A PRESS STATEMENT

 

Contrary to alarmist narratives of impending mayhem, the Taliban peacefully entered Kabul, where they have extended a gesture of goodwill towards those who opposed them with a declaration of amnesty.

 

A swift takeover of the Taliban soon after the ending of the US occupation of Afghanistan tells us that the invasion of that country and the subsequent ‘national-building’ exercise of the Americans, with a trillions-of-dollars’ price tag, was a 20-year long colossal failure of US foreign policy.

 

This is a momentous occasion in the history of Afghanistan and it highlights the character of the fiercely independent people of Afghanistan, known for repelling invaders and occupiers throughout the centuries, since Alexander of Macedonia.

 

The failure of the US in Afghanistan is also a fresh reminder of the deep-roots of the Taliban, as an indigenous movement. An apparent deliberate ploy in many reports, is to characterise the Taliban as another group of “alien insurgents.” They are a movement that is part and parcel of the Afghani society. As a grassroots movement, they had enjoyed initial support for their restoration of law and order, at a time when warlordism and gangsterism bedevilled ordinary men and women in rural Afghanistan, during the country’s civil war of the 1990s.

 

The Taliban have shown not only resilience and tenacity on the battlefield but also a willingness to politically and constructively work with various Afghani society formations as well as regional powers, in order to rebuild a country that has endured extended periods of foreign invasions and occupation.

 

Afghanis have suffered for far too long. The best the world can do in supporting the people of Afghanistan is not to meddle by orchestrating further divisions and strife but to help in fostering a government that will serve the entire nation.

 

In conclusion, the Taliban’s ascendancy to power has been attained by the Permission of Allah. As the movement assumes reins of control, it is our sincere hope that the Taliban have learnt from their past experiences and that in this second coming, they will govern with equity and justice, in the full knowledge that accountability is ultimately to Allah.

 

May the Almighty grant all leaders the wisdom of managing a complex situation, in the interest of all Afghanis living in a commonwealth of diversity, as one humanity. May peace, safety and security prevail throughout Afghanistan. (Aameen)

 

Issued by:

The Executive Committee
Jamiatul Ulama South Africa

 

08 Muharram 1443 / 17 August 2021