TALIBAN ATROCITIES
NOTHING TO SEE HERE. PLEASE REVERT YOUR GAZE TO PALESTINE. YOUR COMPLICITY IS APPRECIATED.
A short diversion today. But it will not be diverting. We’re taking a little trip to Afghanistan. But then I’ll explain why I’m diverting from my usual topic of Israel, Palestine and the worldwide mania for antisemitism.
Since the Taliban stormed back to power in 2021, Afghan people have been under the despotic thumb of the Ministry of the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (it sounds like a mashup between Orwell and Monty Python but it is neither funny nor poli sci fi).
A nightmare report from the United Nations in July outlines some of the atrocities perpetrated on the people of Afghanistan.
Women must be accompanied by a male guardian if they want to travel beyond 78 kilometres.
Women are prohibited from using parks, gyms, and public baths.
Women-led businesses face arbitrary closures, particularly beauty salons, under claims of promoting “un-Islamic” practices. This has resulted in significant economic barriers for women.
All music, as well as and other forms of artistic expression deemed inappropriate, are banned.
Men and women seen together in public must provide proof of marriage.
Since that report came out, things have gotten much worse, especially for women.
Women may no longer leave their homes at all unless it’s “urgent” and since the term “urgent” is not defined in law, it’s basically up to the club-wielding Stone Age theocrats who prowl the streets looking for infidels to determine whether she should be back sequestered at home rather than, say, seeking medical attention.
When a woman does venture outside — never mind the 78 kilometre thing anymore — they must always be accompanied by a male guardian.
And get this: In Afghanistan, a woman’s voice must not be heard in public. Even in their own homes, women must speak in ways that ensure they cannot be heard from the outside. Oh, and a few other things: No laughing. No loud voices anywhere, anytime. And (obviously) no singing.
Afghan women have already been made invisible, encased in the sorts of tarps I am currently digging out to cover my patio furniture for the winter. Now they are forbidden from being heard. The dehumanization is almost total. But for overseas feminists and other activists it’s nothing, apparently to get upset about. Different strokes for different folks — even if those strokes are literally lashes with a cane for women caught in public.
My point for taking this quick tour of Afghanistan is, of course, to point out the ludicrousness of the millions marching for Palestine, while the UN and other world bodies are focused on practically nothing but Palestine! Palestine! Palestine! even as Afghan women are treated like human garbage so atrocious to the male gaze that they must be hidden from view (and auditory trespasses).
You might say, well, there’s really nothing I can do about that. The Great Satan (oh, and Canada, the UK, Germany, Italy, Australia and a bunch of other lesser Satans) went in there and tried to democratize it and they fled in failure.
But — a few things.
I believe strongly in the Power of One. I agree with Margaret Mead about the ability of concentric circles of influence: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
Still … if you think you are powerless to effect change in Afghanistan (or in Sudan or Myanmar of the People’s Republic of China) but the seemingly intractable conflict in Israel and Palestine is fully within your power to solve, maybe seek professional help.
First, if you fundamentally misread the causes of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, you will exacerbate, not resolve, the problem.
Second, the global baying for Jewish blood of which you are a part (either overtly or slightly more subtly by marching compliantly alongside people chanting “From the river to the sea”), you are not advancing peace. You are convincing Israelis and every potential moderate ally worldwide that Israel needs to maintain its military superiority and ignore global public opinion because the world (to judge by your actions) doesn’t care whether Jews live or die.
I called out an old university friend a while back for his obsession around this conflict while almost entirely ignoring every other one. He’s a smart guy, so he had a seemingly reasonable answer ready. Israel is a democracy and sensitive to public opinion. Plus, as a democracy, it should be held to a higher standard.
This is as reasonable an explanation as you are likely to hear. But that’s not saying much.
It punishes Israel for being a democracy, which seems like a shitty approach to take in a world where, just today, media is reporting that democracy is declining in most places worldwide.
Moreover, if there is any democracy in the world that should rightly have learned to ignore global braying, it is Israel. It’s a firm belief of mine that Israel needs to do what it needs to do to keep genocidal murderers from beheading and immolating its citizens, no matter how many purple-haired sociology majors at Concordia stomp their feet. But maybe that’s just me.
Finally, the idea that you devote your activism to Israel and Palestine because Israel might actually listen to you fails at a more fundamental level. Israel can’t make peace, because Israel is not the one making war. If you want peace in Israel and Palestine, you need to convince the Palestinians — their leaders and, yes, their people — to aspire to a future in which they live in coexistence with Israelis, not atop their graves. That is the essence of this problem and if you do not confront this, you don’t get to call yourself “pro-Palestinian” or a peace activist.
Of course, any time we bring up the glaring reality of Palestine-obsessed activists with their obliviousness to Afghanistan and a kabillion other issues, they @ you for “whataboutery.” But they are the whataboutery monkeys.
I was at an event a while back where, confronted with his own hypocrisy, a dude asked if he was not allowed to criticize Israel until he had criticized every other human rights violator in the world.
Isn’t it precious!? Because, like, there’s a Ministry of the Propagation of Zionism and the Prevention of Anti-Zionism that is going to monitor what he says. Poor widdle victim!
No one is measuring the condemnation of Israel versus the condemnation of other places. And no one is wasting their time comparing what you say about this with what you say about that (don’t flatter yourself). We don’t have to. The duplicity is too enormous to miss. We can cut to the chase without engaging you in your silly sophistry.
The obsession with Israel and Palestine while ignoring the fate of Afghan women and thousands of other massive moral and humanitarian atrocities worldwide tells us all we need to know. It can’t really be measured but it doesn’t need to be.
The nut of the problem is obvious. The issue consuming the world today, usurping the United Nations, occupying university campuses, blocking traffic across the Western world and enflaming mad crowds from Algeria to Indonesia is not about our feelings for Palestinians. It’s about our feelings for Jews.
Time to cut the crap because if we refuse to acknowledge what’s happening, we have zilch chance to fix the problem.
Of course, fixing the problem is not a priority for “pro-Palestinian” activists who tally up dead Palestinians and celebrate moral victory.
Pat - phenomenal as always. My heart bleeds
Very well said.