Op Ed: Taliban’s Emirate is a slap in the face of Islam

The Taliban of Afghanistan want to establish the Islamic Emirates. They want to rule the country according to the Quran and Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad. So the world would now understand Islam through its policies and practices. But, on the other hand, many Muslims would challenge their understanding of the Quran and the Sunnah. So a new conflict ensues, and the never-ending war in Afghanistan would prolong its dance of death.

Some diktats the Taliban have introduced in areas they control are already creating conflicts. The champions of Islam want men to grow their beards, stop smoking and give the names of their girls over 15 and widows under 45 so that eligible Taliban men can marry up to four wives. They would have the option to divorce anyone at will to marry the replacement.

Smoking is injurious to health, so are marijuana, hashish, and poppy seeds.

Afghanistan is a significant global producer of methamphetamine. The country’s opium poppy fields are the source of the majority of the world’s heroin. Now, crystal meth could eventually become just as big an industry.

The Taliban do charge the drug traffickers a tax. They earn $4m a year from Bakwa district alone, though they deny links to the drugs trade. They make over $2 billion annually through drug trafficking. Their diktat to ban smoking while profiting from drug trafficking is a slap in the face of their faith. It is a mockery of every value that Islam promotes for human dignity. If they are sincere in their efforts to ensure a healthy, smoke-free Afghanistan, they should begin with a ban on narcotics.

Their diktat about the growing beard is ridiculous. Beard is not a criterion to determine one’s commitment to divine guidance. Muslims learn about facial hair not from the Quran, but through hadith – or sayings – attributed to Prophet Muhammad. One such hadith stipulates: “Cut the mustaches short and leave the beard.” It is an ambiguous statement, and it is not an obligation. If it were so, most Imams would have their mustaches cut. It was a recommendation to his companions in a society where everyone sported a beard. Many non-Muslims at the time of the Prophet had longer beards. No single incident exists in any book of hadith that the Prophet punished anyone for not cutting mustaches and trimming his beards. The diktat of the Taliban is their subjective preference imposed in the name of God. If they punish anyone for flouting the rule in the name of religion, they will commit coercion. Islam strictly prohibits intimidation in its name.

The ruling on reporting girls over 15 and widows under 45 to the Taliban for marrying them to its fighters are the most offensive of all three dictates. No one can marry a girl without her free consent. Women are not the state’s property or any religious group, as they have a right to education and decide on their life partner.

It is the obligation of those who understand the Quran and the Sunnah to challenge these Taliban’s diktats.

If the Taliban want to establish the Islamic Emirates, they must ensure the following.

1. Religious freedom to all

2. Human dignity to all, women included.

3. Human rights for all

4. Education to all

5. Withdrawal of the offensive diktats

6. Representation of women in all aspects of national life

7. Banning the narcotics

8. Ensure that the law and not the barrel of guns protect justice.

9. An economy that guarantees self-reliance

10. A health system that secures the healthy future

Islam and monotheism make sense only when human dignity and rights are under the protection of the law. But, unfortunately, what The Taliban has done so far violates everything Islam stands for on human dignity and rights.