“No one answers the sword with ‘salaam’!”

[This was a very short paper presentation at College]

“ Many world famous philosophers, intellectuals, politicians repeatedly state that the lethal effect of a religion is just like the lethal effect of a harmful drug such as Opium. Fanaticism of a religion can be more dangerous than the harmful effect of a drug or alcohol.”

To the Western world, Taliban is a group of fanatics who terrorize the world in the name of religion. The Western understanding of the group itself is fundamentally flawed. Etymologically, the word Taliban, the plural form derived from the Arabic word ‘Talib’ meaning student. Therefore, in linguistic sense Taliban means a group of students who are open for knowledge. Initially, as a religious responsibility, Mullah Mohammed Omar, the spiritual leader of the Taliban, took over both defense and politics of the state which was under utter chaos. After the Soviet Union was forced out of Afghanistan, there was no law and order enforced on the public. Afghans had no choice but to listen to the bearded men who belonged to the Taliban.

Abdul Salaam Zaeef, the former Ambassador of the Taliban to Pakistan has written in his book ‘My Life with the Taliban’ that Afghanistan is the home of each Afghan. He also says that “the most important matter is to protect the honour of Afghanistan and its Islamic framework, including national Afghan traditions. These are the values which have protected Afghans, and for which Afghans have shed their blood and which have fueled their bravery, defeating every foreign invader and superpower in the world with the help of Allah.”

Mullah Zaeef’s ‘My Life with the Taliban’ says, “Now our nation is caught in a web woven by our neighbours and the foreigners with the help of a few. But the time will come when the Afghan people find their voice and come together to once again move forward at their own pace and along their own path.”

“No one answers the sword with salaam. And you cannot wash out blood with water. The sword is answered with the sword, and salaam with salaam. But it seems clear these days that America cannot tolerate anyone but itself, and this may lead to its collapse. Tolerance is the most necessary quality on earth; it can make the world into one home. But it is impossible that one person’s wish should dictate everything, no matter how much money or power is used.”

Indo-Afghan relations seemed fine till Pakistan tried to keep Afghanistan on its side to have a joint Muslim venture so that they could invade Indian territories. Pakistan never liked to see any foothold of India in Afghanistan. According to Ahmed Rashid, a respected Pakistani columnist, the Taliban leadership is sheltered by Pakistan in safe houses. Though they are grateful to Pakistan for the shelter provided to them, they are resentful of the constant Pakistani meddling in their internal affairs. After which Mullah Zaeef has gone on record saying that the Taliban is not against India. Their war is against America. Afghanistan and America are now bitter enemies. According to Zaeef, the Americans refused to understand Afghan traditions and culture, and that the Taliban had to defend the country’s independence, again as a religious responsibility.

Evidently, Afghans are the real sufferers caught between rock and hard surface. Strict followers of Islam consider groups like Taliban a black mark to their community. Ordinary Afghans have disowned them for their brutality. The future of Afghanistan is blurry and uncertain.

“ Religion is an insult to human dignity. With or without it, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.”

Nobel Laureate physicist Steven Weinberg