We, the undersigned members of the community and concerned citizens of the Hazara community, respectfully submit this petition to kindly request the Greater Dandenong City Council to consider renaming the “'Afghan Bazar” on Thomas Street to “Little Bamiyan,” in Dandenong to a more neutral and inclusive name that accurately reflects the rich heritage, identity, and history of the community hailing from Afghanistan, including the Hazaras. 

The first wave of Hazara community, having sought refuge in Australia after escaping the brutal persecution by the fundamentalist Afghan Taliban regime in the late 1990s, found a new home in the welcoming City of Greater Dandenong and its neighbouring suburbs. Dandenong became, to quote one article, the veritable “promised land” for the Hazaras.[1] Over the course of the last two decades, several thousand Hazaras settled in the Dandenong neighbourhood because it was “the place to be” for the persecuted community.[2] Each year 2,700 newly arrived people call Dandenong home, and many of those newcomers are Hazaras.[3]

Economically, the Hazaras have invested enormously in contributing towards the revitalization of Dandenong by buying homes in this locality, setting up businesses, and creating jobs. Many Hazaras invested in a multitude of businesses and entrepreneurships to transform the city and turn it into a thriving city.[4] A good representation of this investment is Thomas Street and its vicinity itself. Once deserted and even unsafe to roam about, Thomas Street is now a bustling economic hub of the Dandenong brimming with thriving eateries, and grocery shops. The Hazaras were humble partakers of this major transformation. 

But nor is Dandenong the only locality which has witnessed this drastic overhaul. The same degree of contribution, if not greater, was made in other localities where Hazaras have permanently settled. Port Adelaide, “a neighbourhood with a high ethnic concentration of Hazara businesses as well as an area of ethnic residential concentration” similarly underwent drastic economic transformation.[5] In Port Adelaide too, they employed an ethnic enclave economy and opened bakeries, restaurants, carpet shops, markets etc–the same small, medium and large businesses that can be found on Thomas Street and Dandenong.[6] In fact, Prospect Road in Kilburn, which was a high-crime suburb was transformed into a “cultural hub” and even acquired the name Little Afghanistan.[7] Through such investment, Hazaras changed the very economic dynamics of those communities. We know of the South Adelaide context because an in-depth study was carried out by the University of South Australia and Charles Strut University. But these same investments and contributions, in tandem with the concentration of their demographics, can be seen throughout Victoria, NSW, South Australia, Tasmania and Queensland—in fact, wherever they have settled in major numbers. However, it is not known because it has not been studied yet. 

But just as their migration and success stories in Dandenong and beyond are important, so too is the awareness of the reasons behind their flight to Australia, and across the globe. Since 1890, Hazaras have faced numerous episodes of gruesome genocides forcing them to leave their homeland and seek refuge.[8] Vulnerable because of their docility and general pacifism, and easily targetable because of their Shia faith and easily distinguishable Asiatic features, the Hazaras have been the subject of numerous genocidal campaigns and social engineering projects.

In tandem with the active killing and persecution of the Hazaras so as to dwindle their population, the Hazaras (along with the other non-Pashtun groups) have been the subject of a systematic policy of cultural and linguistical homogenization. Part and parcel of the broader policy of destruction was and is the simultaneous war of identity erasure undertaken by destroying the Hazara natural identity and forcefully imposing their own designation. One such strategy is through the imposition of the ethnonym “Afghan” on the entire population of Afghanistan—a process called “Afghanization.” Afghanization, also denoted to as Pashtunization, referred to the “process by which Pashtun culture and language are systematically applied to non-Pashtun people or traditionally non-Pashtun-held areas” and lead to the “diminution of traditional religions, culture, and languages, and their replacement by the same elements of Pashtun society.”[9]

Both in the pre nation-state and post nation-state, the term “Afghan,” or “Awghan” as it is known in Farsi, is the appellation used to collectively refer to the Pashtuns of Afghanistan.[10] Unbeknownst to many in the western countries, the term is synonymous with the word Pashtun, one of many ethnic groups in Afghanistan. It was and is thus an exclusive ethnonym–a name used to refer to a specific ethnic group. Since the creation of modern Afghanistan, the dominant Pashtun governments have sought to impose this designation upon all citizens as part of a nationalization strategy and have met with considerable resistance from non-Pashtuns.[11] For the vanquished and marginalized and minoritized groups, the word Afghan has a negative historical connotation. For the Hazaras, the word Afghan reignites their collective trauma and rekindles images of the systematic killings of their people at the hands of the tyrannical despots. It is important to understand and acknowledge that the term “Afghan” carries painful and traumatic memories for the Hazara community and acts as a symbolic annihilation of the Hazaras and their contribution to the City of Greater Dandenong. It is culturally insensitive to refer to Hazaras as “Afghans.” A much more neutral term used in academia to refer to all the citizens of Afghanistan is “Afghanistani.”

We would like the City of Greater Dandenong, the first-ever council in the world to formally recognise the genocide of the Hazaras, to take the step and adopt a more neutral term, one that is much more culturally sensitive. We would like to thank the then Mayor of the City of Greater Dandenong, Jim Memeti, for the council’s landmark decision to endorse a motion calling on state and federal Ministers to take action and stop the “ongoing genocide” of the Hazaras.[12] We would like to bring it to the attention of the Council that an overwhelming majority of us who own businesses on Thomas Street, are utterly uncomfortable and dissatisfied with the designation “Afghan Bazar.” We kindly request the City of Greater Dandenong to change the nickname of Thomas Street from “Afghan Bazaar” to “Little Bamiyan”—which is far from inclusive. Unlike the term Afghan, Little Bamiyan is not an ethnonym. Bamiyan is a bustling larger than life city where numerous ethnic groups coexist. Bamiyan is emblematic of the people of Afghanistan, where hospitality is at the epicentre of culture. In many ways, it is exactly like the City of Greater Dandenong itself, which is proudly the most culturally diverse community in Australia.[13] Bamiyan is devoid of the negative baggage that the word “Afghan” entails and it is not race-specific. Little Bamiyan makes great sense. It brings back the feeling of home and with it serenity. By engaging with the Hazaras and changing the nickname of Thomas Street to “Little Bamiyan,” the City of Greater Dandenong will take another significant step toward fostering inclusivity, respect, social justice and unity among its diverse residents. 

We are sincerely thankful to the Council for taking the time to read this petition. In light of the above, we kindly urge the Greater Dandenong City Council to engage in a meaningful consultation with the Hazara community and stakeholders to select a new name for the street—one that is inclusive and respectful and recognises the rich history and contributions of the Hazara community. We strongly urge the Council to replace the current name with “Little Bamiyan.” We appreciate your attention to this matter and look forward to a positive and constructive resolution. We appreciate your consideration of this matter and your dedication to creating an environment that celebrates and honours the diverse identities within our community.

Yours Sincerely,

The Hazara Community of the City of Greater Dandenong

 
[1] AMES, Looking for a promised land—the Hazaras of Afghanistan, AMES, available at: https://www.ames.net.au/ames-70-years/hazaras-of-dandenong 
[2] Laurel Mackenzie 2021, “From Dahmarda to Dandenong via Denpassar: Hazara Histories of Settlement, success and separation” in Jordana Silverstein & Rachel Stevens, Refugee Journeys: Histories of Resettlement, Representation and Resistance, Available at: https://press-files.anu.edu.au/downloads/press/n7824/pdf/book.pdf  
[3] Refugee Council of Australia 2022, City of Greater Dandenong, Refugee Council of Australia, Available at: https://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/city-of-greater-dandenong/
[4] Laurie Nowell 2014, “The Hazaras of Dandenong,” The Age, Available at: https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/the-hazaras-of-dandenong-20140716-3c1gz.html 
[5] University of South Adelaide, Afghan Refugees ‘transform and rejuvenate’ Port Adelaide LGA, Available at: https://www.unisa.edu.au/Media-Centre/Releases/2021/afghan-refugees-transform-and-rejuvenate-port-adelaide-lga/
[6] David Radfor et al. 2021 Refugees Rejuvenating and Connecting Communities:  An analysis of the social, cultural and economic contributions of Hazara humanitarian migrants in the Port Adelaide-Enflied area of Adelaide, South Australia (Full Report), University of South Australia, Avilable at: https://refugeesrejuvenatingconnectingcommunities.lpage.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Refugees-rejuvenating-and-connecting-communities-Full-Report.pdf 
[7] Ahmed Yussuf, “From empty streets to community prosperity: How the Hazara community changed Adelaide’s Prospect Road,” ABC, Available at: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-07/hazara-refugee-community-impact-port-adelaide/13290420
[8] See Niamatullah Ibrahimi 2017, The Hazaras and the Afghan State: Rebellion, Exclusion and the Struggle for Recognition, Hurst Publishers, London; Hassan Poladi, The Hazaras, Mughal Publishing Company, Stockton; Bismellah Alizada & Maisam Iltaf 2023, We Will Make Pakistan their Graveyard: Systematic Attacks Against Shia Hazaras of Quetta, Pakistan (1999-2022), Porsesh Policy Research Institute, Available at: https://prresearch.us/2023/03/03/recently-published/ 
[9] David Harms Holt 2017, “Pashtunization” in Tom Lansford, Afghanistan at War: From the 18th-Century Durrani Dynasty to the 21st Century, ABC-CLIO, California, 354. 
[10] Omar Sadr 2020,  Negotiating Cultural Diversity in Afghanistan, Routledge, London, available at: https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/Negotiating_Cultural_Diversity_in_Afghan/pSvJDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=the+word+afghan+refers+exclusively+to+pashto&pg=PT104&printsec=frontcover
[11] Yahia Baiza 2013, Baiza, Y. (2013). Education in Afghanistan: Developments, Influences and Legacies Since 1901, Routledge, London, Avilable at: https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/Education_in_Afghanistan/nbt_AAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=the+word+afghan+refers+exclusively+to+pashto&pg=PT80&printsec=frontcover
[12] Greater Dandenong 2022, Statement from the Mayor - Recognising the Ongoing Hazara Genocide in Afghanistan, Greater Dandenong, Available at: https://www.greaterdandenong.vic.gov.au/contact-us/news-and-media/statement-mayor-recognising-ongoing-hazara-genocide-afghanistan
[13] Greater Dandenong u.d., Multiculturalism and People Seeking Asylum, Greater Dandenong, Avilable at: https://www.greaterdandenong.vic.gov.au/our-diverse-community/multiculturalism-and-people-seeking-asylum#:~:text=The%20City%20of%20Greater%20Dandenong,of%20conflict%2C%20violence%20and%20displacement