Hadi: Anti-Taliban sentiments rooted in Islamophobia

Hadi: Anti-Taliban sentiments rooted in Islamophobia


Special Envoy to the Middle East Abdul Hadi Awang has chastised what he described as Islamophobia anti-Taliban propaganda.

This is after brickbats over his meeting with Taliban representatives during his working visit to Qatar last week.

In a statement today, Hadi said many had been swayed by anti-Islam media, which sought to portray the Taliban as an extreme form of the religion.

This, he said, included allegations that women were forbidden from education - a charge he denies as being accurate.

"Does the ban (on education for girls) include learning fardu ain (religious obligations)? The compulsory (wajib) education to know God, pray to him, to be of good character, to eat and drink halal, and dress in an Islamic fashion and all its customs.

"Maybe for the enemies of Islam, such matters are not part of education," he said.

Hadi added that it was illogical that men would become doctors, nurses, or midwives for devout Afghan women.

The Taliban has assured that women will have a right to education during its second rule of Afghanistan.

However, there have been reports that Taliban fighters have closed girls' secondary schools and barred women from public universities in some parts of the country.

The group said all Afghan girls would be back in school by March.

The Taliban had also asked female medical workers to resume work back in August.

Israel tolerated

Meanwhile, Hadi said Afghans liberating their own country from colonisers was not accepted because Islam was used as their basis of government.

"If Islam was not used as the policy, it would surely be accepted regardless of whatever type of policy, be it liberal capitalism, or even communism and dictatorship.

"However, the brand of Islam must be rejected even if it is within a democratic system," he said.

In contrast, Hadi said, Israel is tolerated and "normalised" despite its aggression towards Palestinians.

Hadi had, on Feb 4, met with representatives of the Taliban in Doha, Qatar.

Subsequently, the Taliban's permanent representative to the United Nations, Mohammed Suhail Shaheen, said he had discussed with Hadi the need for Malaysia to provide economic and humanitarian aid for Afghanistan.

The PAS president had reportedly agreed to this.