Nisha Rathode (Editor)

Hatef Mokhtar

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Language
  
English

Role
  
Author

Name
  
Hatef Mokhtar

Education
  
Balkh University

Hatef Mokhtar httpstheredwrath1fileswordpresscom201210r
Occupation
  
Editor in Chief at The Oslo Times

Books
  
The Red Wrath: A Journey Between Two Destinies

Interview with hatef mokhtar


Hatef Mokhtar (Persian:هاتف مختار) (born 11 May 1962) is an Afghan author currently living in Norway and is a Norwegian citizen. He is the founder and chief editor of The Oslo Times and a human-rights activist. He writes for several newspapers and magazines such as KL-Today, "Euractiv" Daily Sun,Malaysia Today, "Khama Press" Haama Daily, groruddalen.no,,Malaysia Today, and Burma Digest. He works towards the freedom of press and speech, and for the promotion of peace. He is a public speaker and a political analyst. Although a political analyst on Afghanistan, he also specializes in global human rights issues and the freedom of expression in particular. Mokhtar belongs to the Durrani clan of the Pashtun. He is the founder and chairman of Armed for the Quill (AFTQ) and the organization Global Peace.

Contents

Hatef mokhtar interview with kz 24


Early life and education

Mokhtar was born on May 11, 1962 at Mazar-i-Sharif in the Balkh province of Afghanistan to a Pashtun family from the Durrani clan. His father, Maulawi Gul Mohammad Khan was a religious scholar. As he was a critic of the Communist regime, Khan was arrested by the police under the rule of the Noor Mohammad Taraki. Imprisoned at the Pul-e-Charkhi prison in Kabul, he was executed during the reign of the next Communist president Hafizullah Amin. Thereafter, Mokhtar and his family were forced to take refuge in Pakistan. He attended Balkh University in Afghanistan where he received a degree in political science. He speaks Norwegian and is fluent in English, Hindi, Pashto, Dari, Persian,and Urdu.

Organizations and associations

In 2007, Mokhtar founded an organization called the Global Peace. Its mission is to create awareness on dictatorial regimes on a global platform. In 2010, he founded the Armed for the Quill (AFTQ) to support the freedom of the press and the freedom of speech. AFTQ coordinates with over 100 journalists in its work towards the promotion of human rights and democracy and spread awareness against extremism and dictatorial regimes. In 2011, he founded The Oslo Times, an online newspaper available in English.

He has also been a regular participant at global forums and conferences such as the Oslo Freedom Forum, Universelt Fredsforbund and Universal Peace Federation.

Books and writings

Mokhtar has translated a biography of the Pashto poet Kabir Stori into English. He also contributes articles to magazines and newspapers such as KL-Today, Malaysia Today, Haama Daily and Burma Digest. He regularly writes for 5 blogs that focus on human rights and the freedom of speech. He has authored two books: A Yoik for Anna and The Red Wrath.

The Red Wrath is his second book published in the US, Australia and the UK. Hatef Mokhtar has dedicated the book to the people of Afghanistan. ‘A Bird Called Destiny’ is the underlying theme behind The Red Wrath by Hatef Mokhtar. In Norway, Asif, the protagonist looks back at his experiences in Afghanistan. Although he was born and raised there, he was forced to leave the country as a result of its tumultuous political situations. Not only that, he was personally affected; his father died in prison after he was arrested never to see his family again. Thus began the trials and tribulations of a boy walking into adolescence and to move on.

Asif believes that destiny has a role to play in the life of an individual as the narration begins, "Certain experiences in life unfold leaving deep imprints on one’s mind, body, and soul. There’s not much scope for forgetting there, unless one’s memory is numbed by a memory that one’s heart finds difficult to accept and accept." Therefore it sets the pace for a tale of a boy’s attempt to remain hardy despite being a victim of mayhem. This book encapsulates the need for human rights, equality for women and democracy.

The Red Wrath was recently added to the National Library of Australia (Trove).

Mokhtar writes poetry in Persian, Pashto and English. He has also made some acknowledged content in the latest edition of the Persian poetry book Nabas e Darakht.

Mokhtar fondly remembers Afghanistan in his memoirs.

Present life

In 2001, Mokhtar migrated to Norway as a political asylum seeker in the wake of the Afghan civil war followed by Taliban rule. It was in Norway that he freely expressed his views via his writings. He works towards human-rights concerns such as freedom of the press and speech, education for women, promotion of peace, democracy, multiculturalism and poetry, eradication of discrimination and genocide prevention. A regular public speaker, he has opposed dictatorship and communism.

Awards and honors

In 2007, Mokhtar was appointed as the Global Peace Ambassador by the Universal Peace Federation.

Hatef Mokhtar is the recipient of the 2013 Readers' Favorite Bronze Medal, a contest hosted by Readers' Favorite.

Controversies

Mokhtar has been vocal about his stance on human-rights abuse in different parts of the globe. As a result, he has been barred from traveling to countries such as Syria and North Korea by their respective regimes.

References

Hatef Mokhtar Wikipedia