Posted on 08/17/2021 1:03:50 PM PDT by elpadre
Two days after the fall of Kabul, TV viewers in Afghanistan watched a scene that would have been unthinkable under the former Taliban regime (1996-2001): An Afghan female presenter for the Tolo news channel interviewed a Taliban official. The host, Beheshta Arghand, who was seated 2.5 metres away from him, asked questions about the security situation in the Afghan capital. The privately-owned news channel also posted a video of another female journalist reporting from the streets of Kabul.
The broadcast came as Taliban leaders reiterated their message that their disciplined fighters would not go on a killing spree against its former enemies. In a press conference on August 17, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid showed a conciliatory face, confirming an amnesty for former members of the Afghan army and police. He also said that women would be allowed to work and study and be active in society "but within the framework of Islam".
Despite widespread scepticism, the hardline Islamist group is working hard to spread the idea that it will not revert to its former practices. When the Taliban governed Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, women were barred from taking most jobs and girls' education was limited to primary school. Watching TV and listening to music was banned, and adulterers could be stoned to death.
"The Taliban's core ideology remains the same. They still want to impose a sort of 'over-Sharia', an extreme and more rigorous version of Islamic law than the one implemented in other countries," Sébastien Boussois, a researcher on Afghanistan at Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), told FRANCE 24.
Taliban image revamp
In its first official statement during the fall of Kabul, the Taliban's political bureau said that the real test would be to "serve our nation and ensure security and comfort of life". (continued at link)
(Excerpt) Read more at france24.com ...
“The Taliban are definitely stronger than they were in the 1990s. They have more military and political experience. That doesn’t make them more open-minded. But they will not take the risk of being toppled a second time because of an al-Qaeda provocation. They will keep them under control,” said Nasr.
“The Taliban have maintained strong relations with its longtime jihadist partner. Internal documents show that all branches of al-Qaeda have pledged allegiance to the Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan, and al-Qaeda fighters took part in several battles in August 2021, according to Nasr.
But the emergence of the Islamic State (IS) group has led several countries to rely on the Taliban and its al-Qaeda allies to contain a new jihadist threat. Reports of the killing of an IS group leader after the Taliban took over the prison where he was being held shows that the new rulers of Afghanistan are holding their part of the deal - for now.”
Anyone believe it’s a kinder gentler Taliban?
I find it very hard to believe, that all of a sudden, they now have more liberalized view of women’s rights.
Using the media to transform head choppers into community activists.
Libtards will believe it.
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