#let afghan women exist

[qurbanjaan]

When will European and North American women stop caring more about being perceived as racist instead of helping their sisters that endure abuse in their homelands? I couldn’t care less if an afghan male calls you racist and you shouldn’t either. He probably beats his wife, as 90% of afghan women report suffering domestic violence. We should care about each other, he would do the same to you and so would (and they do) every European and North American male if they had the chance. Women need to unite and stop caring about men’s feelings. They will never care or protect us, no matter where they are from.

[qurbanjaan]

Life used to be normal, women’s rights are not linear and remember: males from your country would do the same to you, given the opportunity.

[doberbutts]

Funny enough I saw posts about exactly this and I made my own untagged post about how white feminists are so quick to abandon men of color in their "anti-racism" that they're literally willing to let men of color be genocided off the face of the map [such as in Afghanistan] or forget that perhaps a large part of WHY a civil movement exists is BECAUSE of the violence faced by men of color [black lives matter and innocent/nonviolent black men getting gunned down in the street by cops and "concerned civilians"]

And it was deliberately misinterpreted as "women of color are literally the reason men of color have problems" and "men of color are the only people who matter" when I was very obviously talking about white feminists with "anti-racist" in their bio posting about how Afghan men should be left in the country and only the women should be evacuated, and white feminists with "black lives matter" in their bio posting about how men are always violent racist thugs who deserve to be lined up against the wall and shot execution style.

[djuvlipen]

Can't believe I'm being cancelled for disliking gypsies, one of the most misogynistic groups out there who sell girls as young as 10 for gold and money, don't let them get education, etc. Unless you've lived close to them and experienced the whole extent of that culture, stfu

This is a tweet said by a ‘radical feminist’ known on radtwt and this is exactly why I only follow Black, Asian, Indigenous and Roma feminists now. White radfems will excuse their racism under the guise of feminism yet when it comes to actually being feminist and helping Roma women? They’re silent. I can’t believe someone would say this and not think to themselves ‘this is even more reason why I must ally with Roma women against oppressive aspects of their culture’ but instead she goes full nazi and later on says how Roma are ‘forever condemned to be lower caste’ and lives a ‘cringe’ existence without ever thinking about the racism they experience that makes their existence so ‘lower caste’ and ‘cringe’. I’m sorry to bring this to you, I know it could be triggering, but you are the most active Roma radfem I follow right now (the few I follow on twitter have been on hiatus or either suspended :/) and I needed to get this off my chest. I’ve been so annoyed at radfem spaces lately because of bs like this, where white radfems will go on about how they can’t be oppressive because they’re women and all women are oppressed only to turn around and be oppressive racist assholes.

I know the user you are talking about, I'm going to include screenshots for context:

She was first called out in early June by a Romani feminist and another feminist on Twitter. Unfortunately many of the reactions are like this,

I think some of those users are actual fascists, because some feminists would rather ally with the far right than support Romani women.

Then you've got the usual jokes about Europeans being just like Hitler because it would kill Gadje to actually take anti-Roma racism seriously for once instead of turning it into an Internet meme,

Tbh I have seen this sentiment echoed in many radfem spaces, not just on Twitter. A few months ago I received an ask that said "why should I care about Romani women when their culture is so sexist in the first place". A woman commented on one of my posts about racialized misogyny against Romnia with "stop playing the victim, if people don't like you it's because your culture sucks". (I'm paraphrasing because I'm too lazy to find those posts rn)

I totally understand why you'd only follow radfems of colour, I think I follow only a few white radfems as well. White feminists always try and undermine their white privilege because they think being a woman means they can't be oppressors. It's a very one dimensional way to understand how oppression works. I could go on and on about this but I think you summed it up pretty well. They're not only ignoring their race and class privilege, they are also being actively bigoted against woc.

I have heard that misandristlana was Afghan (but living in the UK), I can't find a proof for it because she has been suspended though. In any case it's a huge no hope for women moment but I am really not surprised by this, non-Romani women typically never show support to Romani women so I stopped expecting anything from them. We can only count on ourselves to liberate ourselves. That's why I prioritize fellow Romani women before other women

[qurbanjaan]

“Screaming the name of a foreigner God.”

Fuck all the islamic activists like Khalid Beydoun and Fatima Bhutto constantly posting about muslim m@les dying in west or p@lestine but staying silent on the oppression women are facing in islamic countries. Taliban just passed a new law banning Afghan women from speaking outside of their homes or even speaking to non-muslim women. But no word from these "peaceful religion" protesters! The entire world should follow the instructions of these fucktards, boycott whoever they want, unfollow the celebrities they hate otherwise we are labelled as islamophobes. But they can choose to zip their mouths and mock women suffering at the hands of islamic terrorists. Well, i am not boycotting or unfollowing anybody these muslims want me to as long as they don’t protest for the afghan women with the same energy and rage. You either accept that your religion is the most misogynistic one and harming women and speak up on it, or you keep getting silent treatment that you deserve . Call me an islamophobe i am not even denying that i am one!

[laundryandtaxes]

Typing here because notes don't give notification but here are the fundamental points of disagreement I take with this framing.

As stated in my reply, it is no secret that Hamas considers itself to be acting on behalf of the Palestinian people or is aligned with their interests, including an end to Israeli occupation. Whether the Palestinian people are aligned with them I do not know, but let's presume for a second that they are, and that every single Palestinian believes that every Israeli citizen is fair game for any amount of brutal violence one chooses to inflict. This still changes nothing other than how Westerners view the moral position of the people. But even if a people had an entirely "bad" national character, it would still not justify their occupation and intentional genocide, which is at least a major part of the fundamental project of Israeli occupation and always has been.

No two situations are exactly the same, but consider the case of Aghanistan. There is a nonzero percentage of Aghans who actively support the Talbian. There is an even larger number who saw their lands and lives and livelihoods and families outright decimated by two decades of war between the occupying US forces and the various fighter groups trying to wrest control out of US hands, and wanted absolutely any end to the war possible even as everyone knew that would mean imminent rule by the Taliban. The US occupation of Afghanistan was terrible and violent and only added to the overall level of violence surrounding everyday people. Neither the fact that the US occupation was horrific, nor the fact that some Afghans support the current Taliban government, means that those egging on the end of US occupation were cheering for the Taliban. The fact that some Aghans support the Taliban does not mean I think women and girls should, in fact, be barred from school and most public life. But even if the national character of the Afghan people was such that every single one of them supported the Talbian during US rule, that wouldn't mean they deserved occupation and genocide for people of poor character. The West has had to outright lie about the levels of Nazi sympathizing and violent elimination of dissent baked into the Ukranian state's character. I acknowledge that this is a position you could call that of a "Soviet sympathizer," but among those in the left with this view of Ukraine, we still don't think the Ukranian people deserve to be tossed into a meat grinder and made to die in tremendous numbers for no reason. Ironically, it is the West with its talk of support that takes this view of the value of the lives of these people. So talk of what a people support or like in a region of the world where of course people have different values and ideas and goals than I would is not a useful barometer for anything imo.

If every Palestinian wanted every Israeli dead tomorrow, the state of Israel would continue to exist. If every Israeli wanted every Palestinian dead tomorrow, the Palestinian people might see a conclusion to their ongoing genocide in the region, because Israel has a state, it has a military, it has almost a whole nation of potential conscripts and gives itself 18 years to militarize and shape the viewpoints of those potential conscripts, it has its Iron dome, it has American backing, it has the aporoval of the "international community" and has been pushing the bounds ever more in the direction of internationall illegal actions for every year of its existence. It is not surprising that it's not the case that every Israeli wants that- it's a function of the fact that human beings generally dislike violence and do not wish to see war. But functionally, I could say the same, that everyone who is sending #prayersforIsrael thinks the people on the receiving end of IDR bombs signed by Israeli children deserved to die, and that every Israeli must answer for some Israelis setting up beach chairs to watch a bombing; ultimately that's what this sounds like to me. I legitimately think the national character of Americans is absolutely awful, and the project itself rotten beyond use, but if some new occupying force showed up tomorrow determined to enact a genocide on the whole nation, I would find that bad in the same fundamental way that I despise all genocide.

[lepartidelamort]

Taliban Fully Bans Women from Speaking, Showing Faces in Public

Andrew Anglin

If you thought this was the law already, that would make sense, given that it was being widely enforced already.

But apparently there were still some women in Kabul showing their faces and trying to talk to people. So the issue has been fixed. No more of that crap in Our Afghanistan, The Greatest Country on Earth.

They do not have a birthrate problem in Afghanistan. I can tell you that much. This much, my friend, I can indeed tell you: women are having kids in Afghanistan. And it’s a very poor country. Very poor. They’re recovering from a massive war. Gay retards invaded them and occupied their country for 20 years before surrendering and slipping away. It’s a poor country, ravaged by war, and yet they are having a lot of kids, because the birthrate has precisely zero to do with economics.

Someone needs to call South Korea and tell them about this. I don’t think they know about the Taliban and how women get pregnant in Afghanistan. Those gay retards in Fake Korea think the birthrate is an economic issue.

The Guardian:

New Taliban laws that prohibit women from speaking or showing their faces outside their homes have been condemned by the UN and met with horror by human rights groups. The Taliban published a host of new “vice and virtue” laws last week, approved by their supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, which state that women must completely veil their bodies – including their faces – in thick clothing at all times in public to avoid leading men into temptation and vice.

Yeah, that’s something Western men don’t understand: if you don’t have to look at women all the time, you don’t feel constant sexual pressure. It is women being in public that creates all of these sexual problems for men.

We need to bring in Taliban advisors to assist us in establishing new norms in America.

We have to shut it down.

Women’s voices are also deemed to be potential instruments of vice and so will not be allowed to be heard in public under the new restrictions. Women must also not be heard singing or reading aloud, even from inside their houses.

“Whenever an adult woman leaves her home out of necessity, she is obliged to conceal her voice, face, and body,” the new laws state. Men will also be required to cover their bodies from their navels to their knees when they are outside their homes. From now on, Afghan women are also not allowed to look directly at men they are not related to by blood or marriage, and taxi drivers will be punished if they agree to drive a woman who is without a suitable male escort. Women or girls who fail to comply can be detained and punished in a manner deemed appropriate by Taliban officials charged with upholding the new laws.

The Taliban covers all bases.

They don’t let these whores in the school.

They don’t let them do anything.

Full lockdown.

That is, of course, the most obvious way to deal with the woman problem.

That said: if you just want to force women to have kids, you don’t really have to do all of that. You just have to box them in. You can’t give them options. If they have options, they are not going to choose marriage and kids (at least not until they are 28 or so, at which point they are mostly useless for these purposes).

Anything you can do to close off women’s decisions is going to change the dynamics of society that exist now, where women have the ability to make all of the bad decisions they want.

If you don’t want to lock them down, you at least have to box them in. Make it so not getting married is more difficult than getting married and the majority of these mindless hoes will just go along with the flow.

[biarritzzz]

2021 u.s. pull out of Afghanistan opened my eyes, coming from an abusive Muslim background, I knew the evil of Islam, and extremism. Seeing white women bullied viciously online for saying they support the afghan women and girls to be brought to the west, (but not the men for obvious reasons) woke me up. The left doesn’t care about women’s safety and the amount of think pieces and infographics about white women being evil and racist for not welcoming afghan men with open arms was the last straw. As a non white woman I never thought they were being racist and always would support white women over misogynistic abusive pigs regardless of their color. A white woman never hurt me.

Feminists saying they only want Afghan women and no Afghan men are virtue-signaling.

This isn’t a policy that can realistically be enacted. How does it work exactly? Afghan women are ok with leaving their brother/father/uncle/husband behind? Yeah, right. And their father/uncle/husband are ok with letting them travel on their own to a Western country? Please.

Such a policy would be denounced as discriminatory anyway. If we take Afghan women, we have to take the men too. So I say we take no one.

Afghans have been wreaking havoc in Western Europe these past few years: not a week goes by that an Afghan male doesn’t rape, kill, assault. Afghan culture is horrifying and unbelievably backwards yet politicians in Europe tell us: no, we can’t send them back home (why the fuck are they coming in the first place) because the Talibans are there boohoohoo. As if Afghans oppose the Talibans on principles. It’s just tribal shit, they’re all deeply dangerous and violent.

The other day I stumbled upon this article in a magazine where a famous Belgian writer was talking about her trauma: at 12 years old she was raped by 4 men on a beach. I was horrified then thought: hang on… this can’t have happened in Europe. It’s only at the very end of the article that it��s revealed that it occurred in Bangladesh (her parents were diplomats there). I’m not saying that pedophilia, incest and rape don’t exist in Europe obviously, just that this type of public rape where men behave like fucking animals with a child is normalized in countries where little girls marrying grown men is legal, where women just walking around in public without a man by their side are fair game. Indian/Pakistani men make arab and black men look almost normal (almost being the operative word).

Years ago, I had this job in a company that did logistics. My stupid POS boss had the brilliant idea of hiring a few Bangladeshi men because he wanted cheap labour. Their job was to load the trucks. These men were creepy as fuck and the rare times I encountered them, I would always walk fast and limit eye contact. One day I made the mistake of answering one of them who asked me for the time. I stop, look at my watch and that is when one of them grabs me and pulls me toward him. Strong grip, I couldn’t let go. He decided that because I had stopped and talked to him I was fair game. I screamed and finally managed to get away. He thought that was funny and that I was playing with him. This is their ‘normal’ behavior.

These countries are sordid shitholes and the people inhabiting them are insanely dangerous and backwards. For women and for children (and for men as well). The idea that they’re going to adopt our western values just because they moved to the West is utterly preposterous and in a normal world anyone suggesting it would be laughed out the room.

If you are a white woman/girl you have a target on your back because to these men, you are a literal prostitute since the only times they’ve seen a white woman is through porn. Gang bangs especially. Porn websites publish data that show which country watches what type of pornography and the results are as illuminating as they are horrifying.

There is a fundamental civilization incompatibility that the corrupt European elites (left, right, center) don’t care about because it’s about greed, growth and destruction of Europe and the fact that it endangers Europeans and specifically women doesn’t matter to them.

Since you say you are from a muslim background, I assume you live in the West now. So your family came with you. If you came, then so did the men of your family and mathematically this puts Western women in danger (‼️).

[whatisonthemoon]

The CIA Engineers "Islamic Terrorism" in the Philippines, Forming Abu Sayyaf

Background on Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines and the Mujahideen in Afghanistan

Abu Sayyaf is an Islamist militant group based in the Philippines. Established in the early 1990s, the group is known for its terrorist acts, including kidnappings, bombings, and beheadings. 

Today Abu Sayyaf likely has around 20 members. Maute or the Islamic State of Lanao, another Jihadist organization targeted by the Philippine government, has less than 50 members. That said, in 2017, the Philippine government led a 5-month long bombing campaign of Marawi City targeting these groups, with support from the U.S. military, including weaponry/equipment as well as advising and offering strategic guidance, and support from the UK, Australia, China, Russia, Israel, and Singapore. 95% of the structures within the 4 square kilometers of the battle were heavily damaged, with 3,152 buildings completely destroyed. This so-called "battle" left over 200,000 civilians homeless to this day. 

Though these groups had a presence in Marawi City, they were never a popular movement or recognized as integrated among the masses, and lacked the numbers to effectively wage political struggle in Marawi City, let alone in Mindanao.

Abu Sayyaf also has its own organizational origins in the CIA-funded/organized mujahideen in Afghanistan. By 1978, when the "People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan" took power through a military coup with Soviet support, establishing a "Marxist-Leninist" Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, Maoists had effectively organized popular support throughout Afghanistan. The new government sought to crush these organizations and murdered thousands of Maoists during its existence.

A year after the establishment of the "revisionist" government of Afghanistan, the muhajideen were forming as scattered armed Islamist organizations.

The Soviets invaded Afghanistan following Nur Muhammad Taraki, the pro-Soviet leader, being deposed and assasinated. By the end of 1979, the Soviets invaded Afghanistan.

Though some Maoists and Communists joined the mujahideen over time, most did not and instead waged struggle against both Soviets and mujahideen. Hundreds of prominent Maoist leaders were murdered from 1978 through the 1980s, leaving the revolutionary movement often without leaders.

Through the 1980s, the United States, through the CIA, provided support to the mujahideen in Afghanistan. This assistance included funding, training, and weaponry. Many from all over the Arab Middle East, including Osama bin Laden, joined the mujahideen to combat the invading Soviet forces. 

Abu Sayyaf's origins can be traced back to some members of the mujahideen who returned to their home countries, including the Philippines, after the Soviet-Afghan war. 

While the U.S. government and its allies/lackeys have made it difficult to establish direct links between the CIA and Abu Sayyaf, figures like Senator Aquilino Pimentel have fought tooth and nail for the truth around Abu Sayyaf’s origins in the CIA. In 2001, Pimentel led an inquiry into the links between the CIA and Abu Sayyaf which shed light on the group's origins, funding, and training. While the inquiry did not conclusively establish direct CIA involvement, it highlighted the complexities of the situation and the need for further investigation. 

Jihadists prey on the oppressed people of the world, convincing devastated and desperate people that it is through their dead-end, metaphysical ideology that the evils of U.S. imperialism can be destroyed, instead of the tools of revolutionary ideology and organization, which can genuinely, materially liberate and emancipate the people. 

For generations, revolutionary women have been organizing in Afghanistan, running schools, advocating for those abused, trafficked, enslaved, etc., even taking up the gun to defend their people from the U.S. and/or Taliban, and yet women in Afghanistan continue to endure horrendous violence and human rights abuses from the patriarchal political system.  In fact, there have been generations of revolutionaries from all over Afghanistan, initiating and advancing peoples’ struggles and joining the armed struggle, taking the place of martyrs who came before them, because they believe that it is worth seeking an Afghanistan free from fascism and imperialism, even if it costs them their lives and even if it is not their generation who sees it.

And yet, the U.S. has continued to repress the Afghanistan at all costs, ensuring that women remain powerless in Afghan society, ensuring that progressive movements are terrorized and destroyed, believing it can somehow stamp out the people’s resilient and undying struggle for justice and liberation, through supporting of the mujahideen to their occupation and horrendous war crimes in Afghanistan.

It makes sense why people both in Afghanistan and the Philippines link up with these struggles, as their people have endured mass violence and even genocides under U.S. rule. As pointed out in another WIOTM post, “A recent study shows that, apart from the million direct casualties of the War(s) on Terror, over 3,000,000 people died from the conditions created by those wars.”

Jihadism has never led to the people being liberated, but has only led to further oppression and the post-Cold War bloating of the US and its allies’ Military Industrial Complex. In a very big way, Jihadism has been engineered by the U.S. government and the CIA.

Below are three articles that reveal the CIA origins of Abu Sayyaf. These articles come from varying sources, though they include information that can be easily verified and researched. One article is from the bourgeois, reactionary PhilStar, one from the progressive, pro-people Bulatlat, and one from the US-based The Socialist Worker, a newspaper of the International Socialist Organization’s, a now disbanded Trotskyist organization known for a number of abuse scandals.

These articles establish real connections, figures, and history that validate the long-held beliefs of the Filipino people in struggle, who have known of Abu Sayyaf’s imperialistic origins since near its inception. 

The Philippines "terrorists" created by CIA - Eduardo Capulong -  January 4, 2002 - The Socialist Worker

The 26 U.S. military advisers who were sent to the Philippines last year to "fight terrorism" will be targeting a group that the U.S. government helped to create.

According to various sources, Abu Sayyaf, the Islamic fundamentalist organization notorious for kidnapping tourists in southern Philippines and Malaysia, was formed and trained by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and the Philippine military.

Philippine Senator Aquilino Pimentel called for an inquiry into the link between the CIA and Abu Sayyaf--which he called a "CIA monster"--as early as May of last year. "There are now emerging bits of information that Abu Sayyaf was indeed the creation of probably the CIA in connivance with or with the support of some select military officers," he said at the time.

Meanwhile, the links between Abu Sayyaf and military and police authorities are well documented. In the recent book Under the Crescent Moon: Rebellion in Mindanao, journalists Marites Dañguilan Vitug and Glenda Gloria document the bloody collaboration--which is also corroborated by former hostages.

Last September, a number of former hostages charged that Abu Sayyaf was a front--a "creation of the military's 'dirty tricks' department." They testified that army checkpoints would allow their captors to pass unmolested repeatedly.

This is the real story behind the talk of the "fight against terrorism" in the Philippines.

Pimentel: CIA may be behind creation of Sayyaf - May 9, 2000 - PhilStar

Is the Abu Sayyaf a creation of the Central Intelligence Agency?

Sen. Aquilino Pimentel yesterday sought a Senate inquiry to answer the question.

Pimentel, who is from Mindanao, told a press conference that "bits of information" have been reaching his office indicating that the American spy agency had a hand in forming the Abu Sayyaf -- ironically, in cahoots with covert units in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

He said he had been cautious in discussing the possibility, not wanting to indiscriminately implicate the CIA in the country's political upheavals.

"Piecing bits of information together makes out a case, at least pro tanto, that the Abu Sayyaf might indeed be a creation of the CIA and had been covertly supported by select military officers during the administration of President (Fidel) Ramos," Pimentel said.

In the early 1990s, the CIA recruited members for the Abu Sayyaf, Pimentel claimed, who were then trained in Sulu and Tawi-Tawi by an elite Philippine military unit.

The Abu Sayyaf was later sent as mujahideen (holy warriors) to fight in America's proxy war against the Soviet Red Army in Afghanistan. Weapons for the Abu Sayyaf came from Saudi financier Osama bin Laden, now wanted in the US for allegedly funding terrorism.

An elite Philippine military unit now operating outside the AFP's chain of command is a conduit between the CIA and the Abu Sayyaf.

For some unknown reason, CIA funding for the Abu Sayyaf was later cut off, prompting the rebels to resort to banditry, kidnapping and other crimes.

One of these criminal acts, Pimentel said, was the April 1995 Abu Sayyaf raid on the town of Ipil, Zamboanga del Sur.

If the Senate does conduct an investigation, Pimentel said they will ask former President Ramos and top military officials to testify. Although he believed that the Abu Sayyaf had already lost contact with their CIA benefactors, Pimentel said the truth must be ferreted out.

"Parenthetically, there is a new book, Browback by Chaimers Johnson, that may justify a deeper study into the affairs of the CIA in our country that have a direct relevance to the problems that the Abu Sayyaf is causing us today," Pimentel said.

Abu Sayyaf: The CIA’s Monster Gone Berserk - EDMUNDO SANTUARIO III - Bulatlat

The Philippines is under watch by America’s “anti-terrorism” network. This is so not only because of the presence of active Moro and Marxist guerrillas but also because of its special concern on the Abu Sayyaf. In the ‘80s, just as it was waging its last surrogate wars against the Soviet Union, the U.S. was also engaged in new forms of covert operations -- the training of Islamic militants to fight the Russians in Afghanistan and elsewhere. A product of this war – the Abu Sayyaf – was once hailed by American presidents as a group of “freedom fighters.” It was an exaltation that would haunt them for years.

To those who have been following the Abu Sayyaf’s exploits, the offer of military assistance by the United States government in tracking down the extremists in Mindanao (southern Philippines) has sent a chilling effect particularly among the patriotic sectors.

Related to this, similar concerns have been raised as to why despite government’s “total war” policy on the small group of bandits – whose hostage-taking spree is a purely police matter - not one of its active ringleaders has been caught. Previous suspicions that the Abu Sayyaf enjoys the protection of some top Armed Forces officials have surfaced again.

In a surprise operation last May 27, Abu Sayyaf gunmen kidnapped three Americans and 17 Filipinos from the world-class Dos Palmas resort just off Arracellis in Palawan. It was not immediately known where the new hostages were taken but the gunmen reportedly operate from the southernmost islands of Sulu, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi.

Abu Sayyaf spokesman Abu Sabaya on Saturday said they also took 10 fishermen hostage on their way to Basilan. The kidnapping was pulled off just barely two months after their last hostage – American Jeffrey Schilling – was freed after nine months of captivity.

In declaring a “no ransom, no negotiations” policy to the Abu Sayyaf, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered military assaults on the group’s suspected lairs and offered a P100 million (US$2 million) reward on the ring leaders’ capture, dead or alive.

Meeting Arroyo in Malacañang on May 30, U.S. Rep. Robert Underwood offered military assistance to the Philippine government’s pursuit operations against the Abu Sayyaf. Underwood, who was accompanied in his visit by U.S. Charge D’Affaires Michael Malinowski, is a member of the powerful House Armed Services Committee and was in the country to explore how military relations between the two countries can be enhanced. Malinowski had earlier pledged continued American military support to the Arroyo administration.

On the same day, U.S. State Department spokesman Phil Reeker demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages, particularly Americans Guillermo Sobrero and missionary couple Martin and Gracia Burnham. Among the 17 Filipino hostages is construction magnate Reghis Romero, said to be the front man of former Estrada crony Mark Jimenez in the purchase of The Manila Times. The latter, who has just been elected Manila congressman, is himself wanted by U.S. authorities.

Warplanes

Since the Dos Palmas abduction, at least 12 American warplanes had been seen hovering over Puerto Princesa City in Palawan. Then on March 31, two U.S. destroyers – the USS Curts and the USS Wadsworth -- and the landing ship USS Rushmore arrived in the country with 1,200 American troops. Philippine armed forces officials squelched speculations of U.S. intervention in the hostage crisis, claiming that the American troops’ presence was in connection with ongoing war games in Palawan and Cavite.

Efforts to downplay reports that U.S. military assistance has indeed come into play in the latest hostage crisis were of no effect, however, when Press Secretary Rigoberto Tiglao himself revealed that military contacts between the two governments are ongoing. The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – whose agents have been in and out of the country in connection with “terrorist” cases – was also placed on alert. Former Philippine Ambassador to Washington Ernesto Maceda also revealed that in last year’s Sipadan hostage crisis where 20 tourists were held hostage by the Abu Sayyaf, the Americans backed military and police operations through the use of high-powered satellite surveillance equipment.

‘CIA monster’

U.S. military efforts to intervene in the Abu Sayyaf hostage crisis appears to be a turnaround from their reported links to the Mindanao extremists several years ago.  In May last year, Senate President Aquilino Pimentel Jr. described the Abu Sayyaf (“Bearer [or Father] of the Sword” in Arabic) as a “CIA monster.”

Abu Sayyaf members, Pimentel said, were initially recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency as mujahideens to fight the U.S. proxy war in Afghanistan in the ‘80s. Before their deployment, they were trained by AFP officers in Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Basilan and other remote areas in Mindanao. But the arms and funds came from U.S. covert operations connected with the CIA, Pimentel said.

The mujahideens returned to Mindanao after the Afghan war to constitute the core of the Abu Sayyaf, the Senate president added.

In his revelations, Pimentel cited the book, Blowback by Chalmers Johnson. But it was American writer John K. Cooley in his book, Unholy Wars: Afghanistan, American and International Terrorism, who made “the most direct statement regarding the training and funding of the (Abu Sayyaf) by the CIA,” he said. Cooley was the Middle East correspondent for the reputable Christian Science Monitor and ABC News.

In his “Ghosts of the Past” report for ABC News in August last year, Cooley said the Abu Sayyaf, like many “international terrorists,” has its origins in the 1979-89 jihad or “holy war” to expel the Soviets from Afghanistan. Wanting to tie down the Soviets to their own little Vietnam war, the CIA recruited and trained thousands of Islamic militants to support the Afghan resistance against the Soviet invasion forces. The American quarterly Foreign Affairs reported that some 35,000 Muslim militants from 40 countries -- including the Philippines -- took part in the Afghan jihad. Related historical accounts said among the recruits was Osama bin Laden, now the U.S.’s No. 1 “terrorist enemy.”

‘Freedom Fighters’

“The CIA orchestrated massive arms shipments via Pakistan, including state-of-the-art Stinger surface-to-air missiles,” Cooley said. Three American presidents – Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George Bush -- hailed the mujahideens as “freedom fighters,” he said.

The Abu Sayyaf, Cooley said, was the last of the seven Afghan guerrilla groups to be organized late in the war – in 1986 or three years before the Soviets withdrew. It was founded by an Afghan professor named Abdul Rasul Abu Sayyaf. And like Osama bin Laden, the group was financed by Saudi Arabia’s wealthy elite and influenced by Wahabism, an ultra-conservative form of Islam that dates back to the mid-18th century and is espoused by the Saudi royal family.

“Some of the original veterans of the Afghan jihad, and their sons and grandsons and those trained by them, have been operating with destructive effect since the 1980s from Egypt and the Philippines to Algeria and New York,” Cooley wrote.

With the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1989, the CIA’s powerful Pakistani partner, the Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate (ISI), lost control of the Afghan fighting groups. The Abu Sayyaf had established a training camp north of Peshawar, Pakistan, “to train terrorists in the methods taught by the CIA and ISI,” Cooley reported. Some 20,000 volunteers were trained in the “Peshawar university” to “look for other wars to fight” including in the Middle East, North Africa, New York and the Philippines.

The Abu Sayyaf moved its operations to the Philippines ostensibly to support the war for a separate Islamic state. Emerging from these operations were two leaders – the brothers Abdurajak Janjalani, who was an Afghan war veteran, and Khaddafi Janjalani.

Early Operations

In a privilege speech in July last year, Pimentel named former Interior Secretary Rafael Alunan and then Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Guillermo Ruiz as knowing about the group’s early operations in Mindanao. He also asked the Senate to summon former President Fidel V. Ramos and ex-Defense Secretary Renato de Villa to shed light on the matter.

Pimentel also cited revelations by a police asset, Edwin Angeles, who has since died mysteriously, that the military equipped the Abu Sayyaf with vehicles, mortars and assorted firearms for its raid of Ipil in April 1995. In the raid – the group’s first large-scale action – 70 people died while 50 teachers and schoolchildren were kidnapped.

Following its “split” with the MNLF in 1991, the Abu Sayyaf resorted to illegal logging, kidnapping, bombing, looting, burning, killing and other criminal activities for its logistics and operations. So far, they have kidnapped at least 32 foreigners, including five Americans, Europeans and Asians. This does not included hundreds of other Filipino hostages, a number of whom were Catholic and Protestant priests and nuns. Some of them, including priests, were killed.

The metamorphosis of the Abu Sayyaf from “freedom fighters” in Afghanistan to sheer bandits in the Philippines is a new dark spot in the U.S.’s covert dirty tricks operations throughout the world. The CIA has created not just one Frankenstein’s monster in the mold of the Abu Sayyaf but hundreds of others who are now wreaking havoc in other parts of the world – including right in the belly of the United States itself.

But in war and in modern “counter-terrorism warfare” – which the U.S. now is eager to wage in the Philippines – there is at least one advantage that can be drawn. The anti-Soviet Afghan “resistance movement” promoted the U.S. arms industry. The U.S. may as well be doing the same thing as it embarks on a new crusade to destroy one of the “monsters” it created.

More related notes and links below about U.S. imperialist counterinsurgency in the Philippines and Afghanistan, as well as the role of the Unification Church’s network

The occupation of Afghanistan: terror without end - Dem Volke Dienen

Contrary to the regular invocations that the Afghan puppet government should be able to cope without foreign soldiers in the future, the German Armed Forces are investing another 50 million in their local infrastructure.

Minister of defence Kramp-Karrenbauer and foreign minister Maas are simultaneously criticizing Yankee imperialism for ordering its troops out of the country too quickly. The so called parlamentary opposition is again in complete agreement with the governement. "A headless, uncoordinated withdrawal of the troops would cause severe political and military damage," says FDP's Bijan Djir-Sarai. While the government is still attempting to further conceal the crushing defeat of imperialism in Afghanistan, it has recently admitted quite openly in state television. In this worthwhile report, an ARD reporter travels to Taliban areas and, to his surprise, shows girls' schools and Taliban who are not out to kill him.

The fact that the face of this occupation is not girls' schools and well-drilling has been illustrated in the twenty years of its existence by ongoing war crimes. Most recently, the Australian army had to admit that one of its special units murdered at least 39 prisoners and civilians. In this unit, the murder of a prisoner was a rite of passage for new members. According to australian officials the families of the victims are to be compensated in cooperation with the "Afghan government". However, since this government only rules over a small part of the country and corruption is commonplace, it is extremely doubtful that this money will reach victim families in Taliban areas.

Afghanistan Maoists Unite in a Single Party - a history of the Communist (Maoist) Party of Afghanistan

The new communist movement of Afghanistan initially was inspired by the formation of RIM in 1984. The Committee for MLM Propaganda and Agitation (at that time understood as Marxism-Leninism-Mao Tse-tung Thought, MLMTT) was formed in 1985 and started publishing Shola. Another group of comrades split from SAMA and obtained, read and discussed the RIM Declaration. They went on to call themselves the Revolutionary Nucleus and adopted the RIM line. These developments were a slap in the face to SAMA's leadership, who accused the newly organising Maoist forces of being a "KGB front". RIM used these forces to make some initial efforts to deepen its understanding of the situation in Afghanistan and begin to bring together the genuine Maoist forces.

The anti-terrorism act in the Philippines in relation to the CPP and the revolutionary movement -  a 2020 piece from Jose Maria Sison

In the course of political rivalry for global hegemony, the imperialist powers themselves accuse each other of terrorism and expose each other’s acts of terrorism. States are presumed to be responsible for respecting human rights in their own countries. Thus, quite a number of them have in fact been the proper target of criticisms and appeals by UN human rights agencies regarding people’s complaints of systematic human rights violations by state or state-sponsored forces, which amount to state terrorism. The only instances when the UN comes out strongly against “state terrorism” is when the US and its allies in the UN Security Council succeed in making resolutions against states denounced as “rogue states” chiefly by the US, such as Iraq under Saddam Hussein or Libya under Muamar Qaddafi. Otherwise the US and its imperialist allies and client-states wish to limit the label of terrorism to revolutionary movements that they oppose. They make it a point to conceal US culpability for creating terrorist groups like Al Qaeda, Salafi, Al Nusra and the Islamic state in the Middle East and the Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines and other Southeast-Asia-based groups like Jemaah Islamiyah that also operate in the Philippines.

Denounce arrest of Moro women “potential suicide bombers”  - 2020 statement from Marco Valbuena, Chief Information Officer of the CPP

The claim by the military that bombs and bomb-making material were discovered in the homes of the arrested women flies in the face of military and police standard operating procedure of planting evidence against supposed terror suspects. Observers are incredulous that the women would keep explosive materials in their homes with their children.

The attacks were clearly carried out with Islamophobic prejudice where people are stereotyped by the military as “suicide bombers” or in this case “potential.” The women were targeted for arrest and suppression by the AFP on the mere basis that they are wives, sisters or daughters of leaders of the Abu Sayaff.

Two excerpts from 'Drugs and death squads: The CIA connection' from the Freeedom Socialist Power / Robert Crisman - published June 1989

The ideological tie binding all these high-level arms smugglers and dope dealers together, of course, is anti-communism.

John Singlaub is head of the World Anti-Communist League (WACL), the world’s premier neo-fascist lobby. WACL’s membership ranges from U.S. reactionaries, Taiwanese drug magnates, and Latin American death squad leaders to Afghani mujahideen and unreconstructed old-line Nazis scattered in exile throughout Europe and the Americas.

WACL is the most sophisticated political expression to date of fascism’s global agenda and methods, and is the mask under which the face of U.S. ambition increasingly shows itself. WACL’s history vividly reveals the fascist essence of empire-and pinpoints the source of the Empire’s addiction to drugrunning.

Founded in Taiwan in 1967 by CIA and Taiwanese intelligence personnel, WACL has roots in the old China Lobby, which urged the unleashing of Chiang Kai-shek against revolutionary China in the ’50s. The Lobby’s leading lights — E. Howard Hunt and William Pawley to name two — were instrumental in stitching together the CIA’s Cuban exile and Kuomintang networks.

China Lobby/WACL bigwigs and their associates — Hunt, Pawley, Secord, Singlaub, Shackley, et al. — lodged themselves tightly in the postwar U.S. intelligence, military, government, and business establishments. They were the drumbeaters and spear-carriers for stepped-up anti-Castro warfare and the Vietnam war. They were responsible for coups, counterrevolutions, and the formation of death squads from Mexico to Brazil; CIA/DEA “anti-drug” torture and counterinsurgency; the Chilean slaughter; support for the Shah and rightwing Afghani “freedom fighters”; and the contra war.

The WACL and CAUSA’s Role in the Ruthless Violence of US-Philippines Counterinsurgency

Covert Operations and the CIA’s Hidden History in the Philippines

Cardinal Sin, the Catholic Church, & the Unification Church: Partners in Organized Anti-Communist Violence

Death Squads in the Philippines by Doug Cunningham

How has the Moon network played a role in the post-9/11 U.S. Imperialist strategy?

Kishi Nobusuke’s Bandung of the right

The US is complicit in war crimes in the Philippines

Grapple with Imperialism. Come to Terms with Yourself

Those Spared in Duterte’s “War on Drugs” May Go to Moonie Rehabilitation

Ideology without Leadership: The Rise and Decline of Maoism in Afghanistan - Afghanistan Analysts Network

Some words on the Moonies’/Hak Ja Han’s Relationship to the “Revisionist” Maoists of Nepal

The Complex, Dynamic, and Opportunistic Relationship of Moon and the DPRK’s Kim Family

UPF Played Major Role in Republic of Korea-Nepal Relations

Stop US and Chinese aggression in the Philippines! Turn imperialist wars into wars against imperialism!

Neil Salonen on the Freedom Leadership Foundation’s influence on society (1971)

Suggested books: Revolutionaries for the Right: Anticommunist Internationalism and Paramilitary Warfare in the Cold War by Kyle Burke, Philippine Society & Revolution by Amado Guerrero (Jose Maria Sison), Soldiering through Empire: Race and the Making of the Decolonizing Pacific by Simeon Man, Gangsters of Capitalism: Smedley Butler, the Marines, and the Making and Breaking of America's Empire by Jonathan M. Katz, The Bullet and the Ballot Box: The Story of Nepal's Maoist Revolution by Aditya Adhikari

[restitutor-orbis]

Ok, but actually this.

I was originally just going to put this just in the tags, but it was getting too long.

It is pretty telling to me, both as a son of Afghan immigrants, a brown man, and someone whose religion is considered not the norm in western countries, that many folks who use these types of arguments - that Aang was selfish for trying not to kill Ozai - are coming from the West. Although I do not wish to generalize, it is significant to point out that such an argument is inherently one baked in colonial perceptions, regardless if these individuals wish to view it as such or not.

We must consistently recall: Aang is not just the Avatar. He is not just an airbender. He is quite literally the last airbender. Full stop. Although the Air Temples remain as architecture, the living aspects of the Airbenders were wiped out, nearly completely by the Fire Nation. This wasn't a biproduct of assimilation and adoption of Fire Nation culture, but a systematic, calculated, devastating plan organized by Sozin that was immensely effective. The social and cultural bonds in which Aang formed were ripped asunder by Sozin and by the Fire Nation. One moment you are awake, and your people are a vibrant heart of life, and the next the heartbeat is gone, lying cold and dead as stone.

Perhaps the Airbenders did want to teach Aang the more complex elements of Air nomad philosophy, allowing for the relapsing of pacifism in the face of physical threats - maybe that is what the other Monks were critiquing Gyasto for, because of his love for Aang he wished not to teach him the more...mentally harming aspects of Airbending, the one to stop a man's breath in his lungs; and maybe that is why the Monks were going to send Aang to another Air Temple so other Monks who do not have the same ties as Gyasto can more - in their mind - impassively teach Aang such methods as war drew near.

But they could not do that. True, because Aang ran away, but that does not negate that Aang still retains lasting, and significant, aspects of Air nomadic philosophy. Merely by existing, he carries the burden not only as the Avatar but as the last remnant of a nearly eradicated people. That is heavy for anyone to bare, let alone a child.

And as a child, who "went to sleep" knowing his people were alive - in danger, but alive - the realization that they weren't once he woke up would have been traumatic for anyone. All of that, gone in seemingly just a few moments.

So, of course Aang would want to preserve his culture by acting like them and holding true to their principles - true, he may be childish but that also has to do with Gyasto's own living philosophy it seemed, or in general since Iroh did point out that they did have a great sense of humor.

Yet, it is more telling to me that others in the fandom often seem to lean into Zuko or Sokka's level of thinking, that Ozai has to die no matter the cost. They point at Aang for being selfish, but I'll argue Sokka, and especially Zuko, here are more selfish than Aang. Zuko especially, despite his attempts not to, dismisses Aang's airbending heritage not only once - when he makes fun of Aang - but also when Aang discusses with Zuko about Katara and her plans to take revenge for her mother. Zuko's mindset is still heavily based in Fire Nation colonial thought, even if he is trying to be better. Regardless if he personally does not view Aang as lesser, he still thinks that the Air bending notion of the sacredness of life is childish. Similarly, I find that most proponents of Aang killing Ozai are coming from the colonial heritage of the West, be them in America or Europe, where the prevalence of culture is still overwhelmingly that of inherited Europeanness.

Sure, at least in America, people might be upon to other cultures in theory, there is often the level of colonial thoughts regarding Muslim women and the hijab - rather than examining the complexities of religion and social identification, often westerners take this position of "liberation" of the Muslim women - which can be seen about the numerous times where Muslim women are extravagantly unveiled in television shows and it is depicted as some heroic action of self defiance. Rather than viewing how many Muslim women in the West, many but not all, see the hijab - that of a cultural and social marker, a proud display of their faith in Islam, and arguably a great demonstration of religious freedom, serving as encouragement to other Muslim women around the world that both freedom of religion can still co-exist with a strong faith, that women are the ultimate deciders on how they wish to display their faith and love for their God - many westerners still have this colonial and imperialist perception where one to be "liberated" the "backward" culture and religion of these women should be completely thrown away, that western, particularly white, womanhood is the true example of freedom - that inherently, Muslim women need to be save through westernization rather than by their own adoption and conceputalization made with their own choice.

This can be similarly seen with Aang and Zuko, and to the lesser extent the others as well. None of them can comprehend being the last of their cultural and socio-religious identity. Sure, Katara might in terms of being the last waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe, but she still had a social and cultural outlet with the other water tribe members. Her culture is still there, and is exemplified by her mingling together aspects of northern and southern waterbending. Aang does not have any of that. No one besides maybe Iroh and Guru Pathik understands Airbending culture, and neither of those two can really experience Airbending culture like the original monks. They have their own cultural self-identifiers, despite Iroh's growth and adoption of numerous aspects of the different other elements in outlook.

By killing Ozai, Aang would break one of the most important aspects, in his conception, of Air nomad culture and philosophical values. That is already a horrendous idea to have a twelve year old to deal with, but to have a child of genocide having to make that break of his cultural identity is worse; and then choosing to mock him by saying he is weak or he was foolish just shown a strong colonial mindset not only provided by certain characters - Zuko - but by the fandom as well.

And honestly, I think Aang did far worse then killing Ozai. He quite literally took the thing Ozai was most proud of and identified as: his firebending. He, in essence, killed Ozai, whose everything was his pride and dominance. To me, that is far more satisfying to see then just seeing Ozai being killed.

some of your goofy asses for the past 20 years

[oneworldearth]

The Taliban's Resurgence in Afghanistan: Assessing the Delusions of Power

The Taliban's Resurgence in Afghanistan: Assessing the Delusions of Power

OneWorld: Emperor ‘Sentient’, ‘Destroyer’ – Oracle: Andrew Rogers.

“Power and its clear delusions in position has result in the restoration and dominance of the Taliban in Afghanistan, the perceived outcome should have been assessed and this outcome of the Taliban should not have been instigated, those involved with this travesty are required to be held account as a criminal act.” - Emperor ‘Sentient’, ‘Destroyer’.

The Restoration of the Taliban in Afghanistan: Understanding the Delusions of Power and the Call for Accountability

In recent years, the world has witnessed the unexpected resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan, posing a significant threat to regional stability and global security. Among the voices calling for accountability for this development is Emperor 'Sentient', 'Destroyer', who highlights the need to hold those responsible for this travesty accountable for their actions. In order to comprehend the complexities surrounding the rise of the Taliban, it is crucial to delve into the underlying factors and historical context that paved the way for its resurgence.

The fall of the Taliban regime in 2001 seemed to mark a turning point for Afghanistan. A U.S.-led coalition ousted the extremist group, which had imposed strict Islamist rule, denying women's rights, and harboring international terrorists like Osama bin Laden. As the world hoped for a more democratic and inclusive Afghanistan, the restoration of stability remained elusive.

Although Afghanistan made significant progress in areas such as education, healthcare, and infrastructure, it faced persistent challenges. Corruption, ethnic tensions, and a weak central government limited the effective implementation of reforms, leaving a vacuum of governance and fostering discontent among different factions. These factors laid the groundwork for the Taliban's resurgence.

One of the key drivers behind the Taliban's resurgence was the disillusionment of the Afghan people with the government's failure to address their grievances effectively. Widespread corruption eroded public trust, while persistent poverty and unemployment drove many individuals towards the prospect of joining the insurgency as a means of survival. The lack of inclusive political processes and equitable resource distribution intensified feelings of marginalization, further fueling support for the extremist group.

Furthermore, neighboring countries and regional actors played a nuanced role in contributing to the Taliban's resurgence. Pakistan, in particular, has been accused of providing sanctuary and support to the Taliban, enabling the group to regroup and launch attacks from across the border. The porous nature of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border facilitated the flow of fighters, weapons, and resources, exacerbating the security situation.

The international community, too, must bear some responsibility for the Taliban's return to power. The failure of the United States and its allies to instill lasting security and provide sustainable development contributed to the Taliban's ability to exploit the vulnerabilities within Afghan society. 

Emperor ‘Sentient’, ‘Destroyer’

The Concept of the Five Aggregates: Understanding Sentient Beings

Sentient beings are inherently complex entities, encompassing a multitude of aspects that contribute to their existence and experience. In Buddhist philosophy, the concept of the five aggregates, or skandhas, provides a framework for understanding the nature of sentient beings.

The five aggregates are a foundational concept within Buddhism, particularly in the teachings of the Buddha. They are considered to be the building blocks of sentient existence and provide insight into the nature of our experience and perception of the world. Let's explore each of these aggregates and their significance:

Matter (Rupa): The aggregate of matter refers to the physical form and material components of a sentient being. It includes the body, the organs, and any other material objects that are part of our existence. Matter can be observed and experienced through our senses, forming the basis of our physical interactions with the world.

Sensation (Vedana): Sensation refers to the various bodily and mental feelings that arise in response to our contact with the external world. Every experience we encounter elicits some form of sensation, which can be pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral. It is through these sensations that we interpret and react to the stimuli around us.

Perception (Sanna): Perception encompasses the process of recognizing and identifying the objects and experiences we encounter. It involves our ability to discern and categorize things based on past experiences and acquired knowledge. Perception allows us to make sense of the world and form conceptual frameworks.

Mental Formations (Sankhara): Mental formations refer to the volitional activities of the mind, including thoughts, emotions, beliefs, and intentions. They are responsible for the intellectual and emotional aspects of our being, shaping our thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors. Mental formations can be positive, negative, or neutral, and they greatly influence our overall mental states.

Consciousness (Vijnana): Consciousness is the awareness and cognizance of our existence and experiences. It is the subjective aspect of sentience that allows us to perceive, engage, and interact with the world. Consciousness arises from the interaction between our senses and the objects of perception, making it an integral part of our daily lives.

Imajica Agency

Andrew Rogers: Founder, Justice Auteur, Creative Director, Writer, Oracle  

E: imajicaagency@gmail.com

All images, text, design, and art license owner Andrew Rogers©.

[imajicaagency]

The Taliban's Resurgence in Afghanistan: Assessing the Delusions of Power

The Taliban's Resurgence in Afghanistan: Assessing the Delusions of Power

OneWorld: Emperor ‘Sentient’, ‘Destroyer’ – Oracle: Andrew Rogers.

“Power and its clear delusions in position has result in the restoration and dominance of the Taliban in Afghanistan, the perceived outcome should have been assessed and this outcome of the Taliban should not have been instigated, those involved with this travesty are required to be held account as a criminal act.” - Emperor ‘Sentient’, ‘Destroyer’.

The Restoration of the Taliban in Afghanistan: Understanding the Delusions of Power and the Call for Accountability

In recent years, the world has witnessed the unexpected resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan, posing a significant threat to regional stability and global security. Among the voices calling for accountability for this development is Emperor 'Sentient', 'Destroyer', who highlights the need to hold those responsible for this travesty accountable for their actions. In order to comprehend the complexities surrounding the rise of the Taliban, it is crucial to delve into the underlying factors and historical context that paved the way for its resurgence.

The fall of the Taliban regime in 2001 seemed to mark a turning point for Afghanistan. A U.S.-led coalition ousted the extremist group, which had imposed strict Islamist rule, denying women's rights, and harboring international terrorists like Osama bin Laden. As the world hoped for a more democratic and inclusive Afghanistan, the restoration of stability remained elusive.

Although Afghanistan made significant progress in areas such as education, healthcare, and infrastructure, it faced persistent challenges. Corruption, ethnic tensions, and a weak central government limited the effective implementation of reforms, leaving a vacuum of governance and fostering discontent among different factions. These factors laid the groundwork for the Taliban's resurgence.

One of the key drivers behind the Taliban's resurgence was the disillusionment of the Afghan people with the government's failure to address their grievances effectively. Widespread corruption eroded public trust, while persistent poverty and unemployment drove many individuals towards the prospect of joining the insurgency as a means of survival. The lack of inclusive political processes and equitable resource distribution intensified feelings of marginalization, further fueling support for the extremist group.

Furthermore, neighboring countries and regional actors played a nuanced role in contributing to the Taliban's resurgence. Pakistan, in particular, has been accused of providing sanctuary and support to the Taliban, enabling the group to regroup and launch attacks from across the border. The porous nature of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border facilitated the flow of fighters, weapons, and resources, exacerbating the security situation.

The international community, too, must bear some responsibility for the Taliban's return to power. The failure of the United States and its allies to instill lasting security and provide sustainable development contributed to the Taliban's ability to exploit the vulnerabilities within Afghan society. 

Emperor ‘Sentient’, ‘Destroyer’

The Concept of the Five Aggregates: Understanding Sentient Beings

Sentient beings are inherently complex entities, encompassing a multitude of aspects that contribute to their existence and experience. In Buddhist philosophy, the concept of the five aggregates, or skandhas, provides a framework for understanding the nature of sentient beings.

The five aggregates are a foundational concept within Buddhism, particularly in the teachings of the Buddha. They are considered to be the building blocks of sentient existence and provide insight into the nature of our experience and perception of the world. Let's explore each of these aggregates and their significance:

Matter (Rupa): The aggregate of matter refers to the physical form and material components of a sentient being. It includes the body, the organs, and any other material objects that are part of our existence. Matter can be observed and experienced through our senses, forming the basis of our physical interactions with the world.

Sensation (Vedana): Sensation refers to the various bodily and mental feelings that arise in response to our contact with the external world. Every experience we encounter elicits some form of sensation, which can be pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral. It is through these sensations that we interpret and react to the stimuli around us.

Perception (Sanna): Perception encompasses the process of recognizing and identifying the objects and experiences we encounter. It involves our ability to discern and categorize things based on past experiences and acquired knowledge. Perception allows us to make sense of the world and form conceptual frameworks.

Mental Formations (Sankhara): Mental formations refer to the volitional activities of the mind, including thoughts, emotions, beliefs, and intentions. They are responsible for the intellectual and emotional aspects of our being, shaping our thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors. Mental formations can be positive, negative, or neutral, and they greatly influence our overall mental states.

Consciousness (Vijnana): Consciousness is the awareness and cognizance of our existence and experiences. It is the subjective aspect of sentience that allows us to perceive, engage, and interact with the world. Consciousness arises from the interaction between our senses and the objects of perception, making it an integral part of our daily lives.

Imajica Agency

Andrew Rogers: Founder, Justice Auteur, Creative Director, Writer, Oracle  

E: imajicaagency@gmail.com

All images, text, design, and art license owner Andrew Rogers©.

[zatdummesmadchen]

I didn’t say it’s only Israel, but they sure have been critiqued of pink washing a lot of times.

— Israel has been carpet bombing Gaza quite literally, MULTIPLE BLOODLINES HAVE BEEN KILLED OFF, THEIR ENTIRE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY IS ABOUT TO GO EXTINCT, EVERY ARCHITECTURE IS BEING DESTROYED, HOSPITALS BOMBED, SCHOOLS BOMBED, UNIVERSITIES BOMBED. BAPTIST HOSPITALS BOMBED. UN HOSPITALS BOMBED. EVERYTHING IS BEING BOMBED TF!?

There are literally multiple WOMEN AMD MEN ON THE GROUND OF GAZA who have been reporting horrifying images of what’s going on, they are literally starving Gaza, you think these Palestinian reporters are lying and pulling evidences of bombed areas out of their asses?

CHILDREN ARE GETTING AMPUTATED WITHOUT ANY ANESTHESIA, WOMEN ARE GIVING BIRTH IN HORRIFIC CONDITIONS. PEOPLE ARE BEING SHOT AT FOR NO REASON.

Israel has been illegally building illegal settlements in Palestine, and occupying the place, IT HAS BEEN CRITIZED BY MANY INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED ORGANIZATIONS.

TADA 💖💖💖💖. EVEN THE UN FUCKING AGREES.

This article shows the dire situation in Gaza and also condemns KHAMAZ good grief,

"Occupied Palestinian Territory", hmmmm that’s weird ?

And about the Blockade?

And let me guess, all the Muslim countries are horrible places for women :( they are so so oppressive and so mean and so barbaric.

Quick search= "Current estimates conclude that the number of Muslims in the world is around 1.8 billion. Muslims are the majority in 49 countries, they speak hundreds of languages and come from diverse ethnic backgrounds."

You think Muslim women can’t get educated in Palestine? Indonesia? Kuwait? Qatar? Pakistan? Malaysia? Saudi Arabia? Uae? Morocco? Egypt? Jordan? Lebanon? And so many other countries?

You think MUSLIM COUNTRIES DONT HAVE EDUCATION FOR WOMEN?! Maybe Afghans sure, but have you truly even meet Palestinian women? A Muslim woman?

Why tf would they go to Israel for that?

There are literally thousands of highly educated, intelligent, bravely working MUSLIM AND CHRISTIAN WOMEN IN PALESTINE AND GAZA WHO HAVE RAISED THEIR VOICED AGAINST THE ISRAELI OCCUPATION.

THERE ARE LITERALLY MUSLIM WOMEN REPORTERS, DOCTORS, HEALTH CARE WORKERS IN PALESTINE.

Good grief and the last line?

If it weren’t for Israeli occupation, Hamas wouldn’t exist.

Just block me man.

[a-room-of-my-own]

Idk about libfems and the burka, but American wokey-s (aka liberal MRAs) have decided that caring about Afghan women is racist against Afghan men and imperialism.

And I've just read this:

You couldn’t ask for better proof of the madness of wokeness. This week, as Afghanistan fell to the Taliban, model, influencer and climate-change nagger Lily Cole posted photos of herself in a burqa on Instagram. Yes, as women across Afghanistan trembled at the swift victory of these 12th-century regressives, worrying what their lives will be like following the return to power of a movement that views women as an inferior species, a posh woke Westerner was donning the burqa for likes. ‘Let’s embrace diversity on every level’, Ms Cole said in her post, as if this chilling blue cloak forced on Afghan women by Islamist brutes is little more than a quirky, exotic fashion item.

The fashion world, especially the model-turned-activist wing of it, is notoriously shallow and daft. But Cole’s Taliban chic takes the biscuit. Here was a woman who enjoys all the freedoms and comforts of life in the West celebrating the shroud that is forced upon Afghan women to deprive them of any meaningful public presence or personality. Here was a woman who once made a living from having photos taken of her pretty face and her flowing red locks talking up the ‘diversity’ of a garment designed to erase women’s faces and hide their sinful hair. You couldn’t make it up – as images of female models on billboards in Kabul were being daubed over with white paint to avoid the wrath of Taliban militants, a former model in the woke West was lovingly embracing the Taliban’s patriarchal dress code for women.

Ms Cole has now apologised for her post. She said she hasn’t been reading the news and did not realise what was happening in Afghanistan (which is pretty extraordinary, especially for someone who’s now a socially aware author or something). Even more striking was the fact that she apologised for wearing the burqa incorrectly! In one of the photos she posted, the burqa was lifted up and her face was visible. I was ‘undermining its original purpose by wearing it with my face exposed’, she now says in regret. This is extraordinary. Cole is essentially apologising to the Taliban, or at least to the kind of people who think women should be covered from head to toe every time they leave the house. After all, who else cares if a burqa is worn wrongly? Who cares if a woman’s face peeks out from under it? Only severe Islamists do. In saying sorry for ‘undermining the original purpose’ of the burqa, Cole was basically saying sorry to the ruthless rulers of Afghanistan.

Some on social media accused Ms Cole of ‘cultural appropriation’. It just gets worse. The problem here, guys, is not that Cole was ‘appropriating’ other people’s culture – it is the existence of that culture in the first place. Cole didn’t just dabble in the cultural output of a country or people different to her own, which would have been absolutely fine. No, she included a symbol of misogynistic oppression under the title of ‘cultural diversity’ – that is, as a nice, interesting part of the diverse human experience. She treated the barbaric practice of burqa-wearing as just another form of cultural expression. As her post said: ‘Let’s embrace diversity on every level: biodiversity; cultural diversity; diversity of thinking; diversity of voices; diversity of ideas.’ Imagine saying diversity that many times when you’re wearing a garment that is expressly designed to destroy the diversity of women’s lives and reduce them all to indistinguishable cloaked nobodies.

Of course, there’s a bigger problem here than one former model’s post on Instagram. This incident of woke madness really confirms what ‘diversity’ means these days – it means moral relativism. It means celebrating all cultures as equally valid and never being judgemental about any of them. In fact, the great thoughtcrime of our time is to make any kind of moral judgement, to suggest that one culture or idea might be superior to another. Witness the way the insult of ‘Islamophobia’ is wielded against anyone who criticises any aspect of Islam, or even Islamism, or the speed with which you will be cancelled if you say that being an actual women is a more real experience than being a trans woman. Such distinctions, such critical and moral analysis of identities and ideas, is not allowed these days. We must respect every culture – except the culture of critical, sometimes judgement-making public debate.

And so we end up in a situation where even burqa-wearing can be treated as just another way of life, as a fascinating form of culture. Who will state the obvious – that the Taliban’s view of how society should be organised and how women should be treated is morally inferior to our own?

[rosamafashion]

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This term is used in the Qur'an to refer to the dividing of the security-giving curtain. Due to recent technological advancements, you can now buy Islamic kimonos online. The Muslim commandment in the Quran is to approach the women of the Blessed Prophet  wear the hijab, and provide a cloak or division of speech. Then, through law and Hadith, the concept of the hijab as a piece of apparel emerged.

modern hijab Different terminologies that are equivalent to hijab are used throughout the Qur'an, including khimar and jilbab. Muslim women must wear clothing and can't show off their beauty in public. They should keep covered, as prescribed by the Koran, and "shoot the cymbals on their bosoms." In any case, the concept of donning the cloak has evolved, indicating that the show's application and style change depending on socioeconomic contrasts in other parts of the world. The hijab is only permitted to be worn in a few specific circumstances, yet it is given strict priority in some parts of the world. For instance, the cover is crucial for women in Saudi society, and the majority of them purchase Purchase a kimono from Islam then, either online or in a store restricted in instructional foundations once again in Turkey and France.

Muslim women should wear fully encasing free dresses to distract them from their sexuality. They ought to wear a coat, a sarong, or a hive of bees to cover their heads. Many experts have different opinions on how much clothing they require to handle the problems with the Modern Muslim Hijabs Online. Some people agree that the woman should cover her entire body, including her hands, feet, and face, while others let her show just her shoulders while still keeping the rest of the body covered. The requirements of the cloak can be modified for young women because they should get practise in many areas beginning with pregnancy and moving forward.

Different cover types exist.

Contrasts in the region and culture are the underlying source of contrast. Muslim women can be seen in Pakistan, India, and other countries on the Indian subcontinent donning a burqa, a modest Islamic dress with two covers for their hair. Although the burqa is typically dark, women use various types depending on their preferences and fashion sense. Ladies in this region, near the Negev, wear a shroud that covers their head, face, and torso. Additional Kimono Styles Abaya is an outer garment worn by women that often consists of a dark caftan and covers them from head to toe. In Bedouin Bay and the Middle East, the abaya is often worn and harmfully woven. Poshiya, a cotton sail with rounded tubes attached to the cover, is another two-piece sail for women. Boekhout is the other cover that resembles a parka but is only worn on the chest. The lines are frequently woven beautifully. Afghan women's hair is covered from head to toe, and they have grills all over their bodies to help them see. The typical Iranian shroud is called a chador, and it is a huge, semi-round garment that covers women from the tops of their heads to the bottoms of their feet.

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[ursulakleguin-stan]

The UK Parliament is supposed to be on recess at the moment but because of the events in Afghanistan they’ve come back in for a big debate on what the government needs to do and I’ve been watching the whole thing and it is kind of wild.

There’s this constant framing of the Taliban’s regaining of power purely as a failure of foreign policy, ignoring any wider history or context of the whole matter. There’s this contact refrain of who “we’ve improved things for women and girls in the last 20 years” as though prior to that Afghanistan had a thousand years of Taliban rule or something, as though the current problems in the country aren’t entirely because of western interventionism. They’re always paying thanks to the British soldiers who were there as though there’s not a wealth of evidence that they were killing civilians and committing war crimes that the government has covered up.

There were some good speeches and good comments about the need and duty of the government to change the current Hostile Environment policy towards immigrants to help people who are fleeing Afghanistan. But Ian Blackford’s genuinely compassionate speech was constantly booed and attacked by tory scum and the foreign secretary spent ages intentionally trying to agrivate him and slow the whole thing down.

And like, I don’t know what the solution is in the region. I know the Taliban are attrocious and not representative of the Afghan people. I know that sending our soldiers over to kill unarmed civilians in their beds was never going to endear the Afghan people to a western backed government.

The government shouldn’t focus on sending more military back there, that is clear. I just want to report the really gross approach the British Parliament is taking on this issue and the gross inhumanity with which they seem to talk about it. Everyone can see how badly the US is handling all this, but let’s not forget under Blair we also took part in the military intervention in the region. The UK is similarly responsible and the wealth of British MPs are failing to approach this with any amount of empathy

Also it is very ironic for British MPs to speak about the medieval rule of the Taliban (which is a dangerous view of progress) while standing in Her Majesty’s Parliament, serving in a government and parliament that exists by the good grace of a literal monarch, a decaying medieval institution.