While en route to Kabul, Afghanistan for my ‘Afterparty’ journey, I was without lodging. To my rescue, via the quirky, unpredictable but sometimes wonderful Couchsurfing site, came an extraordinary offer. The CEO of one of Afghanistan’s leading IT companies, Farshid Ghyasi, offered me an ensuite room in the corporate villa in central Kabul. Three weeks […]
Afghanistan, Celine Dion, David Hamdard, Farshid Ghyasi, Kabul, karaoke, NETLINKS, 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 Afterparty
While in Kabul doing research for “War: The Afterparty,” I was approached via Facebook by “X,” a cybersecurity expert 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. When I mentioned our meeting to the head of a prominent […]
Afghanistan, Brian Gruber, cybercrime, cybersecurity, hack, Hacker, Kabul, War, War: The AfterpartyIn my travels, I ask most every Muslim I meet about Islam and the Quran. In every case, I am told that Islam is a religion of peace, often with great passion. I approach those answers skeptically, as public relations for the religion. And then you meet men like Dr. Saber Perdes, CEO of Kabul’s […]
Afghanistan, Hospital, Jumhuriat, Kabul, Kayley Ingalls, Saber Perdes, Shaira, 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 AfterpartyGoodbye Kabul. Goodbye Farshid Ghyasi for hosting me via couchsurfing.com. My needs always met, from security to shared meals to nightlife and introductions. You have four inspirational posters in your office. Martin Luther King Jr., who taught social change through non-violence. Ghandi-ji, who taught social change through non-violence. Albert Einstein, a very, very smart American […]
Afghanistan, Goodbye, Kabul, Pure, War: The Afterparty