@article{1355858,
      recid = {1355858},
      author = {Bourgaux, Pascale. and Driver, Andrew.},
      title = {Prayers of a warlord [electronic resource] /},
      publisher = {Filmakers Library,},
      address = {New York, NY :},
      pages = {1 online resource (52 min.).},
      year = {2003},
      note = {Originally released as DVD.},
      abstract = {For the first time a warlord opens his doors and takes us  on an intimate tour to the heart of the Afghan feudal  system. Mamour Hasan governs 50,000 people in  Dash-Te-Qalah, in the north east corner of Afghanistan.  They are largely Tajik and Pashtun. Gray bearded and mild  mannered, with an army 10,000 strong, his authority is  unchallenged. The film opens with the peaceful image of  Hasan praying by the side of a river. Later he explains how  he opposed the cruelty of the Taliban. Their version of  Islam, he says, is not the true Islam, which is forgiving  and tolerant. We follow him through the busy local market,  friendly but firmly collecting taxes from the vendors. This  revenue stays in his domain. With it, he pays the army,  supports the schools, and his Council of Elders takes care  of those in need. He mediates justice in a benevolent way.  Hassan has enlightened views on women, although his three  wives refuse to be filmed. This documentary takes one to a  world far from urban Kabul and global politics, but  representative of much of the countryside. Although the  term "warlord" has been bandied about by journalists and  commentators reporting on Afghanistan, this portrait of  Mamour Hasan and his villagers illuminates a way of life, a  social organization and indeed a mentality that needs to be  understood by westerners considering the future of  Afghanistan.},
      url = {http://library.usi.edu/record/1355858},
}