An all-male gathering of Afghan clerics and elders has ended with a call for international recognition, because, to date, not a single country has officially recognised the Taliban as the legitimate government. In their final communique, the clerics made only passing reference to the need for “religious and modern education” and to respect “the rights of women”. Of the 4,500 participants only two clerics called for the reopening of secondary schools for girls. The ban on secondary education for girls is one of the main reasons why the Taliban remain international outcasts. Yet anyone who has read the Quran will know that the Taliban’s repressive views represent an entirely orthodox understanding of Islam. These pious men aren’t extremists or fundamentalists; they’re just following quranic teachings… to the letter.
A woodpigeon ponders the transitory nature of life and the inevitability of death...
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