British Muslim clerics who embarked on a so-called “fact-finding” mission in Afghanistan have praised the “beautiful” Taliban leaders for instilling freedom in the country following their rise to power following the US withdrawal in August 2021. .
The imams traveled to Afghanistan last summer as part of a trip organized by Prosper Afghanistan, a UK-based NGO seeking to support reconstruction initiatives, and the group Human Aid & Advocacy.
The all-male delegation spent eight days touring Afghanistan and meeting Taliban leaders, making statements on Afghan television extolling their virtues, before returning to Britain to continue praising the Taliban at an event at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL). ).
muslim exit 5 pillars reported that the trip was aimed at “dispelling myths” about Afghanistan following the “complete distortion of reality” in the country by the Western media.
A member of the group, Mufti Ismail Satia, told the crowd of 250 people at QMUL: “We went to Afghanistan with a very open mind… he brought me the stories of the Sahaba (companions of the Prophet Muhammad) that we read.
“They reminded me of those who sacrificed for Islam and those who were willing to do anything for Islam.”
Meanwhile, Shaykh Haitham Al-Haddad defended the Taliban’s restriction on girls’ education, stating that any criticism of the measure is nothing more than Western propaganda to demonize hardline Islamists.
“Western secular influences were being introduced into the minds of students who spoke against Shariah and many vices were infiltrating… when it comes time to rebuild the country we cannot tolerate division and therefore the decision was taken temporary suspension of liberal and secular education instead.’
The imams traveled to Afghanistan last summer as part of a trip organized by Prosper Afghanistan, a UK-based NGO seeking to support reconstruction initiatives, and the group Human Aid & Advocacy.
Muslim outlet 5pillars reported that the trip was aimed at “dispelling myths” about Afghanistan following Western media’s “complete distortion of reality” in the country.
Armed Taliban security personnel ride in a convoy of vehicles as they parade near the US embassy in Kabul on August 15, 2023, during celebrations marking the second anniversary of their takeover.
The trip organized in July 2023 came weeks before the Taliban celebrated the second anniversary of their return to power and the seizure of Kabul.
Taliban leaders point to the clear lack of conflict in Afghanistan as evidence that their rule has brought security and peace to the nation, which for decades before had been devastated by war.
There also appears to have been a reduction in corruption, which was widespread amid two decades of Western-backed governments thanks to aid money invested in the country.
But human rights observers say this relative security was achieved through ruthless policing and a restriction of general freedoms, and has been ruined by a rise in terrorist attacks by extremist groups.
And the plight of women has become dire since the return of the Taliban.
Girls over 12 have been mostly excluded from school and the government has also prevented most Afghan female staff from working in aid agencies, closed beauty salons, excluded women from public spaces such as parks and gyms and has restricted women’s travel in the absence of a male guardian.
Journalism and activism, which also flourished during the two decades of rule by Western-backed governments, have been significantly repressed and large numbers of media workers and activists have been detained.
But these factors seemed to be of little importance to British imams, who praised their presenters on Afghan television.
Suliman Gani, Muslim chaplain at St George’s Hospital in the Tooting district of London, told the RTA network: ‘We are understanding their vision and it is very, very positive… the government itself has set out such an amazing vision that it has really touched my heart and really impressed me and gives us more confidence.’
Meanwhile, Al-Haddad downplayed the importance of women’s education and said the Taliban must focus on consolidating security, the economy and spirituality.
‘Security [is] the first element to establish a country and the second is… the economy and the third then [is] the kind of spiritual dimension,” he said.
‘Then we can discuss other things about women’s education.
British imams praised their presenters on Afghan television before returning to London to extol their virtues.
Taliban supporters parade through the streets of Kabul on August 15, 2023 in Kabul
Afghan women wait to receive food rations distributed by a humanitarian aid group, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, May 23, 2023.
Speaking at QMUL, Hamid Mahmood, founder of an Islamic school for girls in east London, told the audience of the freedom he felt in Afghanistan.
“It was a pretty sad and painful experience leaving that land because I’ll be very honest and I’ve said it very clearly, there was something there, a feeling. [of] absolute freedom,” he declared.
‘After talking to many ministers, we realized what freedom meant. They were trying to free themselves not only from physical oppression, physical subjugation and colonialism, but also from financial, economic and also intellectual slavery.’
But Zalmai Nishat, founder of the anti-extremist Etidal Foundation for Peace and Democracy, said The times: ‘This is a perfect exercise in whitewashing and glorifying the Taliban…Their security they talk about is at the expense of the freedom and marginalization of ethnic communities in Afghanistan.’
A QMUL spokesperson told The Times that the September event was not sponsored by the university, adding that it was jointly organized by Prosper Afghanistan and Human Aid & Advocacy.