Ayanna Nahmias, Editor-in-Chief
Last Modified: 00:31 a.m. EDT, 9 July 2012
KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban has reasserted its hold on the Afghan people and is exacting horrific punishment against those whom they have accused of moral turpitude. As in prior years when the Taliban's power was at its height, the predominant victims of their extrajudicial sentencing continues to be women.
When viewing the video I am left with a great deal that I want to state but none of it at this time will be beneficial to stopping this act of barbarism. When the media talks about moderate muslims in the face of these acts and so many others in the name of this religion or it's numerous Islamic groups I am continously left to ask where are they and why don't they ban together to stop this or is it too late for them as well?
bigstick1
Thank you so much for the reblog. As always, the topics you present on your site are thought provoking and informative.
I think we should not wage wars in Afghanistan etc, but what we should do is: get all the women out of there. These men don’t deserve women.
Lock them up in a few valleys, no women and children, and they can do whatever they like to do to each other,
If only it were that easy.
I don’t call my self “moderate”, but I am a Muslim, and I can tell you that we are together and we are here. What else can we do? We say the truth and set the example and still this is what some people are doing. What are we do to with such people? They cannot be forced to change, and their extremism is driven by continual invasions of their land dating back centuries- Punjab Sikhs, British, Russians, NATO. The issue is so confused now that the best thing to do would be leave them alone to come back to their senses. Afghanistan wasn’t like this even 40 years ago…
Yes, I would agree you are not a moderate maybe a gradualist. If you don’t accept what they do then you stand in their way.
People have been invading people since the dawn of time. History is replete with this but now it is different in that we now have the ability to be far more global and interactive than ever before. This above all else will drive change.
I am aware of this on Afghanistan, however, what you advocate for is isolationism which can lead to further issues.
What we need to realize is this is a religous war and has been for a while. Religion has fueled much either directly or indirectly due to its influence or abuse of humanity.
I’m not a gradualist either. I don’t fit under any label, and why should people need for me to? It’s time for the world to stop pretending that they care about Afghans or the plight of Afghan women. From time immemorial, dating back ancient Persia, the Silk Road, etc. it has always been about its geo-strategic position, and now it’s that and it’s trillion dollars of resources. If anybody who was involved with Afghanistan were sincere- there are a VERY few, I admit- then the rest of the world would be perfect, because how can people care more about far-flung strangers than the people suffering near them?
Apparently you don’t think people care much. They do. In the US, people who are across country will drop everything just about and run to the other side of the country to give a hand to victims of disaster. Happens here all the time just not the big news story. People will run to burning cars and help people out, knowing they could die in that attempt, people will open their homes and welcome many who have been homeless due to tragedy or stand up for the down trodden or send money to help. People really do care about humanity where ever they may be. This happens every day everywhere. The difference though is that the people who are directly affected must stand against the atrocities or the inequities otherwise no matter how much others care little will change.
Now, that is not to say the government doesn’t have another agenda. The problem that I see with Afghanistan is that the US keeps sending monies to Pakistan where the Taliban stronghold has always existed creating terror in Afghanistan. So I fully comprehend their frustration on many levels that they would like to have a stable country where people genuinely feel safe and are free to determine their beliefs and movement. However, they are continually pushed back or stunted by the continually infusion of monies from the west/Saudi Arabia, uae, etc sending Pakistan monies which is then being funneled to terrorist organizations.
I read some of your blog I find it interesting but I don’t necessary agree with quite a bit of it. That is not to say you don’t have good points in many areas just that your conclusions or premise is contrary to mine.
I have a jaded view of human nature, but an optimistic view of human potential. As an African-American son of African-Americans, I have a profound distrust of the U.S. government and media, and that extends backwards through history. Individuals should be evaluated and treated on their individual merits and deeds, and I try my best to do that. I agree with you, though: it serves no purpose for good people to be weak or meek.
As for my blog, it’s just a piece of my mind. Truth is not an option. I am unwilling to compromise what I know to be true, but I am always willing to look further. Which posts did you read?
By the way, your post on white slavery in America was very telling. I knew of it, but not its extent. Here is something you might find interesting:
When Mustawrid al-Qurashi was sitting with ‘Amr ibn al-’As, he said,
“I heard the Prophet* say, ‘The Hour** will come when the Romans***
will be in the majority.’ ‘
Amr asked him, “What are you saying?”
He said, “I am repeating that which I heard from the Prophet.”
‘Amr said, “If you say this, it is true, because they have four good
characteristics:
(1) they are the most able to cope with tribulation,
(2) the quickest to recover after disaster
(3) and to return to the fight after disaster,
(4) and are the best as far as treating the poor, weak and orphans is concerned.
They have a fifth characteristic which is very good;
(5) they do not allow themselves to be oppressed by their kings.”
* i.e. Muhammad, May Allah’s Prayers and Salutations be upon him
** i.e. The final hour, the start of Resurrection and Judgement
*** i.e. “the 2nd Rome” or the Byzantine Empire based in Constantinople. The reference is then either to Christians or Europeans.
The 6th quality I would add is that they feel that they are slaves unless they have them.
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I am living in Pakistan now and I can assure you that most foreign bribes, I mean aid are going to private bank accounts, mostly foreign.
Have you watched the video on slavery by Islam? It is also very telling.
No doubt, the US has it’s problems but I think you don’t give Pakistan it’s due. You see they actively seek bribes (aid). They have there agendas as well and they are not innocents by any means. They have blood even of their own on their hands.
I understand jaded but I have watch people go out of their way to help someone and expect nothing.
There is no video on slavery by Islam. There is/was a slave trade by Muslims, primarily Arabs. If they do/did it but believed that it was wrong, they were sinners. If they do/did it denying that it was wrong, they took themselves out of the fold of Islam. I have lived amongst the Arabs for some time, and they are not exemplars. Why would a prophet be sent to a people who are good? That’s off-topic anyway. Tempting, but off-topic.
I have seen what you have seen, too, which is why I’m optimistic about human potential. But I can’t ignore other things I have seen and even I am not innocent. We have a twin potentiality: “We Created man in the best form, then We Return him to the lowest of the low, except those who believe and do good deeds…” (Qur-aan 95). I don’t deny either aspect, and I see people, singly and in groups, operating in both.
As for Pakistan, don’t trouble your self. It’s too complex to understand from afar. If you wanna visit, let me know.
Sure I’ll visit. I assure you I am extremely aware of politics and deception. Did you watch the video on Muslim slavery trade?
You can catch a glimpse of Pakistani life here: http://qahiri.wordpress.com/2011/06/09/strange-marriage/. Also, check out a book called My Feudal Lord by Tehmina Durrani. That’d beat any textbook, article or other book for depth and breadth of informative value.
By the way. There was no prophet just a con artist and a political agenda.
But that’s just the point, there’s so much more to Pakistan than the politics. There are so many more levels of awareness required to understand this place. But one thing I can tell you is this: you can’t help but love it. You’ll hate it too, but reluctantly…
Thank you for the book selection. I found the marriage interesting and I hope you have many happy/joyful years.
Yes, one can love a people but not it’s practices. This happens here in the US as well.
I look forward to reading the selection.
Here’s my final word on Afghanistan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZYm9tIqfIY&feature=related
I viewed the clip and I also have the transcripts. His statement doesn’t lend itself to where you are going. It does lend itself to allowing a country to try to better itself if it is allowed to stablize. Here is the entire transcript of that enitre interview.
http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/transcripts/general-petraeus-meet-the-press-transcript-august-15-2010.html
Have you read King Leopold’s Ghost? There, some European nations used the rhetoric of protecting Africans from slavery (i.e. for the sake of freedom) to mask their colonization, enslavement and exploitation of the same people. It is almost exactly what you hear people saying now, with the change in a few key terms. The results are the same, so far, and I’m pretty sure the intentions are to. That book is a must-read.
I believe the author does a poor job of his estimates regarding the net death toll and the population decline in relation to the King’s activities. Hothschild makes claims on estimates to which he has no way of backing. In addition, he has no baseline of Congo’s initial population. It is possible that the Congolese moved from the area rather than to stay to die and his numbers are provided for no more than sensationalism. He apparently has an axe to grind in bashing Europeans and he feeds on political correctness. In addition, he has a tendency to psychoanalyze the characters and embellish their deeds for no more than a hope to ensure a good sell. That said there are good points that he does bring up but he has numerous missing components such as the current political atmosphere of the time, wars within the area, disease and other underlying issues of the geographic area of the time.
I think far better books would be:
The King Incorporated: Leopold the Second and the Congo by Neal Ascherson
Africa: Dispatches from a Fragile Continent by Blaine Harden
I assure you that there is a lot more involved in Africa’s predicament than European Colonization and often times this avenue is an easier escape route than to actually deal with the numerous issues to which lead and still plague many parts of Africa. If you focus too narrowly you will miss a great deal of what influenced the making of Africa today.
But I wasn’t this to talk about Africa.
I was making a reference to the doublespeak used by colonizing politicians, monarchs and entrepreneurs at that time, to point out the parallels used by corresponding individuals and groups today. On that point, I think it is easy to agree.
Africa itself, as you indicated, is a big topic. Tempting, but off-topic.
Do this, compare the dialogue quoted in Hothschild or any of your books (which I won’t have access to for awhile, unfortunately) to the diplomatic cables quoted in The Unmaking of the Middle East or the jargon quoted in Target Iran. I won’t tell you what impressions I think you’ll get, or what I got, but I think you would find the comparison of language (specifically) interesting. I should write an English paper on this, “comparative dialogue”, or something…
Ritter, Scott, Target Iran: The Truth About the White House’s Plans for Regime Change (Hardcover), Nation Books, 2006, ISBN 1-56025-936-1
Salt, Jeremy, The Unmaking of the Middle East: A History of Western Disorder in Arab Lands
Well, double speak goes both ways and the Eastern civilizations are by no means any less culpable by any means. I assure you they are equally at fault for much of their problems if not more. We are not talking about individuals who just were born yesterday we are talking about civilations to which has had many influences on the west including all of the Abrahamic religions and their politics to includes religiously sanctioned deception and wars. I will look into the book you suggested but to put the blame of the middle east problems upon the west is both juvenile and uninformed. The Eastern civilizations have more than their fair share of responsibility for their own predicament to include numerous religious and cultural human atrocities and political fallacies.
This is not about blame, or with whom it lies. It is about, going back to my original comments in this thread, the insincerity of announced Western intentions in Afghanistan. In my later comments, I was offering support to my position by pointing out that there is a noticeable trend going back centuries. I am only on that point, not any of its corollaries.
I am glad you cleared that up as I was wondering what rabbit hole I was going down.
Now back to Afghanistan. I never assume that anyone enters into a war without some form of perceived benefit, however to exclude the belief that there is a drive to assist humanity even in cases of war is very one-sided. I do believe there are many in the government that truly intended on helping individuals in this country as we are human and we do share the same human trait of caring and concern. So when individuals in the United States see the conditions in which these individuals live they are torn and want to assist; however that is not to say that there isn’t another faction within our government that does see the opportunities and would like to find ways in which to manipulate it to their benefit. So to your position the answer is yes that does exist and no there are those who truly believe in this effort to help however misguided their efforts tend to be. I often find that the reality is not so simple nor one-sided but often a case of shades of gray.