For a long time, Afghanistan has been synonymous with war, poverty, misery, and recurring human tragedy. Now, the situation seems grim for the foreseeable future as the country is ruled by religious fanatics who are adamant to establish a theocracy and impose their regressive social and political vision on the people. So far, we have seen the Taliban imposing the most misogynist and anti-human policies and tightening their grip on political power by repression and violence with no regard for its disastrous social and political consequences.
The past year has clearly demonstrated that the Taliban are incapable of building a political system that would build a broad social base and solve their domestic crisis of legitimacy. The Taliban have relied on divisions within Afghanistan and the promotion of Pashtun chauvinism and ethnic bigotry to mobilize their base among Pashtuns. But the reality is that the Taliban in no way represent Pashtuns. In fact, it would be an insult to call the Taliban their representative.
The Pashtun masses have long suffered the disastrous consequences of the Taliban’s politics. The fact that girls do not have access to schools in southern and eastern Afghanistan was not a decision made by Pashtun parents. It was the Taliban policies of burning girls’ schools and opposition to modern education that deprived the Pashtun masses of education. The Pashtun people have a stake in opposing the Taliban. It is in their best interest to live in a peaceful, prosperous, stable Afghanistan, which is impossible to achieve under the Taliban. The Taliban are barriers to a bright, peaceful, enlightened, and democratic Afghanistan. Therefore, they are at odds with the interests of the popular masses of Afghanistan.
The Taliban’s vehemence on implementing their vision of sharia and their constant repressive measures against women are increasingly pitting them against half of society. Women are half of Afghanistan’s society, without any dispute. Yet, the Taliban have declared war on women’s social and political presence, effectively banning them from functioning in society and delivering their human capacity. By itself, this, puts half of Afghanistan into potential opposition to the Taliban. As well, they are alienating even more people on the bases of ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, and language. Since taking over the country, the Taliban have forcefully displaced the non-Pashtun populations and committed war crimes in places like Panjshir, Baghlan, Takhar, Sar-e Pul, and Wardak. The Taliban’s brutality coupled with ethnic discrimination is increasing the opposition among the non-Pashtun masses towards the Taliban.
The Taliban’s social policies and their monopolization of power are destroying education, health, and other social services. The majority of the population of the country are young men and women who have no prospects for education, job, or better future. In fact, the Talibanization and destruction of the education system are harming the future of an entire generation. The result is an exodus of young people from the country.
It is important to note that the Taliban is an exclusive party of extremist Pashtun mullahs. They believe that mullahs are trained in the affairs of religion and that religion comes from God. Therefore, Taliban are representing the position of God in all worldly affairs. The mullahs insist they are implementing the will and rules of God on Earth. They frame their misogynistic and inhuman policies in a framework of religion, arguing that opposition to them would be opposition to God’s will. This worldview makes mullahs the masters of society and a ruling caste, albeit one with a direct mandate from God. In turn, that is why the Taliban never speak of individual rights and freedoms, but they talk in the language, submission, duty, and obligation. The people of Afghanistan have lost all their social and political rights and are living in a kind of constant ‘state of exception,’ in which the Taliban can subject them to abuses and medieval corporal punishments at any time and any place.
What we can clearly see is that the Taliban are incapable of solving their domestic crisis of legitimacy. Their true essence is obvious to all the people of Afghanistan, who harbour a deep hostility to their political and social vision. Opposition to the Taliban is a common denominator among most people and political forces. To solve the historical crisis of the country and end the Taliban plague, we must think, imagine, discuss, plan, and work for a better future without them.
