Name of Organization, Fedayeen-e-Sol, Significant Says Wardak

The organization begun by Hamed Wardak, Fedayeen-e-Sol, chose its name very carefully. The word “fedayeen” is usually associated with militants and they purposefully used this wording in order to co-op Islamic names and symbols. The word “fedayeen” is also associated with jihad in terms of personal or collective struggle to do good.

As Hamed Wardak explains, "Our point is to cleanse these names from [their association with] Islamic radicals. We don't want to go in a rabid secularist direction, we want to say we're comfortable with Islam, these Islamic ideals don't belong to you [radicals]."

Poll Results for Successful U.S./NATO Outcome

The Campaign for a U.S. – Afghanistan Partnership, where Hamed Wardak is a founding vice-president, conducted a poll about the U.S. and NATO outcomes in Afghanistan. 56% of respondents said that an understanding of the ideology of the Afghan people is the most important factor for the success of the U.S./NATO alliance.

As Hamed Wardak explains, “These survey results underscore people who are closest to these issues on the ground know that war with radical Taliban and Al Qaeda is one that is based on religious ideology.”

He goes on to explain that, according to Wardak, the results also show that the United States needs to do a better job of “distinguishing between traditional Afghan Muslims and radical Salafi-Taliban figures, and (must) support traditional Muslims while fighting radicalism."

Rhode Scholars - Hamed Wardak, Myron Rolle & Others

When reading someone’s resume, you’ll often notice when they’ve written that they were a Rhodes Scholar. But what does this mean? The Rhodes Scholarship was started in 1902 by the estate of Cecil Rhodes. As the oldest international educational fellowship in the world, it is certainly a prestigious accomplishment to count yourself as part of this group.

Each year, 32 American students join another 50 or so from around the world to study at Oxford University. They enjoy an all-expense pain scholarship to live and study at this prestigious location. The list of Rhodes Scholarships is quite long, and exceptionally varied. It includes everything from Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal to CUSAP founder Hamed Wardak.

Recent Activities at the AACC

The Afghan-American Chamber of Commerce has been very busy as of late, holding important conferences and engaging in vital dialogues. The Afghan-American Chamber of Commerce, with founding vice-president Hamed Wardak and many others, is a leading organization that works to bring together U.S. and Afghan business, investment and trade ties. They advocate for a free market economy in Afghanistan and they work to strengthen U.S.-Afghan economic ties.

In recent news, the AACC US-Afghanistan Business Matchmaking 2009 was held late last year and was a great success. They had a large turnout and helped to make known business and investment opportunities in Afghanistan and to meet representatives of Afghan companies that are based in Dubai and in Afghanistan. It also facilitated the networking of key private sector, financial and government contacts.

Meeting Omar Olumee

Omar Olumee sits on the board for the Campaign for a US-Afghanistan Partnership (CUSAP) along with Hamed Wardak and Assad A. Mattin. This board, and the organization in general, aims to help Afghanistan to become a strong, prosperous nation with the continued support of the United States.

As a founding member of CUSAP and an Afghan-American, Omar Olumee is also a Senior Consultant on the Business Systems Integration team in Deloitte & Touche’s Public Services Business Unit.

He has a B.A. from George Mason University in International Studies and a Masters in Information Technology from Virginia Tech.

CUSAP Pillars of Action

CUSAP, the Campaign for a US-Afghanistan Partnership, has 9 pillars by which they function. As a nonprofit organization founded by Hamed Wardak and others, they have American and Afghan members, and they work to create a sustainable peace and prosperity for Afghanistan. Two of their 9 pillars include generating a sustainable economic base and uniting leadership.

Generate a Sustainable Economic Base
CUSAP and Hamed Wardak want the United States to help Afghanistan to rebuild its traditional economic base and to develop its wealth of natural resources. Only in this way can Afghanistan have a sustainable economic base and ensure that military-aged men can support their families and build Afghanistan.

United Leadership
According to CUSAP, the United States can help Afghanistan to build a successful government by encouraging Afghan leaders to engage with local and tribal leaders. This will ensure local support and will recognize the important of the tribal system for creating peace in Afghanistan.

3 Pillars of CUSAP

CUSAP is a nonprofit organization founded by 8 people, including Hamed Wardak, that works to promote peace and prosperity in Afghanistan. The Campaign for a US-Afghanistan Partnership has 9 main pillars that guide their work and their efforts. 3 of them will be discussed here.

1. A Commitment to Reduce the Drug Trade: Hamed Wardak and CUSAP want the Afghan government, in partnership with the U.S. to aggressively counteract the drug trade in Afghanistan.

2. Combat Corruption & Foster Good Governance: CUSAP believes that Afghanistan can’t stabilize without reducing corruption and that the U.S. should tie their aid programs and support to progress that Afghanistan makes in the area of corruption.

3. Embrace Traditional Islam to Counter al Qaeda: CUSAP and Hamed Wardak want the U.S. and Afghanistan to embrace moderate Islamic leaders who have shown an ability to combat Islamic extremists. When working with people in Afghanistan towards reconciliation, the U.S. and Afghanistan, according to CUSAP, should separate the traditional Afghan Muslims from radical Salafi-Taliban figures and should only negotiate with traditional Afghan Muslims.