Sacramento. “So many lives were lost. It was a completely chaotic situation. It was poorly managed, and very unplanned.”
He points out, however, that Joe Biden is not the only one to blame for this hasty evacuation: it was Donald Trump, towards the end of his term in 2020, who signed the Doha agreement with the Taliban regime, announcing the end of the American presence in Afghanistan and opening the door to the return of the extremist group to the leadership of the country.
“In general, no Afghan would say that Trump, or the Republicans, are better than Biden and the Democrats, or vice versa,” says Dr.r Salim. They both have their share of responsibility for the current situation in Afghanistan.”
Disenchanted voters
The Dr Both Salim and Farid Younos agree that Afghan political involvement in the United States is fairly limited. “But that has to change,” the former insists. “We have to educate our communities, talk to people, explain the process to them.”
Because even if none of the major parties appeal to the community, “you can write a message to the candidates on your ballot,” he gives as an example. “You can vote blank. You can express your concerns. And people listen, here in the United States. We have to educate people about that.”
The Dr Salim is still undecided about his November choice. “I will judge the candidates on their domestic measures, because I am also an American citizen,” he emphasizes. But foreign policy remains a concern for him, especially in relation to the image conveyed by the United States internationally.
He also believes that the major parties should pay closer attention to diasporas, which are often absent from speeches. “Our candidates should think about minority communities, because we are growing. Our voices count, even if they are not numerous. They can still have an impact on local elections,” he notes.
In his eyes, a lack of consideration on the part of the parties can only lead to a loss of confidence in politicians on the part of immigrant communities. This is what happened to Farid Younos.
“I left the Democratic Party,” the former professor confided. “I was a Democrat for many years. But as soon as they violated the rights of the Afghan people, I left. And I’m not a Republican because the Republicans signed a peace agreement on the backs of my people.”
For him, the choice in November is clear: he will not vote, period. “I know it may seem idealistic, but I will not sacrifice justice for political gain.”
*fictitious name
With Julien Forest
This report was financed with the support of the Transat International Journalism Fund-The duty.