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| Afghanistan |
| Tolerant Taliban: How Shia Hazaras Live Under the New Authority in Afghanistan |
| 2021-09-07 |
| Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. By Aleksandr Kots [KP] Sunny morning (in Kabul, it seems, there are no others) in the Shiite region of "Sakhi". Translated as "generous" - the epithet of the most revered among Shiites Imam Ali, son-in-law and companion of the Prophet Muhammad. Men and women with a characteristic Asian cut of the eyes climb the steps to one of the main Shiite shrines - the mosque named after Ali. Basically, these are the Hazaras, a people who inhabits central Afghanistan. They awaited the arrival of the Taliban with horror. In 1998, when the Taliban entered Mazar-i-Sharif, they massacred the Hazaras. Ethnic and religious differences, suspicions of loyalty to Iran - there was no time for the trial. The militants simply drove around the city and shot everyone who came into sight. At the same time, it was forbidden to bury the bodies for six days. According to various sources, up to 20,000 people died, mostly Hazaras. The horror of these events is here at the genetic level. But there was also a four-day execution in Bamiyan, during which almost two hundred people were killed, a massacre at the Robatak Pass. In general, it is difficult to imagine the mood with which the Hazaras were waiting for the "second coming" of the Taliban. Today his militants are on duty at the gates of the mosque with a Kalashnikov machine gun, emphasizing in every possible way that they have no claims to the Shiites. "Of course, at first it was alarming," say the shopkeepers in front of the central entrance. "But so far we have not faced any discrimination." "If we are given to work and earn money, then we do not see any problems," assures the ice cream man nearby. And it is impossible to check the sincerity of his words. Behind me are two bearded men: one with a machine gun, the other with a submachine gun. They relentlessly accompany me on the territory of the shrine. According to legend, the Bukhara emir, in order to make peace with the Afghan khan, sent envoys from Bukhara to Kandahar with a hirka (clothing similar to a robe) of the Prophet Muhammad. They spent the night at the site of the future mosque, and while they were sleeping, Imam Ali appeared and cut a huge stone with his sword. Shah ordered to build a mosque here. They say that if you crawl through the gap in this stone, any wish will come true. I was prevented from wearing a bulletproof vest. "It has been 22 days since the Taliban occupied Kabul and the level of security has increased significantly," says local governor Said Yusuf. "We hope that there will be no further problems." "There are no fears of persecution on the basis of ethnicity, as it was in the 90s?" I ask the question, while the bearded man was distracted by beggars. "The Afghan people are always a little worried about this issue, " said Yusuf. He looks at the machine gunner half-turned. "But we have different peoples for many years used to live together, and now this problem is not." It can be seen that the Afghan Hazaras are afraid of the new government - the memories of the past crimes of the Taliban are too fresh. And they are very wary of their "second coming". Some tried to escape by evacuation planes, some - through Pakistan. However, those who remain hope that the current Taliban, by all means, need at least partial recognition of the international community. And it cannot be achieved through mass executions. "Do you have any complaints against us?" the bearded shopkeeper asks. "No, no, everything is all right," they wave their hands. "If someone will offend, immediately contact me," the Taliban waved patronizingly with the barrel of a machine gun. "Tolerant Taliban" flashed through my head. Oxymoron. Aleksandr Kots is a Russian military journalist |
| Posted by:badanov |