I really want to reblog your save Afghanistan post. How do I defend it properly?
Because for some instead of being upset about the women's rights violations, people say oh but when talking about the US gets involved again brown people get hurt so it bad no matter what. I'm tempted just to get mad at them because these are human beings being harmed but I want them to realize what is happening is horrible. I hate that damn trend of but insert *horrible thing* is part of x group's culture so we will be doing more harm then help by intervening. Especially when it comes to women's rights. Some are treating that as a don't be a white savior they'll sort it out themselves.
Please is there an way to tell them that behavior that horrible group is doing there is not normal and not part of the culture?
I posted this picture in another post, but I will post it with some others.
I’m the 1970’s, Afghanistan was well on its way to becoming a developed country with a progressive socialist government. From the pictures themselves, you wouldn’t guess that this would be Afghanistan. But I can tell you for a fact this is how my grandmother used to dress. ^^
Afghanistan has been well known for its geographical advantage, bordering six other countries including China, India, and Iran. Along with that, Afghanistan also has massive reserves of oil, minerals, and gems.
The Soviet Invasion within Afghanistan caused massive devastation to the country. And in an effort to fight off the soviets, the U.S. and Pakistan trained Afghan fighters (some of these fighters later becoming the Taliban) to fight the war.
During 9/11, the Taliban made the claims that they were harboring the leaders responsible for the tradgey (even though Bin Laden was caught in Pakistan). 2001 followed the U.S. Invasion into Afghanistan, where they spent 20 years, and billions in taxpayer money, fighting the Taliban until Biden withdrew the troops.
There is no doubt that Russia, the U.S., U.K., Pakistan, other affiliated countries, and even Afghanistan’s corrupt government contributed to the harm and deaths of Afghan people along with the destruction of their country and their culture. But even in the time that the U.S.A. was in Afghanistan, my cousins felt safe enough to never wear a burqa or even think about leaving their country in favor of a developed nation. Right now they are scrambling to apply for a Special Immigrant Visa, and currently outside of Kabul hiding for when the Taliban take control of it.
What the Taliban are doing right now represents no part of Afghan culture, and above else DOES NOT REPRESENT ISLAM.
The Taliban is able to influence so many people because they actively restrict education. They will specifically take young boys from their homes and to Pakistan or other areas where they will warp the teachings of Islam to fit their agenda until all that is left is a radical interpretation where women are turned into objects of possession within a violent patriarchy.
And know that the Taliban will keep girls and even some boys illiterate to avoid reading the Quran. To realize that what they are doing IS NOT ISLAM!!
If the Taliban really represented the culture of Afghanistan, why are 400,000 Afghan families displaced? Why are they wearing burqas and not the skirts and hairstyles they wore 50 years before? And why are they crying about their dead brothers and kidnapped sisters?
Afghanistan’s culture was taken away long ago, but the people do have remnants of what was left of it. But the Taliban will do what they can to destroy any remaining trace of Afghanistan’s recorded history and arts until they create a religious, “Islamic” state.
TL:DR — The Taliban do not represent Afghan culture and they do not represent Islam.