When fortune turned in favor of the Taliban for a second time, the group’s supporters and lobbyists launched a concerted effort to convince both the Afghan public and the international community that the Taliban were no longer the same dogmatic and primitive force of the past. They insisted that the group had undergone a fundamental transformation in mindset and governance. But this proved to be nothing more than a delusion. The Taliban’s conduct after returning to power has made it clear: not only have they failed to change, but their ideological rigidity and darkness have deepened.
The belief that the passage of time and global developments might have opened the Taliban’s eyes and ears was a grave misjudgment. By imposing sweeping social restrictions and stripping citizens, particularly women, of their fundamental rights, the Taliban have demonstrated that they remain wholly disconnected from the realities of the modern world. If anything, they have become more reactionary and narrow-minded than ever before.
What is astonishing is that, despite nearly four years of exposure to the Taliban’s true face and their dismal track record, certain self-styled “progressive” supporters have not abandoned their advocacy and lobbying. By fueling peripheral debates and fabricated controversies, these figures seek to divert public attention from the multilayered crisis caused by Taliban rule. Without a doubt, the primary enemies of Afghanistan’s stability and progress are the Taliban and their allies, who, with deliberate zealotry, are driving an entire nation toward ruin.
At a time when hope must be sown in people’s hearts to help them endure deepening poverty, marginalization, and exile, Taliban supporters beat the drum of despair and target the spirit of freedom. They are well aware that an enlightened and awakened population is incompatible with Taliban hegemony and that a nation’s moral resurgence marks the beginning of the end for ignorance and tyranny. Thus, they resort to fearmongering, portraying justice-seeking fighters as rebels and troublemakers. At other times, they silence voices of dissent by branding them as “foreign spies,” a tactic designed to obscure the truth behind the struggle for freedom and to conceal the moral imperative of resistance.
These so-called peace advocates, cloaked in goodwill, turn a blind eye to the deep suffering of people living under the Taliban’s brutal rule. They minimize the anguish of women and, through a shallow definition of “security,” downplay the catastrophic social and economic crises engulfing the nation. The erasure of a nation’s dignity and global standing seems of little concern to them. But who can ignore the pain of millions of women, children, and young people forced into exile? Is the Taliban not primarily responsible for three decades of mass displacement? Are the waves of large-scale migration not a direct consequence of the senseless wars this group has ignited? These are questions Taliban supporters must reckon with if they still possess a conscience.
Awakened consciences and healthy minds understand one truth with clarity: the Taliban and their ideology are the principal enemies of Afghanistan’s development, democracy, and human dignity. As long as their rule, driven by the same toxic ideology, persists, there can be no hope for improvement. Worse still, the country’s future will grow even darker. The Afghan people must, through a clear understanding of both national realities and global shifts, persist in their conscious and enlightening resistance. They must preserve the spirit of freedom and defiance for generations to come.
Our message is directed at the Taliban’s supporters, those who, in the name of ethnicity, sect, or personal gain, choose willful ignorance. The repulsiveness of the Taliban and their worldview is as plain as day. It requires no proof. If anyone imagines that Taliban rule will bring benefit to themselves or their community, they are gravely mistaken. The bitter consequences of such misplaced support will inevitably be theirs to taste.
We are all aboard the same ship called Afghanistan; either we reach the shore together, or we sink together. There is no excuse, then, for shielding a common enemy of the people. Let every voice raised against the Taliban, every action taken, strike directly at the heart of tyranny. And beware: by aligning yourselves with the Taliban, you may one day find yourselves ashamed before both your people and your God.
You can read the Persian version of this analysis here:
