The Taliban: Pilaf or Disease?

fable · Post by **fable** » Mon May 21, 2001 1:12 pm

Outsider suggested a thread on these folks in the Theological topic area, but since we're already discussing stuff there like the nature of the universe, faith, predestination, evolution theory and much, much more, it seemed to be pushing the envelope just a bit.

So post your opinions about the Taliban, here.

(I'm assuming you know who they are and what they're doing, but if you don't, feel free to ask.)

Gruntboy · Post by **Gruntboy** » Mon May 21, 2001 2:25 pm

Can't... resist... posting...

Despite... anal retentiveness... of thread...

Must... poke fun... at fable...

Hrrrngh! Its no use Captain, Ah canna hold 'im any longer!

The Taliban eh? Well, maybe if the Russians had done the job properly in the first place..

fable · Post by **fable** » Mon May 21, 2001 3:08 pm

Gruntboy writeth:
Must... poke fun... at fable...

Take a number, Gruntboy! You and the rest of the known universe.

Weasel · Post by **Weasel** » Mon May 21, 2001 5:03 pm

The Taliban eh? Well, maybe if the Russians had done the job properly in the first place..

My thoughts exactly

fable · Post by **fable** » Mon May 21, 2001 8:10 pm

I'm not sure, but I don't think the Soviets were fighting the Taliban. They were fighting all the tribes that make up Afghanistan, and managed to unite them (for probably the first time in history, heh). After the Soviet left in disgrace, the US and its allies who had supported the warlords missed a golden opportunity to direct the tribes, who had gotten nearly all their weapons and support from the West. Instead, the warlords degenerated into endless battles, with people constantly changing sides.

The Taliban were a bunch of fundamentalist Sunni students who also acquired weapons from the West. I can't tell you how they came out on top, but we all know they did. So instead of endless corruption and warfare, Afghanistan now has a perfect medieval totalitarian state on the Islamic fringe.

Mr Sleep · Post by **Mr Sleep** » Tue May 22, 2001 5:32 am

So fable you set up this entire thread just to show off your powers of knowledge retention. I don't think even i have done such a thing, be ashamed.....

Darkpoet · Post by **Darkpoet** » Tue May 22, 2001 6:15 am

When you make Taliban pilaf, you use saffron, butter, garlic, and parsley.

Am I right Fable?

Anatres · Post by **Anatres** » Tue May 22, 2001 6:39 am

I have to agree, somewhat, with the comments about the Soviets. Even though I disagree with some of their tactics, if we can believe the Western press, if they had subjugated the country they wouldn't have escaped Soviet rule until the collapse of the Soviet Union. Then the country may have ended up just as they are but then again maybe not.

Hopefully the rest of the countries in that region can contain their fervor so that their influence remains stuck in Afganistan. The region is heavy with non-islamic artifacts and I, from an archeological standpoint, would hate to see more arbitrarily destroyed.

fable · Post by **fable** » Tue May 22, 2001 8:17 am

Mr. Sleep writes:
So fable you set up this entire thread just to show off your powers of knowledge retention.

Don't I wish! I have always had terrible shortterm memory, and, er...

What were we talking about?

Gruntboy · Post by **Gruntboy** » Tue May 22, 2001 11:32 am

Originally posted by fable:
I'm not sure, but I don't think the Soviets were fighting the Taliban <snip!>

Indeed they weren't. They were just trying to flatten the country (and the hotbed of Islamic fandamentalism it may have become).

Kayless · Post by **Kayless** » Tue May 22, 2001 3:22 pm

[url="http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010522/ts/afghanistan_hindus.html"]http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010522/ts/afghanistan_hindus.html[/url]
Check it out.

Weasel · Post by **Weasel** » Tue May 22, 2001 4:12 pm

Most of the Islamic world, including pro-Taliban Pakistan, has differed with the Taliban's narrow interpretation of Islam and say the militia is tarnishing Islam's image.

As I have stated before....I believe all religion should be respected. This comment here, that the Taliban is tarnishing Islam's image , I don't agree with. I don't judge a religion on what some of it's members/people
do.

@Fable...I was joking on the Russian comment.

The Outsider · Post by **The Outsider** » Tue May 22, 2001 5:33 pm

@Weasel:
---
I don't judge a religion on what some of it's members/people do.
---

Um, that's nice in theory, but perhaps a bit too open-hearted in this case. It's possible to study the Mayan religion with equanimity and academic distance, since they (and all of their slaughtered victims) are long since dead. However, there are thousands of real, living women being beaten every day, being forced into social slavery as fifth-caste citizens. This is not behaviour I can respect. The Taliban recently stormed a Red Cross hospital, on the grounds that it put men and women together. Also, any light, non-religious, non-orthodox entertainment is forbidden. No BG2 for you

. And, the forced identification of "minority groups" that the posted article talks about is too reminiscent of the Nazis for me to look upon this unperturbed.

This is a religion that does not respect half of its adherents, and one that turns the other half into brainwashed mysogynists. Can you really respect it, and would your attitude be different if the Taliban were to impose their regime on your home town?

Weasel · Post by **Weasel** » Tue May 22, 2001 5:46 pm

Originally posted by The Outsider:
@Weasel:
---
I don't judge a religion on what some of it's members/people do.
---

Um, that's nice in theory, but perhaps a bit too open-hearted in this case. It's possible to study the Mayan religion with equanimity and academic distance, since they (and all of their slaughtered victims) are long since dead. However, there are thousands of real, living women being beaten every day, being forced into social slavery as fifth-caste citizens. This is not behaviour I can respect. The Taliban recently stormed a Red Cross hospital, on the grounds that it put men and women together. Also, any light, non-religious, non-orthodox entertainment is forbidden. No BG2 for you . And, the forced identification of "minority groups" that the posted article talks about is too reminiscent of the Nazis for me to look upon this unperturbed.

This is a religion that does not respect half of its adherents, and one that turns the other half into brainwashed mysogynists. Can you really respect it, and would your attitude be different if the Taliban were to impose their regime on your home town?

So I should judge all Islamic people by this group???

I will not judge a religion by what one group/sect does. If I did I could look at all religions and judge them the same way....How many people died in the Crusade's??

The Outsider · Post by **The Outsider** » Tue May 22, 2001 7:36 pm

@Weasel: Where, in my post, did it suggest that my ire was directed towards all Muslims indiscriminately? I'm angry at the Taliban, quite specifically.

I'm not suggesting that you lose respect for Islam as a whole, just for the regime in power in Afghanistan. Interestingly enough, there have been Quranic studies and hadithic examinations done by Muslim scholars, all of which discredit the doctrinal foundations for the Taliban's practices. It's not an Islam vs. the rest of the world thing, it's a Taliban vs. the rest of the world thing.

Weasel · Post by **Weasel** » Tue May 22, 2001 7:44 pm

Originally posted by The Outsider:
@Weasel: Where, in my post, did it suggest that my ire was directed towards all Muslims indiscriminately? I'm angry at the Taliban, quite specifically.

I'm not suggesting that you lose respect for Islam as a whole, just for the regime in power in Afghanistan. Interestingly enough, there have been Quranic studies and hadithic examinations done by Muslim scholars, all of which discredit the doctrinal foundations for the Taliban's practices. It's not an Islam vs. the rest of the world thing, it's a Taliban vs. the rest of the world thing.

This is a religion that does not respect half of its adherents, and one that turns the other half into brainwashed mysogynists. Can you really respect it, and would your attitude be different if the Taliban were to impose their regime on your home town?

This is a religion

I believe you did post this. So this is were you directed your remarks towards all Muslims indiscriminately.

Xandax · Post by **Xandax** » Wed May 23, 2001 10:31 am

So now the Taliban wants to "mark" all hindus(sp?) and other religions with yellow marks so they are easily distinguished from muslims.
For their own protection

Sounds familiar??

fable · Post by **fable** » Wed May 23, 2001 11:05 am

@Xandax, unfortunately, yes. The Taliban have shown themselves in the past to be as sneaky as they are fanatical. Unfortunately, the way the West has treated Afghanistan, I can't see any challenge to their authority, any time soon.

Xandax · Post by **Xandax** » Wed May 23, 2001 11:10 am

Yeah - fanatics are dangerous enough - and when they show sign of some intelligence, it is then that you really have to be carefull.

ThorinOakensfield · Post by **ThorinOakensfield** » Thu May 24, 2001 12:15 pm

hello

This is the story of the Taliban.
The Russians were becoming powerful and wanted to have port in the Idian Ocean. They were trying to get into Pakistan where they would get a seaport. The Russians had taken over some of Afghanistan, and the U.S couldn't let them continue. So the U.S sent its CIA which brought together all the tribes and trained them and gave them weapons. The tribes fought with the Russians but the Russians started to lose power and were thrown out. The CIA brought people from all over the Middle East and trained and gave weapons to them. After the Russians collapsed the CIA left, and these people were left with the weapons. Some became kind of crazy and got all these wierd ideas (Taliban).

People such as Bin Laden were trained by the CIA and thats how all these terrorists got all teh weapons.
You can thank the CIA for screwing up the Middle East.