By: I Made Milagro Azra Sentana & Megah Bintang Mahadinah Irdan Putri
Edited by: Mudra Srinivasan
Since the insurgency of the Taliban in 2001, the war has taken more than 46,000 civilian lives from both sides. The recent takeover of Kabul by the Taliban not long after the withdrawal of the US troops weighing heavily on every Afghan’s mind, the diaspora is no exception.
In this article, we are diving deep into the minds of Ritsumeikan APU alumni from Afghanistan, the anxiety of what the future holds, and the desperation to get their family out of the country. In order to protect their identities, pseudonyms are given to both interviewees, Mike and Charlie.
Life during Taliban
“I will soon be a person without a country,” said Mike.
Six years ago he came to Japan to attend high school, he ended up pursuing his bachelor's degree in Ritsumeikan APU. His passport is expiring soon, and the Taliban will most certainly alter the political ideology of the country, therefore making it difficult for him to renew his passport.
For Mike, the Taliban occupation changed a lot of things, as his father and elder brothers worked for the previous government. His family is now in hiding because the Taliban goes door to door to find people who are sympathizers or simply part of the late government. His mom only goes out once in a while to purchase daily necessities. One year prior to Kabul takeover, he went back to Afghanistan, sensing the advancement of the Taliban, along with his younger sisters had to set their English literature pieces on fire for fear of persecution.
“I have been attempting to get my family out of the country, but for the time being, I will remain in Japan only for the sake of being alive so I can help them,”. said Mike when being asked about his future plan.
Following his graduation, he signed a contract with a Japanese company for a year. He will now decide his next steps after the contract expires, however, with his current status as a refugee, coming back home is no longer an option, thus, available alternatives are limited.
Experiencing a similar course of fate, Charlie, a student of Ritsumeikan APU graduate school, had to recourse and put his future plans on hold.
“Throughout my life, I have always been dreaming of working as a public officer in my country. That has always been my plan, as soon as I graduate from APU I will go back. Taliban takeover has affected that plan, my family is stuck in a bad situation, and overall the occupation has been affecting mine and my family’s socio-economic situation”.
Charlie is originally from Bamyan, the central region of Afghanistan however grew up mostly in Kabul. The dream of becoming a public officer is not a far-off dream, most of his families were part of the preceding government in Kabul. Now, he is trying to get his family out of Afghanistan.
Unlike so many of us, the future of Afghanistan civilians is difficult to determine. The occupation of the Taliban and the collapse of Ashraf Ghani’s government has forced so many Afghans to recourse their lives. People do not know of the future that will befall them, however, the atrocity of their rulings throughout 1996-2001 is still fresh in the memories of people who lived past that regime.
Attitude towards the Taliban
Aside from the bombing of Kabul Airport on August 26th, which the Taliban claimed as having nothing to do with the atrocity, and put all the blame on their cousin ISIS. The group has been reported as not taking any extreme policing just yet. They are posing and smiling with citizens in selfies, and have been heard playing music in their patrol car.
“The ideology that Taliban holds is that everyone should have the same ideology as them,”
Mike then further explained the Taliban will eventually force their beliefs on people. The Taliban will take the Sharia Laws to the extreme, hold people responsible with atrocious consequences without a fair and just court, “they will bring the accused perpetrator, without providing prosecutors or juries who actually understand justice, there will be no criminal justice system within the law”.
Mike mentioned that the situation is even more dangerous for people that embody different values, cultures, or even physical attributes. One of the ethnic groups that is in great peril at the moment is the Hazara,
“We are physically different from the rest of Arab people, it is even easier to target us”.
According to Amnesty International's August 19th report, not long after their national takeover, the Taliban is responsible for the brutal massacre of 9 ethnic Hazara men in Afghanistan.
Charlie described the Taliban as an extremist group, who tortures and persecutes fellow Afghans. He continued with “68% of Afghanistan's population is young people, these people mostly born and raised without any tangible conflicts, and with certain values such as freedom of rights and women rights, the Taliban rules will be something that is not in line with what most of us believe in”.
As of August 24th, the spokesperson for Taliban has ordered for women to stay at home, the primary reason for this is because the Talibans are not trained and accustomed to talk and are surrounded with women. Even though he claimed that this order will be short-lived, reports showed that the Taliban also had conducted searches for women in various industries in Afghanistan.
He then continued with “If the Taliban will enact exactly the same regime as their previous reign, people will retaliate eventually,”.
Qazizai, co-author of Night Letters: Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and Afghan Islamists who Changed the World, stated in his interview with euro news that the Taliban arrived with a good strategy and initiatives, but mostly people are not optimistic, as they seen it only as a strategy to win their hearts, once the situation is stable they might take a huge turn in different direction.
Based on both interviewees the rule of Taliban can only end up in a more or less similar regime as their previous reign in 1996.The only difference is if they are going to conduct a totalitarian regime, there will be no one to stop them. Both interviewees' only hope is for them to be granted with the chance of tailoring a government that will be good for a lot of Afghans.
Outlook of foreign intervention
The US occupation in Afghanistan raises many debates ranging from claims of neocolonialism while some argue that the US presence is necessary to keep the Taliban in check.
“No country likes to be occupied, every country likes to be free - and I think Afghanistan does not want to be in the hands of a more terrifying and brutal terrorist group.”
Mike does not see the occupation as something deplorable as he recalls his childhood memories and the city he lived in remained relatively peaceful due to the US presence. He does acknowledge that foreign actors were in Afghanistan with their own goals and agenda but believes the US presence helped maintain harmonious conditions.
“Afghanistan was able to raise an entire generation without a very intense war - and by that, I mean my generation.”
Charlie does not describe it as an occupation, rather as a great opportunity for Afghanistan to develop economically and socially. As in the last 20 years, women were allowed to obtain education and fulfill a more solid role within society.
“The US presence was a great achievement for many people in Afghanistan, for instance, girls were finally allowed to go to school and are now raising their voices.”
He is anxious for the wellbeing and future of female family members because the Taliban takeover will undermine all of the progress and rights that have been fought for in the past 20 years.
While the presence of foreign forces in some areas did reduce the violence, it does not suggest the elimination of the Taliban. Many high-ranking officials and politicians claim that the insurgency and the Taliban were losing ground - with president Bush laying the blueprints to reconstruct Afghanistan.
However, according to the Afghanistan Papers, a book written by The Washington Post reporter Craig Whitlock, the true nature of the situation in Afghanistan is unveiled. The book claims that the general public has been purposely misinformed by officials to paint the situation in a better light. Further exposing the US for having a “devoid understanding of Afghanistan”. In reality, insurgency and violence were still apparent in other cities and areas.
The decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan was discussed and publicly announced since the Obama administration, to pull US troops by 2014. Mike describes the transfer of power as being rushed and believes it could have been done in a smoother way. For instance, when the US military disappeared from its airfield in Bagram without notifying the new Afghan commander as part of President Biden’s announcement to depart from Afghanistan. The base was subsequently raided by looters stealing anything they could get their hands on.
“I think that just shows a small example of how they handled Afghanistan - that they just left without thinking about it.”
In the midst of it all, China, being a major superpower, wishes to deepen “friendly and cooperative” relations with the Taliban. Mike preferred that the Chinese government does not support the Taliban government in fear of legitimizing the newly built regime on the international stage.
Charlie views China’s decision as having geopolitical and economic interests in Afghanistan, as the Taliban’s sour relationship with the US is the perfect opportunity for China to secure an economic ally within the mineral-abundant region and to minimize the possibility of an Uyghur separatist movement spurring in Afghanistan.
“China needs raw resources and Afghanistan is full of resources and precious minerals. Though, I’m still doubtful of a deal with the Taliban as they are an extremist group.”
Fragile Government: Stance on the previous government
The previous government under the presidency of Ashraf Ghani was abruptly interrupted after the rapid advancement made by the Taliban, which caused President Ghani to flee Afghanistan to the UAE, according to his statement. This caused a power vacuum within the country, making it easier for the Taliban to seize control.
Mike was “shocked at his cowardice” so far as calling him the worst person ever as some reports state that he left with a huge chunk of money - which he denies ever doing. Charlie shares the same negative sentiment of that “thief and corrupt person” who had no intentions of creating a better Afghanistan.
However, both interviewees viewed the previous government as being legitimate but heavily corrupt and were propped by the U.S. government to further U.S. interests instead. Mike mentions how President Ghani had U.S. citizenship and other members of the government having marital or some forms of ties with the U.S.
“I shouldn’t speculate, but it tells you that these people got into power by some support from the international community, and not the Afghan people.”
Allegations of election fraud and debates regarding the legitimacy of the previous presidential result were highly discussed in Afghanistan. Charlie is worried that a government led by the Taliban will no longer have a free and fair election as they see it as a “Western value and not Islamic rule.”
“Even if we didn’t have a transparent election, at least we had the ability to elect. In an election, people are satisfied because it is the voice of the people.” Charlie further reinforces his beliefs regarding elections.
Another form of criticism shared by both interviewees is the unequal representation of the many ethnic groups and the power disparity within the government itself. Afghanistan is a multi-ethnic society with over 10 recognized ethnic groups, yet the Pashtuns are the dominant ethnic group within the government. Furthermore, the power disparity allows some members of the government to do massive amounts of corruption and get away with it.
“The power should be more distributed as the President held the most power. The Parliament and local government officials should have more power.” Mike reinforces his opinions. Charlie believes that other ethnic representation is needed as a “humane route to further legitimize the government.”
While the international community such as our readers may feel helpless about the situation, keeping the conversation going is a way of showing support. The news of Afghanistan is no longer prevalent in mainstream media but that doesn’t mean the struggle stops for the citizens of Afghanistan.
Donating to a trusted independent organization is another form of solidarity. Here are a couple of donation links that are recommended.
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