Can Talibanization be narrowly defined as a specific dogma or set of rituals; or does it personify a more subtle and deep-rooted trouble with diversity? I think it is the latter and as such Taliban of Afghanistan have more in common with Hitler’s Nazis than with any other sect or religion. Such intolerance may manifest itself more brutally in poorer societies and may take the form of a “vote” in more “civilized” societies but at the end it is based on the same core set of values – or lack of them.
Just when we think that we have moved far enough from the horrors of holocaust, Europe reminds us that they are still quite capable of repeating it. Whether it is the French ban on certain forms of Muslim dress, German “contracts” for integration, and now to top it – the Swiss “vote” against buildings of a certain architectural characteristic: (http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/11/29/switzerland.minaret.referendum/index.html) – they all stem from the same underlying hostility that Europeans have often shown to their own brethren. Centuries ago it took the form of black death, then it looked like holocaust and in a few decades it will probably result in an effort to expel Muslims.
Sure, Swiss will try to disguise their utter intolerance as “democratic process” but let us not forget that even Nazis came to power in a sort of democratic exercise. This word does not cover the underlying hatred that people may feel about another group. Some will quickly start comparing this to how churches are treated in Muslim countries – thus proving the point that these European countries are striving to become Saudi Arabia and not a free and open society like US.
One has to wonder what the real difference is between banning a certain form of architecture, as the Swiss did; or destroying it after the fact; as done by Taliban with the various Budha’s statues? Both stem from the same underlying hostility and show how Swiss have much in common with the Taliban. Not too far from Switzerland France showed the same hostility earlier by banning certain forms of dress for Muslim women. So the only difference between them and Taliban is with respect to fashion preference. Overall the world needs to be very concerned about what is going on over there because it is entirely possible that in a few decades, US will be called on once again to clean up their mess. US needs to tell Europe in clear terms to clean up their mess and reign in these forces which are turning the clock back for Europe.
A minaret itself is of no significance in Islam. A mosque is a place of worship and is quite complete without such architectural enhancements. What should be troubling is the trend of intolerance that is growing rapidly in Europe. The people who want to cover themselves a certain way in France or want to build their places of worship a certain way in Switzerland are born and bred in those countries. How is the behavior of these “enlightened” countries any different from the Taliban in Afghanistan who wanted to impose their “sharia” on their citizens. It is these attitudes which when left unchecked lead to the wide spread hostilities later on and may even lead to another holocaust and then people would wonder how they missed the signs!
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