I have this book, I picked it up at a funky shop here in the Mission district in San Francisco.
I have also been to Afghanistan.
Most of us associate the Taliban with men who's fundamentalism and hate for women is obscene. That is true in my opinion, but there is a lot about the Taliban that most people do not know.
This video tells a bit more of their story, I wanted to embed this as a video, but it did not work.
But this is something you have to see to believe:
Taliban Gone Wild!
More pics after the fold....
I have done a ton of reading about Afghanistan, and after going there in 2004, I have been caught in some sort of spell. Anyone who has been to Afghanistan gets 'hooked' I cannot think of a better term, nor can I explain how such a place could effect me in the way it did.
This is a land that is still mostly destroyed. Nearly every wall (or what was left of it) I saw in the western part of Kabul where I stayed (Demazang) was covered with bullet holes, houses that at one time were like mansions, some even with pools, were destroyed and littered with bullet casings, and even some unexploded bombs. Even today the area does not have electricity or water from the city.
Yet, despite all the disadvantages they live with, Afghans are an optimistic people. Their strength blew me away, I cannot imagine going through what these people have and ever being able to smile again. But they do and they are determined to find peace after nearly 30 years of war. Oh, and their hospitality is not only legend, but fact!
Their desire to educate their children is strong. Yes, there are some backwards men who still deny their daughters to go to school, but this is changing, in part due to the success of some women.
One story I was told was about a man who had 6 daughters. During the Taliban era he would tell anyone who would listen how unlucky he was. But the women got involved with a vocational training program which taught them to sew. Now they are making more money than the man ever did in his life, and he is now very proud of his daughters. Funny how that works.
Also, of the Afghans I met and know today, they all want the US and other nations to stay. That said, they would strongly prefer that we spend money on reconstruction vs bombing villages in order to kill a few Taliban!
I know a lot of liberals lump Afghanistan in with Iraq, and simply want us out, now....but the situations are very different. Especially when you look at what the people in those nations want themselves.
Maybe it is just me, but I think we should pay attention to the Iraqis and Afghans.....
I have noticed that the media portrays the current situation in Afghanistan as the Taliban being the main culprit to the increased violence the country has seen in the past year (Bush would include Al Qaeda, which is a lesser problem, but in Afghanistan again). In fact this is a very complicated situation, one which I believe the Bush administration screwed up from the beginning.(surprise, surprise)
The US insisted that Karzai accept some leaders who are known war criminals, or other sorts of criminals. But they were OUR war criminals, they helped the US in 2001 defeat the Taliban, and some had fought the Soviets with our weapons in the 80's.
Many of these men fought against each other and killed thousands of people in Kabul alone, as they bombed the entire city to bits during their civil war that lasted from 92-96, when the Taliban came in.
There is a strong element of people in Afghanistan who are fighting against the war criminals, drug lords and simply corrupt officials. But they are not getting enough support.
People like Malali Joya could really use some help!
I decided to use this crazy video to attract attention to Afghanistan here in the Daily Kos.
Afghanistan is a place we can still make a difference. I hope this diary will encourage others to investigate what is going on there more, the main stream media is still ignoring this place. And I hope that some will join me in doing something to make a small difference in the lives of Afghans. They are amazing people, and they deserve some help rebuilding their nation.