taliban

If ever there was a group that thrives on the misogyny in Islamic Sharia Law, it is the Taliban. Evidence of this is everywhere, when people bother to look for it.

If you come to Partizane regularly, you have read New Hampster's recent story of the young Afghan woman, married off by her father at the age of 10 to a pedophile. The love story ended with the girl losing her nose and part of her ears, because she dared to save herself from her constant state of torturous domestic abuse.

As disturbing as Bibi Aisha’s story is to any rational human being, there are many more horrific examples of the Taliban’s inhumane treatment of women. Its hatred of females has spurred sinister pathological behavior that has made the lives of Afghan women a living hell. (The Taliban says it’s simply following Islam.)

Two tapes and a link to a YouTube audiotape were sent yesterday to The Long War Journal website by a group identifying itself as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan). The YouTube message has the thought dead (but very much alive) Qari Hussain Mehsud claiming that the Pakistani Taliban carried out the failed May 1 car bomb attack in New York City's Times Square. Mehsud is a master bomb maker and senior commander in the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan. 

 In the The Long War Journal’s report, Bill Roggio writes:

"The two Hakeemullah tapes consist of a videotape of Hakeemullah flanked by two masked fighters, and an audiotape with images of Hakeemullah superimposed over a map of the US with explosions in the background. In both tapes, Hakeemullah claimed that the Taliban have infiltrated the US and that their operatives would launch attacks in American cities…."

In the YouTube audiotape (opening image shown directly below), which was released as the work of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan News Channel, Mehsud takes credit for the failed car bombing in New York City.  Mehsud says: "This attack is a revenge for the great & valuable martyred leaders," and "revenge for the Global American interference & terrorism in Muslim countries, especially in Pakistan.”  Mehsud also warns NATO that it must denounce the US and apologize for "the massacres in Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Pakistani tribal areas otherwise be prepared for the worst destruction and devastation in their regions." 

I've been quite absent getting ready for Thanksgiving and the week after.

Pap smears?  Not a subject I'm knowledgeable on, but from past experience I know how important they are.

Afghanistan is the most dangerous place in the world to be born, especially if you're a girl.

I just read The Kite Runner which is a total eye opener about what life was like there before, before the Russians and before the Taliban and before, well before the world ended for that country.

I've added the BBC photo of an Afghan girl to illustrate what is at stake if we leave.  As much as I hate war and guns, as much as I detest those in charge of Afghanistan, I cannot support us leaving this country.  In fact I am strongly in favor of a totally different approach.

Let's plant roots and stay much like we did in Japan, Korea, Germany.  Let's stay and give them the time. possibly generations, to change attitudes and join the modern world.  nh

ABC News

Eight Years Later: 'Most Dangerous Place To Be Born'

ABC’s Nick Schifrin files this sad item from Kabul:

 

In a press conference in Geneva today, the South Asia regional director for UNICEF said this: "Afghanistan today is without a doubt the most dangerous place to be born.”

 

Dan Toole was speaking about UNICEF’s annual report The State of the World’s Children, which is available here(pdf).

 

Toole said Afghanistan has the highest infant mortality rate in the world: 257 deaths for every 1,000 live births. He also said a lack of security prevents polio and measles vaccine campaigns and decreases the number of children attending schools, especially girls. 317 schools have been destroyed by the Taliban in the past year, he said, killing 124 people.

 

Here’s another link(pdf) – to drive the point home. This is the actual list of mortality rates around the world.