Introducing "Mabouballah"

I have had the good fortune to meet here an Afghan American, Mahbouba Seraj, who has been my colleague, co-trainer, and fellow adventurer. She and I, although we are very different, are intrigued, fascinated and are committed to Afghanistan. Each in our own way. Many Afghans became refugees because of their royal blood and connections and my friend Mahbouba is no exception. They have returned to Afghans who often will ask them why they left. Mahbouba's candid reply is that she would have been killed if she and her family stayed. I have the privilege of spending alot of time with her which means I get to see Afghanistan through her eyes and I have to say for all of that she has spent a good portion of her life outside of Afghanistan she is all Afghan. Like many others she lives in both worlds-but for me-being with her is a window on a world most foreigners never get to see much less to understand. I can't say that I understand yet...there seems to be no nuetral to the character of an Afghan-I think they make the Italian culture look calm. And Mahbouba is no exception-ebulliant, loving, angry, flamboyant, and with a wicked Afghan sense of humor-we have spent days and days together on survey going through the villages.

I have a pet name for her...because King Habibullah is her grandfather, and King Amanullah, her uncle...two kings that brought Afghanistan to the modern times. King Amanullah-a man ahead of his time-outlawed the "chaderi" or burqa in the 1940's...and she sees Afghanistan through her lineage with broad vision and with a deep disappointment about all that was lost through the war...I call her "Mahbouballah", because when we are in the villages she greets the people with love, scolds them for mistreating the animals, and teaches the children manners in the unconscious way of someone who wants the best for her people. She just has an authoritative air about her that is as charming as it can be irritating. So to tease her I call her "Mahbouballah Khan"....and I could write a book about her antics.

For those of you interested, Martin Ewens has written a short history of Afghanistan which I went over with Mahbouba to see if the parts about her family were accurate from what she remembers as a child and she was impressed.

King Amanullah...her uncle and King Habibullah,her grandfather,2nd and "Mahbouballah"





Notice any family resemblance?