In my travels through the Greater Middle East for the Afterparty book project, I went out of my way to meet Muslims. I visited mosques in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, met with the leading Afghan Islamic scholar at his mosque in Kabul between afternoon prayers, discussed religion with secular, […]
Abu Dhabi, Afghanistan, Dubai, Iraq, Islam, Muslims, religion, War The Afterparty
Read Part One of the interview at http://briangruber.tumblr.com/post/109933161004/kabuls-white-hat-hacker-on-afghan-cybersecurity “X” is a cybersecurity and programming staffer in the Afghan government. We agreed to meet for pizza near Shar-e-Naw Park and to keep his identity anonymous in the interview. He is known in Kabul IT circles as a ‘White Hat Hacker.’ This interview was transcribed by Afterparty editor […]
Afghanistan, Brian Gruber, Hacker, Islam, IT, Kabul, Lycée Esqetlal, Suicide Bombing, Taliban, War, War: The Afterparty, white hat
I worked with Shahid Butt at Charter Cable years ago, a smart, congenial fellow and accomplished marketer. As I posted interviews from my swing through the Islamic world, and pointed remarks about Pakistan’s role in the emergence of the Taliban, he offered some unique insights. I talked with Shahid over Skype one night from my […]
Afghanistan, Brian Gruber, Islam, Kabul, Koran, Mohammed, Pakistan, Quran, Shahid Butt, Taliban, War, War: The AfterpartyAmong the worrywarts who warned me not to spend my month in Afghanistan, two bits of advice prevailed: Don’t say you are an American and don’t say you are Jewish. God knows I tried. But except for one moment, surrounded one night by a group of unfriendly males, I always said I was American. And, […]
airport, Ghandi, Islam, Kabul, Muslims, Vipassana, War: The AfterpartyKaren threw me a concerned look. I was talking to her uncle Murray, at ninety, a very successful businessman, smart, educated, a man of the world. Like me, a New York Jew. Names changed here to protect the complicit. He encouraged me to read the Wall Street Journal more often. I told him I admired […]
Afghanistan, Brian Gruber, Elisha, Islam, Jericho, Joshua, Kabul, Kings, Muslims, religion, War: The AfterpartyI met the imam though the usual string of serendipitous connections. Afterparty backer, college friend and Amsterdam host Forrest Wright introduced me to his sister Leslie who introduced me to her friend and Afghanistan workshop facilitator Shaira, who introduced me to Fawad, who just happens to go to school with the imam’s son. I visited […]
Afghanistan, al Qaeda, Brian Gruber, Imam, Islam, Kabul, mosque, Muslims, Obama, War: The AfterpartyFirst, I agree to a few ground rules. I will not use the imam’s name until he has a chance to read the interview. I will give him a chance to remove anything that is too risky to put in print. The picture we took together, which I greatly value, will not be published, nor […]
Afghanistan, Brian Gruber, Imam, Islam, Kabul, Koran, mosque, religion, War: The AfterpartyFirst, the begats. Staying with Farshid begat my meeting with Mr. W which begat my meeting with Will Everett. Mr. W prefers to stay anonymous. When I engage Afghans publicly, as I’m here to harvest interesting stories, Mr. W says to me, “Not a good idea.” I trust Mr. W as he has been here […]
Afghanistan, Brian Gruber, Islam, Jew, Judaism, Kabul, Koran, Mr. W, Swimming Pool, War: The Afterparty, Will Everett