Members of the Rockhampton Afghan community take part in a worldwide day of protest against the brutal killing of innocent Hazara ethnic people.
Allan Reinikka
MOHAMMAD Tawhidi left his war-torn country of Afghanistan for a better place, but he is still trying to help protect innocent Hazara Afghan men, women and children who are being brutally killed.
On Saturday, about 100 people from the Rockhampton Afghan community came together in a worldwide protest calling on the United Nations to recognise and protect and condemn the genocide of Hazara people in Quetta, a city in Pakistan.
The protest, which was also held in other places across Australia, including Melbourne and Sydney, and the world, is to stop the brutal killing of the Hazaras, who are Shi'ite Muslims.
This killing is being carried out by the Taliban comprised of militant Sunni Muslims, with the call for protest in Rockhampton and other cities coming from the head of the Hazara community in Australia.
From 11am to 1pm on Saturday the group held up their signs to voice their message, which Mohammad said went very well.
"It is the first time we've had it in Rockhampton and it was very good," he said.
Mohammad was chosen along with a group of friends including Ali Jan Fayazi to organise the event due to his better ability to speak English.
"No one is listening to us; we need help to stop this killing of innocent people in these third-world countries."
Mohammad left Afghanistan almost three years ago and has settled in Rockhampton for almost two of those.
"I wanted to get away from all of the bloodshed in my country."
Ali was the compere on the day of the protest and five other community members gave their speeches on the frightening issue.
The ethnic cleansing of Hazaras was backed by self-confessed fundamentalist organisations in Pakistan.
Hundreds of Hazaras have been massacred indiscriminately by suicide attacks, machine gun and RPG firings.
A recent incident involved picking out Hazara travellers from a bus en route to Iran and taking them out of the bus and shooting them on the spot.
Currently there are about 700,000 Hazara living in Pakistan who were victims of the state-supported ethnic genocide.
The Morning Bulletin
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