tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8473844.post7485357223172706934..comments2023-09-17T04:40:09.115-05:00Comments on Vital Concerns for the World: Death for believing what you believeBobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01854415536476550764noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8473844.post-12794562106396544352010-07-19T02:17:36.529-05:002010-07-19T02:17:36.529-05:00There are several issues brought forward by your p...There are several issues brought forward by your post:<br /><br />First, despite discourses around the “state-building” project in Afghanistan, I doubt that the coalition sought to establish a liberal state (where religious matters would be private), and if it ever did, the lack of emphasis on civil society and an effective political party system would probably explain why the message did not pass through. Lack of attention to issues such as police handling of cases of violence against women is another case in point. These rank very low, from what I can see from my daily experience here.<br /><br />Beyond this, however, the current emphasis on Islam is understandable given that this has been the legitimating narrative of the anti-soviet fight and remains the only narrative one can actually observe in Afghanistan today. Women I meet through work advocate for raising awareness about women’s right within Islam and using mullahs as the main advocators; discussing Afghan laws and the constitution is seen only as an addition to that main agenda. They also believe their role in the Jehad (providing food for the Mujahedins or suffering the loss of fathers, brothers, husbands and sons) should be officially acknowledged to give them legitimacy in the public sphere. <br /><br />Changes in Afghan society during the last three decades of conflict have brought warlords to power…and (among others of course) “(village) mullahs”. It is not just Christians who have to hide, many Afghans whose religious practice is not so strong (for example the numerous former communists still in the country, once the secular stronghold of the country), have to display external signs of piety – doing ramazan, going to mosque everyday (probably a remnant of Taleban times where prayers were only to be made at the mosque).<br /><br />So, although these acts seem repulsive to us and probably hard to understand (why pretend you believe in something you do not), they do make sense in the current fabric of Afghan society – Islam is the way that people have made sense of the last thirty years of history (although there are various ways Islam is used for this purpose of course).D.noreply@blogger.com