Taliban Hang 15yo For Carrying U.S. Bills

[PowerPlayoffs06]

http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/World/20...42542-sun.html

Taliban militants hanged a teenager in southern Afghanistan because he had U.S. money in his pocket, and they stuffed five $1 bills in his mouth as a warning to others not to use dollars, police said yesterday.

I'm continually amazed at the vehemence with which these people fight to continue to live in a barbaric culture.

[WessThompson]

and so many folks (including many on this forum) wonder what the hell we are doing in Afghanistan...

[CaptainCrunch]

Yes lets negotiate with them.

[Resolute 14]

Jack Layton can't be wrong, can he?

[ken0042]

And today, 15 years after the Cold War ended, and 45 years after the Cuban Missile Crisis, it's still illegal for Americans to buy Cuban cigars. Heck, one of my American friends was once warned that it was illegal for him to even smoke a Cuban while outside the US.

The only difference is the severity of the punishment; and certain types of treason in western worlds are punishable by death.

Not saying its right; just saying that I understand it.

[HOZ]

Wow......great cultural relativism there! Hung for a dollar bill versus getting sent to jail for selling secrets that could get thousands if not millions killed.




In other news

China has banned ads for push-up bras and sexually enticing sounds on TV.

The lengths people go to live in babaric cultures!

[Temporary_User]

Originally Posted by ken0042

And today, 15 years after the Cold War ended, and 45 years after the Cuban Missile Crisis, it's still illegal for Americans to buy Cuban cigars. Heck, one of my American friends was once warned that it was illegal for him to even smoke a Cuban while outside the US.

The only difference is the severity of the punishment; and certain types of treason in western worlds are punishable by death.

Not saying its right; just saying that I understand it.

Good point. I don't know what the penalty for doing trade with cuba is, but I am 100% sure it is less than death!
Not to call your friend a liar, (I actually know next to nothing on this whole matter, I blame my young age of 22) but I don't think it's the cigars that exactly illigal, but it is simply cuban goods.
More specifically, if this was the case, than all Americans returning from Amsterdam would be arrested.

[Lanny_MacDonald]

Should also point out that it was Taliban militants, not the government in place, nor the people of the country itself. The Taliban are considered the fringe, even in Afghanistan, so lets not consider this the norm for that part of the world.

[PowerPlayoffs06]

Originally Posted by Lanny_MacDonald

Should also point out that it was Taliban militants, not the government in place, nor the people of the country itself. The Taliban are considered the fringe, even in Afghanistan, so lets not consider this the norm for that part of the world.

It may not be "the norm," but it's certainly not a rare occurance over there either. What about that poor teenage girl who was stoned to death in a crowd of hundreds for dating a boy of another faith? How about all the stories that find their way across the pond about girls being raped and killed by relatives for "dishonoring" the family. Sometimes for the most insignificant things. Well, insignificant to Western culture senses. These are acts not even committed by militants, but by regular citizens.

[Fozzie_DeBear]

to build on Lanny's point even within the Taliban there may not be a cohesive structure, more like a group of quasi-independant warlords IMO

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by PowerPlayoffs06

It may not be "the norm," but it's certainly not a rare occurance over there either. What about that poor teenage girl who was stoned to death in a crowd of hundreds for dating a boy of another faith? How about all the stories that find their way across the pond about girls being raped and killed by relatives for "dishonoring" the family. Sometimes for the most insignificant things. Well, insignificant to Western culture senses. These are acts not even committed by militants, but by regular citizens.

I wonder what significant reason existed for the kid in Queensland to be pickaxed to death?

[PowerPlayoffs06]

Originally Posted by Snakeeye

I wonder what significant reason existed for the kid in Queensland to be pickaxed to death?

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Lanny_MacDonald

Should also point out that it was Taliban militants, not the government in place, nor the people of the country itself. The Taliban are considered the fringe, even in Afghanistan, so lets not consider this the norm for that part of the world.

We know that as a society Afgahnistan is more religeously concience then most fundamentalist countries, so we do see more honor killings, and other extreme acts then we likely see anywhere else, even though for example Pakistan is also bad for these types of crimes.

I didn't know that there was a moderate arm or political arm of the Taliban, there is just the Taliban. The de-facto leader of that group is still Mullah Omar who is as violent and virulent as they come, so a crime committed by the Taliban is not committed by a militant arm, but the taliban itself.

The Taliban might be considered to be fringe, to Westerners however they do still have a great deal of influence in the wilder regions, whether through fear or religeous messages.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by PowerPlayoffs06

How about all the stories that find their way across the pond about girls being raped and killed by relatives for "dishonoring" the family.

Once again; I question what is normal; and what is the extreme. In our news last week; they revisited the case of the 15 year old girl who gave birth out of wedlock and threw the baby in the trash.

I am apprehensive to judge an entire culture based on the fantastic news stories we receive.

Now- having said that I have heard from humanitarians about some of the terrible things they have witnessed over their; like a lack of women's rights. To me; this may be no more than an Afgan parallel to them hearing of a group called the KKK burning a man on a cross because of the amount of melanin in the person's skin.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Fozzie_DeBear

to build on Lanny's point even within the Taliban there may not be a cohesive structure, more like a group of quasi-independant warlords IMO

I think that I'm going to argue your point, but the Taliban is a classic terrorist organization that is split into cells but its still over ruled by a revolutionary council and has a defacto head. Its not a warlord driven organization.

Eric Margolis wrote a facinating book on Afghanistan titled the war on top of the world where it goes into the founding and rise to power of the Taliban. You can also read "Who's war is it anyways" by Jack Granenstein (Sp) that lays out a brief history of Afghanistan itself.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Once again; I question what is normal; and what is the extreme. In our news last week; they revisited the case of the 15 year old girl who gave birth out of wedlock and threw the baby in the trash.

To a lot of citizen's over there who's religeous slant is very fundemental, honor killings are normal, and justified under the eyes of thier Mullah and god, right or wrong.

Originally Posted by ken0042

I am apprehensive to judge an entire culture based on the fantastic news stories we receive.

I agree with this, however in the case of Afghanistan we have to look at that culture as a tribal or horse base culture for the most part that hasn't changed in hundreds of years, so the horrible things that we hear about to them are normal and justified. I think the majority of the Afghan population lives outside of the city central while Liberalism (not in our terms) has to some extent grown.

Originally Posted by ken0042

Now- having said that I have heard from humanitarians about some of the terrible things they have witnessed over their; like a lack of women's rights. To me; this may be no more than an Afgan parallel to them hearing of a group called the KKK burning a man on a cross because of the amount of melanin in the person's skin.

For the most part your right except for the last part. The KKK in North America and the radical racist groups are considered to be a lunatic fringe, and a tiny minority to the rest of society. However in Afghanistan, Non Reformed fundamentalist Islam is considered to be the norm and is backed by thier justice system, and members of thier government.

I remember reading that to the courts over there, a womans life and value and testimony is worth exactly half of a mans life and value and testimony.

Which is funny because Islam recognized womans rights and woman's sufferage long before the Christians did.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by PowerPlayoffs06

Roll your eyes all you want, the middle east hardly has a monopoly on killing people over trivial things.

[PowerPlayoffs06]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Once again; I question what is normal; and what is the extreme. In our news last week; they revisited the case of the 15 year old girl who gave birth out of wedlock and threw the baby in the trash.

Gruesome and heinous acts are committed round the world, yes. I think the difference lays in that actions like that are not condoned in "civilized" society and in the excessivness of the peoples responses.

If that girl had been in Afghanistan, she very well might have been murdered by her family for just having pre-marital sex, let alone enough of it to get pregnant. The murder may even have been "acceptable" by their socitial and cultural standards as well.

Certainly not all people of the far side of the globe are of the opinion that honor killings and suicide bombings and example-murders for the sake of cultural preservance are acceptable. There doesn't seem to be a shortage of that mentality either though.

[BlackEleven]

Originally Posted by WessThompson

and so many folks (including many on this forum) wonder what the hell we are doing in Afghanistan...

Does this comment imply that the disregard shown for human life alone is enough to justify the Canadian military being in Afganistan?

[HOZ]

I suggest everyone should read The Places in Between by Rory Steward

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/11/bo...er_bissel.html

Great book about a guy that walked across Afghanistan in 2002.

A great look at the culture. The Taleban's view of the world is not in the minority in many places even though the Taleban are hated.