afghans have an unlikely new hero a bruce lee look-alike

8/10/2019 Afghans Have an Unlikely New Hero a Bruce Lee Look-Alike

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Afghans have an unlikely new hero: A Bruce Lee look-alike

Ab

bas Alizada, who calls himself the Afghan Bruce Lee, poses in front of the destroyedDarul Aman Palace in Kabul. (ohammad !smail"#euters$

By %udarsan #agha&an'anuary at )* A

KABUL In a dark, unfinished basement, Abbas Alizadacoiled his body, then exploded into a high kick, his bare feet landing again on thestone floor !earing a "hite tank top and black pants, lips pursed tight, he lookedlike any #$%year%old passionate about kung fu

&xcept, that is, for the policemen outside his house and for his uncanny
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/afghans-have-an-unlikely-new-herobruce-lee-look-alike/2015/01/02/7b16610a-8619-11e4-b9b7-b8632ae73d25_story.html?hpid=z1http://www.washingtonpost.com/people/sudarsan-raghavanhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/WashingtonPost/Content/Epaper/2015-01-03/Ax1_module2.jpghttp://www.washingtonpost.com/people/sudarsan-raghavanhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/afghans-have-an-unlikely-new-herobruce-lee-look-alike/2015/01/02/7b16610a-8619-11e4-b9b7-b8632ae73d25_story.html?hpid=z1


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resemblance to a late 'hinese%American martial arts icon and (olly"ood star

Bruce Lee inspires me,) said Alizada *I learned all my mo+es "atching Bruce Leemo+ies I am +ery proud that e+eryone no" kno"s me as Afghan Bruce Lee)

Afghanistan has an unlikely ne" hero In recent "eeks, Alizada has become a socialmedia sensation, as "ell as the target of threats, after friends and relati+es postedpictures and +ideos of him and his Bruce Lee%like poses on ou-ube and.acebook -hen he opened a -"itter account, and his follo"ers gre" as fast as oneof his kicks, reaching more than /$,$$$

(is rags%to%fame story is no" inspiring Afghan youth in a nation "here po+erty,corruption and unemployment ha+e snuffed out many dreams .or many Afghans,he is also a "elcome di+ersion from the bloodshedthat has placed the capital onedge and the political s0uabbling that haspre+ented the ne" go+ernment from

forminga ne" cabinet

All anyone hears about Afghanistan is theinsecurity, the +iolence, the politicalproblems,) said Ahmed 1a2at, a

businessman *Abbas is helping to changethe image of Afghanistan)

3n another le+el, Alizada is bringing freshpride to the country4s long%persecuted

ethnic (azara minority, to "hich hebelongs (azaras, "ho are 5hiite 6uslims,are re+iled by the -aliban and other 5unniextremists as heretics -hey ha+e beenmassacred, dri+en from their farms andforced to take lo"%status, unskilled 2obs incities, pulling cargo carts or "orkingconstruction

In Afghanistan4s history, the (azarapeople ha+e al"ays faced pressure and

"ere insulted by other ethnic groups,) saidAbdul 7ayum 1aderi, "ho heads a youthorganization *Abbas4s moti+ation sho"s to

(azara youth that if you are also moti+ated, you "ill be respected in the countryand in the "orld, too -hat4s something ne" for the (azara youth)

-he son of a mechanic, Alizada gre" up in a predominantly (azara encla+e in

Abbas Alizada, who calls himself the Afghan

Bruce Lee, poses for a picture in front of Bruce

Lee posters after exercising in Kabul December

9, 2!"# $rom the ruins of an iconic bombed%out

palace abo&e Kabul, the 'oung Afghan man

bearing a stri(ing resemblance to (ung fu legendBruce Lee is high%(ic(ing his wa' to )nternet

fame, aiming to show another side to his war%

wear' nation# *+ohammad )smail-euters.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/in-afghanistan-taliban-fighters-attack-foreign-compound-in-capital/2014/11/29/f0aef902-77d4-11e4-a755-e32227229e7b_story.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/world/new-afghan-leaders-face-culture-clash-as-they-form-cabinet/2014/10/16/636eb1e5-3798-4d32-b806-5d0b1261761c_story.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/world/new-afghan-leaders-face-culture-clash-as-they-form-cabinet/2014/10/16/636eb1e5-3798-4d32-b806-5d0b1261761c_story.htmlhttp://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CB0QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Fwp-dyn%2Fcontent%2Farticle%2F2010%2F12%2F23%2FAR2010122304577.html&ei=3kGUVN-HGpHtaO7fgcAK&usg=AFQjCNF_xtqsp8C_YUKQMwZvDWGC3jWahA&sig2=nK4yp_Xxq1lP1v7WP1AcEQhttp://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CB0QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Fwp-dyn%2Fcontent%2Farticle%2F2010%2F12%2F23%2FAR2010122304577.html&ei=3kGUVN-HGpHtaO7fgcAK&usg=AFQjCNF_xtqsp8C_YUKQMwZvDWGC3jWahA&sig2=nK4yp_Xxq1lP1v7WP1AcEQhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/in-afghanistan-taliban-fighters-attack-foreign-compound-in-capital/2014/11/29/f0aef902-77d4-11e4-a755-e32227229e7b_story.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/world/new-afghan-leaders-face-culture-clash-as-they-form-cabinet/2014/10/16/636eb1e5-3798-4d32-b806-5d0b1261761c_story.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/world/new-afghan-leaders-face-culture-clash-as-they-form-cabinet/2014/10/16/636eb1e5-3798-4d32-b806-5d0b1261761c_story.htmlhttp://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CB0QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Fwp-dyn%2Fcontent%2Farticle%2F2010%2F12%2F23%2FAR2010122304577.html&ei=3kGUVN-HGpHtaO7fgcAK&usg=AFQjCNF_xtqsp8C_YUKQMwZvDWGC3jWahA&sig2=nK4yp_Xxq1lP1v7WP1AcEQhttp://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CB0QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Fwp-dyn%2Fcontent%2Farticle%2F2010%2F12%2F23%2FAR2010122304577.html&ei=3kGUVN-HGpHtaO7fgcAK&usg=AFQjCNF_xtqsp8C_YUKQMwZvDWGC3jWahA&sig2=nK4yp_Xxq1lP1v7WP1AcEQ


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Kabul "ith six brothers and three sisters !hen he "as 8, Alizada sa" his firstBruce Lee film, and soon he sa" numerous others (is fa+orite9 *&nter the :ragon)

At ;ecently, he "on medals at t"o martial arts tournaments bronze in the first, gold in the second 5till, most people in Afghanistan, e+en(azaras, had not heard of him

-hen came the ou-ube +ideos and .acebook posts

Object1

5tunned by the reaction on social media,Alizada sa" an opportunity to capitalize onhis ne"found fame 3n his .acebook page,he announced that he "anted to be kno"nas Bruce (azara, and he created a -"itterhandle9 ?brucehazara

6y dream Bruce Lee@ (e is mychildhood hero and my only dream,) he

"rote, in broken &nglish, on his .acebookpage *-oday "ith all honor, I choose myname, Bruce (azara erhaps I can4t belike him but I try)

Abbas Alizada, who calls himself the Afghan

Bruce Lee, poses for the media in Kabul#

*+ohammad )smail-euters.


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But e+en as he gained thousands of fans, Alizada also recei+ed criticism foremphasizing his (azara ethnicity

5ince the U5%led inter+ention after the 8;; terror attacks ousted the -alibanregime in #$$;, more (azaras ha+e impro+ed their li+es by enrolling in uni+ersitiesand "orking for international agencies (azaras ha+e also "on *Afghan 5tar,) thecountry4s +ersion of American Idol t"ice

et many Afghans, particularly among the 5unni%ma2ority ethnic ashtuns and-a2iks, still consider (azaras inferior In Afghanistan4s fiercely tribal society, ethnicgrudges run deep

-his is an example of nationalism from (azaras,) "rote a poster named Lkm+oeir6osidf2 on Alizada4s .acebook page on :ec ;


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gushed Duhra 1aderi *(e inspires us !e feel pride not only as (azaras, but asAfghans)

Alizada said he hopes his fame "ill pro+ide an escape from his +iolent homeland(is story has run on 'hinese and Eapanese tele+ision net"orks (is -"itterfollo"ers, he said, include Americans and &uropeans (e dreams that one daysomeone "ill contact him and "hisk him a"ay to 'alifornia, to follo" in thefootsteps of the man "hose identity he has adopted

I "ant to become a +ery famous actor in (olly"ood mo+ies so that I can representAfghanistan,) said Alizada *I "ant to become like Bruce Lee)

%udarsan #agha&an has been +he Posts Kabul bureau chief since -*/. 0e was

pre&iously based in 1airobi and Baghdad for the Post.

afghans have an unlikely new hero a bruce lee look-alike

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