Britain condemns Taliban move

By Hasan Suroor

London, May 23. Britain today condemned the reported Taliban move saying it did not approve of any action which amounted to discriminating against a minority group. A Foreign Office spokesperson told The Hindu that the British High Commissioner in Islamabad had taken up the matter with Taliban representatives there and he was told that there was no such ruling. Asked if Britain was satisfied with the explanation the spokesperson said:``We would continue to pursue it.'' She made it clear that Britain took a strong view of such discriminatory practices.

The Taliban move has been widely reported in the British media and The Times quoted Maulawi Mohammed Wali, head of the Taliban's religious police, as saying that the decision was ``in line with Islam.'' The Guardian said that according to ``some observers...the new yellow tags (which Hindus are to be forced to wear) could be used to protect minorities rather than persecute them, and would stop the wearers from being punishedfor breaking Taliban laws which only apply to Muslims.'' Local Hindus were quoted in the British media as being very angry. They described it as ``dangerous'' as it would make it easier for the extremist elements to identify them. But there was also a sense of resignation. ``We will go to Wali tomorrow and ask him to withdraw this, but if they force us, what will we do? If they tell us to wear yellow, we must put on yellow'', a Hindu community spokesman told The Times.

In an editorial ``Badge of Shame'', the newspaper denounced the move as ``repulsive'' and said it had the ``awful echoes of the Nazi decree forcing Jews to wear a yellow Star of David.''

A PTI report from Washington said the United States has condemned the order as an attempt to ``stigmatize and isolate'' Hindus.

``We want to make it quite clear that forcing social groups to wear distinctive clothing or identifying marks stigmatizes and isolates those groups and can never, never be justified'', State Department spokesman, Mr. Richard Boucher was quoted as saying yesterday.``This reported edict is only the latest in a long list of outrageous oppressions that have been inflicted by the Taliban authorities on Afghanistan and on the people of Afghanistan'', Mr. Boucher said.

He said such strictures ``only add to the suffering of people who have borne 23 years of war and natural catastrophe''.

``We remain committed to bringing the Taliban and other Afghan factions into compliance with international norms of behaviour on all human rights issues, and those norms would certainly preclude any steps such as these'', he said.

Meanwhile the United Nations is investigating the reports about a separate dress code for the Hindus, PTI reported the U.N. spokesman, Mr. Fred Eckhard as saying.

``The U.N. office in Afghanistan is looking into it,'' he told reporters.

Hindus, Sikhs see red

KABUL, MAY 23. Many Hindus and Sikhs in Afghanistan today expressed anger at a decree from the ruling Taliban ordering non- Muslims to wear a yellow badge so they can be identified.

``Let us live the way we want. We will have no religious freedom if we are told what to wear. It is disgusting if the Taliban imposes its will on us,'' an elderly Hindu told Reuters. ``I completely object to this idea and will see what happens.''

The Taliban, which is determined to impose its hardline interpretation of Islam on the 90 per cent of Afghanistan it claims to rule, yesterday said religious leaders had issued a ruling, (fatwa) that non-Muslims must wear distinguishing symbols.

Under the plan, which has not yet been enforced, non-Muslims - effectively Hindus and Sikhs as there are no other religions with significant numbers - must wear a piece of yellow cloth whenever they venture outdoors.``Leave us alone. Don't make us run away,'' said a 32-year-old man who asked not to be identified.

The Hindu and Sikh community has already shrunk to a tiny proportion of the 30,000 to 50,000 who were estimated to be in the main cities of Afghanistan before the country descended into 21 years of war.

``I have a passport and a visa for India and can't put up with this yellow thing,'' said another member of the dwindling community.

But Andar Singh Majboor, a Sikh who represents the 520 Sikhs and Hindus still living in Kabul, said they were happy with the Taliban ruling and would follow it.

``We will sit with the Taliban and sort it out through talks. We don't care about the issue. It is not a matter of concern,'' Majboor told reporters.

Majboor endorsed the Taliban idea for a badge to distinguish non- Muslims, echoing the official explanation that it would save Hindus from harassment by Taliban religious police enforcing their Islamic interpretation on the nation's Muslims.

A doctor who runs a pharmacy next to the joint Hindu and Sikh temple in Kabul said a Taliban edict two years ago had ordered Hindus to wear a metallic cap and a bracelet associated with Hindu religious costumes.

Majboor, who praised the imposition of order in Kabul in 1996 following years of chaotic rule by warlords, said the Taliban had not interfered in any of their religious rituals.

``In February we celebrated our vaisakh (a harvest festival) and we had invited the Taliban too. They came and looked at our temple and there is no restriction at all,'' he said.At about that time, Hindus had expressed fears to Reuters that the Taliban might target their idols in a campaign of statue smashing unleashed by the Taliban leader - Mullah Mohammad Omar.

- Reuters

Russia flays Taliban

Russia blasted the Taliban militia for introducing a dress code for Hindus and other non-Muslim minorities in Afghanistan.

``Russia deplores these acts violating the common human values, including the Islamic values and demands unconditional respect of the rights of all religious minorities by the Taliban militia,'' the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : International
Previous : The one bright spot in a doomed campaign?
Next     : Dalai Lama meets Bush