A Life in Hashistan
3.7Posted on: September 17, 2009
Posted in: Documentaries by Rating, Documentaries by Title, Most Recent, Stoner Documentaries
Tags: Educational
del.icio.us
blinklist
digg
Facebook
Furl
ma.gnolia
Newsvine
Pownce
reddit
StumbleUpon
Technorati
Twitter
Long before Taliban and Al Qaeda hijacked our image of Islamic fundamentalism, the Pashto region of Afghanistan housed an ancient sect of devout fanatics, the Hashshashins. Their drug-induced belief that heaven was a paradise filled with willing virgins inspired them to kill all those that failed in the light of Islam. Their name gave us the word assassin, and with their unquestioning devotion and hunger for martyrdom, their mythos became the genesis for all subsequent jihadist and fundamentalist movements.
One man captured these legendary mercenaries on film well before the brutal wars of the last three decades. Armed with his 16mm camera, Chris Turner entered Afghanistan in 1967 in search of adventure and drugs. He found plenty of both with the Hashshashins. But, he also discovered a rustic and diverse people that included the largest nomadic tribe left in the world.
Through years of upheaval and war, Chris repeatedly returned to film their daily rituals, ceremonies and their amazing ability to survive harsh environs. Among the Afghans, Chris Turner’s pride in life became the stories he carried back home with him. Unbelievable at times, his adventures, for better or for worse, affected not only Chris, but his Midwestern family and especially his two sons.