Blogging the democratic revolution
The Taliban’s barbaric destruction of the centuries’ old Bamiyan Buddhas Source: Vers un Sens de la Vie Remember the 2001 brazen destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas? Right in front of the world’s face, the filthy, foul Taliban, led by the mascara-loving Mullah Omar, smashed this irretrievable masterpiece of human hands, an ancient artwork that inspired human minds throughout centuries, and then he vilely claimed it was all ‘sinful.’ So 1,000 years of culture, of art, of devotion, of miraculous expertise, a great window on the mysterious minds of our ancestors, was destroyed by this maggot, using western explosives to achieve…
A new UN report about the cultivation of drugs in Afghanistan finds a “staggering” increase of 60% compared to last year. The overall volume of production has risen from 4100 tons to 6100 tons, according to the report. The UN anti-drug chief rightly urged the Karzai government to crack down against the warlords and corrupt police and administrative officials warning that a continuity in the trend could threaten democracy in the country. This increase in the cultivation is not a new phenomenon in Afghanistan. Since 2001–when the Taliban put a highly successful ban on cultivation–drug production has been steadily increasing.…
Miss Indonesia Universe, crowned Aug. 25, 2006 Source: Reuters, via Yahoo! News! Miss Kazakhstan World 2005, Miss Kazakhstan Universe 2006 Source: Missosology Miss England World 2005 Source: Yahoo!, via My Pet Jawa Miss Afghanistan Earth 2003 Source: Wikipedia What do these girls have in common? They’re all Muslim beauty queens, showing off their hair, faces, arms, legs, and much more. Nothing remarkable about that in modern society – everyone’s got to wear a bathing suit sometimes, and no, I don’t mean this – but for perverse, repressed, bitter, dirty-minded Islamofascists, it’s something that’s utterly forbidden. The Age of Democratic Revolution…
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld arrived in Afghanistan yesterday. He met with President Karzai and discussed issues relating to Afghanistan????????s collaborative efforts with the international community to suppress the Taliban resurgence and the country’s efforts to curb the cultivation of opium poppy. Also, he met with US military commanders and NATO officials to discuss plans for the military handover of Afghanistan to NATO. Rumsfeld expressed his support for Karzai and praised his leadership. He lauded Karzai and his team????????s achievements on various fronts including the offensive against Taliban and the subsequent peace prevalent in Afghanistan. This visit shattered speculations in some…
Afghanistan is considered by many a glowing paradigm of America????????s success in the war on terror. It has its elected parliament and government, and the ministries are functioning smoothly. However, this calm is only apparent from a view from the surface, below which ethnic tensions and favoritism are plaguing the structure. Irrespective of how this trend started, we must know it is everywhere????????all ministries, directorates and sub-directorates are plagued. A look, for example, at the Afghan National Army will reveal that it is comprised of 85% ethnic Pashtoons. Likewise, a look at the Ministry of Justice will reveal that there…
Drugs are bad. I’m not talking about the kind people smoke to chill out after work, though. I mean the stuff people snort and waste their entire lives trying to get more of. Snow. Blow. Crack. Cocaine. It ruins families, drains investment and productivity from the economy, funds terrorist groups, and supports authoritarian regimes. Yet the problem has been almost impossible to counter because high consumer demand has driven up prices, which has in turn made it a much more valuable cash crop compared to other agricultural products. For years, the U.S. government has tried to wipe out the supply…
Abdul Rahman, the Afghan convert who risked death for ‘apostasy’, has been granted political asylum in Italy, where he arrived overnight. It would be great if he might be able to get in touch with us Italian activists once he’ll be living over here with the due protection. In the meantime, and totally off topic, I’d like you to read my op-ed at Tech Central Station, regarding the Italian election, which is just less than two-weeks away.
Afghan parliamentarian Malali Joya stood up to warlords in the parliament’s first session, accusing them of human rights abuses and refusing to be quiet when they told her to. It was just a blurb in most reports, but this article uses the incident as its main focus. It’s highly symbolic and female Afghanis looking on must be taking notes in their heads about the bravery of this woman. USA Today has this story. The attack took place as the national assembly convened its first working session in the capital, Kabul, a day after the assembly was inaugurated. A debate erupted…
The UN-Afghan joint commission, JAMB, has delayed the release results from parliamentary elections held in September. This is due to some 500 complaints filed related to possible electoral fraud committed at individual polling stations, all of which are being investigated before any final results are announced. The certification of final results from Afghanistan’s 18 September parliamentary elections has been delayed because of fraud complaints. A spokesman for the joint UN-Afghan election commission says about 500 complaints that are still being investigated could affect the outcome of some races. The allegations of fraud include the intimidation of voters, the stuffing of…
Some jackass “journalists” desecrated their supposed profession: story here. Read the whole thing.
The difficulties that Iraqi Shia, Sunnis and Kurds have had in governing their country following their elections have given the world lots of headaches, especially for the United States. But if you really want to see a group of political parties having a difficult time putting together a stable coalition, look to Germany. The best headline I’ve seen in a while comes from the English version of Der Spiegel: Germany Loses Its Own Election. Here are some other English language links from the same publication: Merkel’s Bitter Defeat Who Want’s to be Germany’s Chancellor? Preliminary Results Show Schroder, Merkel Stalemate…
“I am very confident ÄthatÅ on the 19th of September, the day after the elections here, we are all going to wake up and realize that the heroes of Afghanistan were the people that went out and cast their vote for their own future.” — The commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, Lieutenant General Karl Eikenberry, commenting on Afghanistan’s 18 September parliamentary elections. Witness the face of the young, emerging Afghanistan. Both young and old have joined in the refounding of their nation. This post will serve as a comprehensive roundup for the elections in Afghanistan. It will include links…
In my post yesterday, “Perspective on Islam in Iraq’s constitution,” I argued that Afghanistan has near similar wording in its own constitution and that the mainstream media didn’t harp on it in January 2004. Afghanistan has also not turned into a religious police state like Iran since then. So why is the media barking lunacy over the Iraqi constitution? Alenda Lux was kind enough to prove me wrong. No, not that the media didn’t talk bad about the Afghani constitution, but they actually praised it lavishly. Here is what the New York Times said in an editorial back then: Afghanistan’s…
And they’re off! There is exactly one month before parliamentary elections are held in Afghanistan, meaning that official campaigns between some 6,000 candidates for 249 assembly seats and and positions in 34 provincial councils are now underway. An essential element to any successful election, free media coverage, is present in large quantities and will be the deciding factor in who wins and who loses given the plethora of contenders. This won’t be decided necessarily on the media’s bias, but by how each candidate’s message resonates with the voters, as JEMB is allowing every single person running the opportunity to run…
It happened after Hurricane Mitch struck Central America in 1998. Nine billion dollars in reconstruction aid was promised by donor governments and corporations, yet less than 50% of it actually materialized. In 2003, a devastating earthquake his Bam, Iran, in which 26,000 people died. I still remember the images, and I still remember that over $1 billion in relief aid was pledged. Yet less than $120 million showed up. And remember the tsunami that rattled the world in December 2004, when we saw unprecedented generosity on behalf of the people of the world? Our respective governments tried to match up…
I liked this article, because I think humor sets a good mindset. KHOST, AFGHANISTAN – Mubariz Bidar would give Robin Williams a run for his money. He’s an Afghan comic who has this city – once ruled by severe Taliban – howling at their former oppressors. His spot-on impressions of everyone from a Taliban soldier to an Afghan drug addict would have even Mullah Omar giggling into his turban. At a recent impromptu performance, Mubariz wraps on a long black turban – a favorite Taliban accessory – and twists his face into a scowl. He grabs a Kalashnikov to complete…
Picked up the story from Bloggledygook. Captain Ed reports a little-told story that the Taliban in Afghanistan is starting to give up the fight and rejoin society on peaceful terms. One of the Taliban’s most senior and charismatic commanders has become a key negotiator as more and more members of the Islamic militia in Afghanistan give up the fight against the Americans. The commander, Abdul Salam, earned the nickname Mullah Rockety because he was so accurate with rocket propelled grenades against Russian troops. … After the Taliban’s three-year struggle against a superior US force, there is growing optimism among the…
Look at this map, it shows which parties won which regions in Iraq. President Bush won’t be pleased that it’s half blue!
Arthur Chrenkoff has posted his good news from Afghanistan roundup part nine. I hope you havea few hours set aside!
Parliamentary elections for Afghanistan have been given the go ahead for early spring. Violence was low-key during the presidential election due to stepped up security. Afghanistan may not have that benefit this time. This time around, we’re going to see an increased degree of violence from radical Islamist groups such as the old Taliban supporters, but also we’re going to see a lot of groups vying for power in the legislature. Whereas the position of presidency is only held by one person, a person generally very popular and well-known in the country, parliament seats can be acquired through all matter…