Like You and Me

I will never forget that day. I was nine years old when a lady asked me, “Are you “Pashtun” or “Tajik”? Pashtuns and Tajiks are the predominant ethnic groups in Afghanistan and yet I did not know which group I belonged to so I answered, Afghan!” I was puzzled with this strange question and, not knowing the concept of ethnicity, I rushed home to clarify this issue. I questioned my mother, “Am I Pashtun or Tajik?” My mother demanded that I tell her what my response was to the lady who asked m...