Afghan Communicator
Rameen Moshref, Co-Founder
Afghan Communicator (AC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to building unity among the Afghan and Muslim community through education, advocacy and youth leadership. AC educated the general public about Afghanistan, Islam, and the Afghan community and empowers the Afghan community “especially, the educated young, in a peaceful, social, democratic, Islamic and scholarly atmosphere.” Afghan Communicator was informed in 1997 as an academic, cultural and literacy magazine in response to the lack of reliable information about Afghanistan and Afghans. It was envisioned as a unifying force “to connect the scattered Afghan communities around the world.” In addition to the magazine, AC focused on educational and community leadership programs and launched young professionals to discuss common issues and encourage civic participation.
The tragic events of September 11th and the subsequent United States bombing of Afghanistan severely impacted the afghan people worldwide. In New York City, these events propelled AC into an expanded role. AC rallied to condemn the World Trade Center attacks and responded to hundreds of requests for information about Afghanistan and Islam. Seeing increasing isolation of the Afghan community, AC accelerated organizing efforts and began a program of social service referrals as well as a speaker’s bureau comprised of experts knowledgeable about Afghanistan. In 2002, AC opened an office in Queens, began translating information from social service providers, transformed the magazine into a free monthly bulletin, and started beginner and intermediate classes in Dari.