Educational Media Reviews Online

With Us or Against Us: Afghans in America is successful in documenting the experiences of Afghan-Americans after the events of September 11, 2001. It is based on interviews with members of the Fremont, California Afghani community, a community formed of refugees from the Soviet Union’s occupation of Afghanistan in the late 1970’s and their children. Most of the interviews are in English; one, an interview with the former Minister of Culture, is subtitled. A local restaurateur, a volunteer working with children at the public library, several journalists, and Fremont’s chief of police are also interviewed. Many are second-generation immigrants, or immigrated as very young children.

The video gives some background on Fremont’s “little Kabul” neighborhood and then explores the situation after 9/11. For a time local residents were fearful of venturing outside or of wearing identifying clothes. A young second-generation woman speaks of the horror of “your country being destroyed--both of them--at once.” Some read hate mail that they received after 9/11, or about those detained without charges. There is a discussion of a 1996 incident when supporters of the Taliban visited a local mosque, sparking a near riot in the parking lot. While there was some open support for the Taliban at that time, for its quelling of the anarchy in Afghanistan, it was controversial even in 1996, and those interviewed point to the Taliban’s atrocities prior to 9/11. Some discuss 9/11 and the U.S. bombing of Afghanistan that followed as tragedies that, nevertheless, gave Afghanistan a new start with a new government and a chance to rebuild and for peace.

What shines through in this documentary is the commitment of many Afghan-Americans to their “duty…to defend freedom” (in the words of the restaurateur), to helping other refugees acclimate, to fostering a free press and communication among the Afghan community worldwide, and to helping rebuild Afghanistan. The final tone is celebratory.

While this video might have benefited from more precise historical references in the last section (references to “next year” will only become more confusing with time), it is succinct and well organized, the sound and picture quality are adequate, and the visual and audio sequences are appropriate to the topic. This video will be useful for those examining the late 20th century immigration to the U.S., the experiences of a minority community, and, of course, to those exploring reactions to the September 11, 2001 disaster.