"Poetry of the Taliban" To Be Sold In The U.S. In July

It's bad enough that UK researchers/journalists Alex Strick van Linschoten and Felix Kuehn (along with historian Faisal Devji) have published an anthology of poetry penned by Taliban militants, that same book- " Poetry of the Taliban (Columbia/Hurst)"- will be available in the U.S. come July 17, and Amazon has it available for pre-order for about $20.00.
There are, of course, those who applaud the endeavour.  Robin Yassin-Kassab of the liberal UK Guardian says of the project:

"Poetry of the Taliban therefore, is a brave and useful project. Published this week, and already denounced in some quarters as "self-justifying propaganda", it offers a perspective on the conflict through the Other's eyes, something worth more than a library full of cold analysis."

In fact, there has been quite a lot of praise. From the New Yorker, to the Wall Street Journal to the New York Times, people are saying it's a worthwhile effort. They think it's important to show the kinder more gentler side of some of the most ruthless, barbaric and violent religious extremists out there. Dr. James Caron of the University of Pennsylvania said,

These poems expose something of the full, textured, deeply conflicted humanity of those who actively consume and recirculate them, those who may be insurgents at the same time they are humans. In providing such a picture, the “insurgent” is restored a sense of humanity, and agency, and thus even (as the editors note) an accountability for violence that would be impossible to expect from a mere avatar.”

Humanity? Really?  Who cares if these militants who stone people to death (mostly women, and for no good reason), behead their enemies, cut off disobeying wives' noses and ears, throw acid on young school girls, whip women for inadvertently showing some ankle under their oppressive burqas, sell their young girls like cattle, happen to write a little poetry. It doesn't humanize them one bit. Just because someone loves art or writes poetry does not balance out their inherent evil. Hitler supposedly wrote poetry too:

YOUR MOTHER

When your mother has already aged,
When her eyes love and hope
no longer see life as it once did,
When her feet, and tired,
Can no longer hold her while walking

So give her your arm in support,
Join her with joy,
The time will come when, weeping,
should accompany her on her last legs

And if you question something,
then give a response.
And if you ask again, talk to her!
And if you question yet again, respond,
Not eagerly, but with gentle calm.

And if she can not understand you clearly,
explain everything with gentle joy.
Will come when the bitter hour
that her lips will not ask anything more.

Nice, he loved his mommy, but he still orchestrated the murder of millions.
And the Taliban love their jihad.  Here's one of the many poems in the anthology meant to help us relate to and understand the artistic, sensitive feminine side of these butchers. Foreign Policy has a few more on their site, for your enjoyment.

TRENCHES

Hot, hot trenches are full of joy;
Attacks on the enemy are full of joy.
Guns in our hands and magazine belts over my shoulders;
Grenades on my chest are full of joy.
They enemy can't resist when he sees them;
Black hair and stiff moustaches are full of joy.
He who fights in the field is manly;
Houses full of black-haired women are full of joy.
We become eager two times after hearing it:
The clang, clang and rockets are full of joy.
Leave the lips and spring, O poet!
Poems full of feeling are full of joy.
Jawad, I say, on the true path of jihad,
All kinds of troubles are full of joy.

—Jawad
May 21, 2008

Money The Root Of All Jihad: Khalil Dale Beheaded For Not Paying Ransom

For all their claims that their holy jihad is against foreign invaders, most Islamist extremists are nothing more than low down, barbaric, common criminals. Supposed holy warriors don't attack innocents, they don't attack people who are in their country to help, and they certainly don't kill someone because a ransom wasn't paid. But it happens alot. 

Ironically, the kidnapped Scottish Red Cross nurse who was found decapitated, dumped by the side of a Quetta, Pakistan road covered in plastic with a note attached saying “This is the body of Khalil who we have slaughtered for not paying a ransom amount” was a Muslim convert. 60-year-old Khalil Rasjed Dale (fka Ken) converted to Islam 30 years ago.  I wonder if he ever envisioned having his head chopped off by fellow believers?

Dale had been working for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) when he was kidnapped on January 5th. He was driving with two others, a Pakistani doctor and a driver, but there was no interest in those two because obviously there was no monetary gain to be had. Foreign aid workers are often targets because they are potential cash cows. 

In spite of  "tireless efforts" to gain Dale's release by the British government (working in tandem with the ICRC), the fact that no money exchanged hands effectively secured his death sentence. Both Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague and the ICRC's Director General Yves Daccord condemned the act:

“The ICRC condemns in the strongest possible terms this barbaric act. All of us at the ICRC and at the British Red Cross share the grief and outrage of Khalil’s family and friends.”

“This was a senseless and cruel act, targeting someone whose role was to help the people of Pakistan, and causing immeasurable pain to those who knew Dale,” Hague said in the statement.

Dale had been shot and beheaded, but who knows if he was still alive when they sliced his head off.  According to Safdar Hussain,the doctor who examined his body, “A sharp knife was used to sever his head from the body.”  Not surprisingly, there's a video of his beheading that the butchers have threatened to release, but the ICRC has asked the Pakistani  media to not air it. Who knows if they will comply. 

It's time aid organizations pull out of that whole region.


Sources: Guardian UK, Al Arabiya, Daily Mail

Afghan Taliban Asks Muslim World To Donate To Their Jihad Fund

The Taliban in Afghanistan have gone hi-tech. Though they might be hiding out in caves on the Pakistan/Afghanistan border, they actually have their own dedicated website, Voice of Jihad, that primarily serves as a means of reporting and glorying in all the infidel casualties that they're responsible for.  VOJ also has a  forum where you can 'ask a Taliban' a question.  But that's not all, they also have two email addresses (gmail and yahoo), and two cell phone hotlines where you can donate money to the cause. Yes, apparently they are in "desperate" need of funds to continue their jihad against the "infidel invaders" and the masses of fellow Afghans who just so happen to be in the way.

According to their on-line appeal:

This Islamic land is in the tyrannical grip of the combative infidel enemy, posing the greatest threat to the entire Muslim world.

As a result, in the light of Islamic sharia, all Muslims everywhere are duty-bound to join the Jihad with money and soul.

Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which stood up with Muslim Ummah’s physical and financial support, are still waging legitimate Jihad single-handedly with mere help from common sincere Islam-loving masses and is in dire need of financial assistance from the Muslim brothers worldwide for its military and non-military expenditures.

What may come as surprise, well worthy of mention, is the fact that the Jews and Christians in order to prolong and win the prevailing war on the ground, keep raising and collecting funds from their people in every corner of the world and calling on meetings and conferences for the very purpose.

Similarly, the Muslims, too, out of their true spirit of faith are not to forget their Muslim brothers defending and upholding the truth in Afghanistan and extend a helping hand in the form financial aid in the same way as they take part in Jihad physically.

Christians and Jews raising funds for the Western jihad against Muslims in Afghanistan?  Right.

Then comes the 'your damned to hell if you don't' guilt trip:

However, what if you were not prepared to fight in the way of Allah, either financially or in soul ? Prophet (sallallu alaihe wa salaam) says in Sahi Muslim "One who died but did not fight in the way of Allah nor did he express any desire or determination for Jihad died the death of a hypocrite."

Thus, save yourself from a greater hardship in the Hereafter and protect yourself against hellfire.

There is no life worth living except the life of the Hereafter and our hereafter depends on our present.

Let us save up for our Hereafter by doing our share of Jihad responding to the call of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and offer our monetary aid and donation to the financial officials of the Islamic Emirate so that it may be used to meet the requirements of the Jihad and Mujahideen fighting the invading forces on the ground in appropriate ways.

And here's the contact info:

In case of any contributions, please contact the financial commission of Afghanistan on the following Email address.

The financial commission

of the Islamic emirate of Afghanistan

0093772784374

0093798098813

financecm.iea@gmail.com

f_commission@yahoo.com

They get most of their funding from the booming opium trade, and more than likely some funds come from Pakistan (though the government denies it), but I guess they want more so they can keep killing those kafirs (non-Muslims).

And Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Barack Obama think we can negotiate a peace treaty with the Taliban?

Source: Telegraph.UK

Afghan Taliban Commander Demands $100 Reward Money For His "Own" Capture

Here's another Darwin Award contender, this time out of Afghanistan.  I realize the bulk of Taliban fighters are uneducated and ignorant, but this is priceless.

Mohammad Ashan was a wanted man in Paktika province.  He's a pea-brained Taliban commander who had his face plastered on posters with  a $100 finders fee on his head. He's only a mid-level commander, so maybe that's why the reward offer was so low. But one day last week, Ashan, poster in hand, walks up to the local police checkpoint in Sar Howza district demanding the reward money- for his capture. You see, Ashan was allegedly behind several recent attacks, so Afghan security forces posted the "Be on the Lookout" posters (emblazoned with his name and face) all over the district.

 Some interesting comments from U.S. Officials regarding Ashan's actions :

“improbable stupidity,”
“This guy is the Taliban equivalent of the ‘Home Alone” burglars,”
“Clearly, the man is an imbecile.”

When U.S. troops went to confirm that Ashan had in fact come forward to claim the finder’s fee, they were initially incredulous.

“We asked him, ‘Is this you?’ Mohammad Ashan answered with an incredible amount of enthusiasm, ‘Yes, yes, that’s me! Can I get my award now?’” recalled SPC Matthew Baker.

A biometric scan confirmed that the man in Afghan custody was the insurgent they had been looking for.

He, of course, was arrested. Thank God for stupidity.

Joke of the day: Cosmotaliban

Talkback With The Taliban- Ask your questions on an on-line forum

Barbaric, most definitely, but the Taliban apparently aren't as backwards as we might think.   Believe it or not, they actually have a website "The Voice of Jihad" up and running with options  in Dari, Arabic, English, Pashto, Farsi and Urdu. And wanna get as up close and personal with a Taliban militant as you can without actually traveling to that God forsaken land?  Any burning questions you have for those enlightened souls?  They have a forum where you can ask any question you want.  According to The Guardian,  people in the 'Your questions and Zabihullah Mujahid's answers' forum  are mostly concerned about the Taliban's decision to conduct secret 'talks' with the U.S. considering they still have the upper hand.

Questioner Ahmad Ahsan said Taliban supporters had long trusted the leadership but a proposal to open an office in Qatar for talks with foreigners was causing disquiet.

"We have always believed in our leaders and elders. Now we are restless in our minds," Ahsan wrote in the Pashto language.

Mujahid defended the decision, saying the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan – the name the Taliban use for their movement – was led by Mullah Omar, a "person who had proved himself to the world" and that was enough.

He said the Taliban remained steadfast in their objectives. "Leave the rest to Allah and pray," he wrote.

Madiha Khalid from Germany, asked what would happen to girls' schools if the Taliban came back. The Taliban banned girls from school during their hardline rule.

But Mujahid blamed a lack of funds to ensure girls' schools were run according to Islamic tenets.

"We want our mothers and sisters to have education according to Islamic framework," he said.

Lack of funds? Really? School girls have suffered terribly at the hands of the Taliban, from poison to acid attacks, and I don't see that changing any time soon.

But it might be fun to ask a question or two- not that you'd necessarily get an answer. And the forum isn't in English, and translating the page doesn't get you much other than a bunch of squiggles with a few paragraphs of English here and there, so even Mujahid did respond, it's unlikely it would be translatable.

Joke of the day: Taliban Singles Online