Day 95 Dad

Lisa was able to talk to Zach today, I know that made her feel better except that Zach will be going out on a mission tonight. By the time this gets posted he will probably already be out. Ramadan has been very active for the taliban.

Today I read that the taliban stoned a couple in Afghanistan for adultery. “Stoning is an ancient form of punishment that has been abandoned in all but a handful of countries. It is still a legal punishment in some countries, like Iran, which justify it under Shariah, or Islamic law, although human rights activists say the Quran never specifically prescribed stoning for adultery.” It was the first such stoning since the taliban were removed from power in 2001. The woman was 20 and promised to a different man and the man involved was 28 and married. The woman was stoned first and then the man in front of at least 150 men who witnessed the atrocity. Then Amnesty international issued a statement denouncing the stoning calling the “stoning a "heinous crime" that showed the Taliban and other insurgent groups "are growing increasingly brutal in their abuses against Afghans.""

The article went on “The Taliban-ordered killing comes at a time when international rights groups have raised worries that attempts to negotiate with the Taliban to bring peace to Afghanistan could mean a step backward for human rights in the country. When the Islamist extremists ruled Afghanistan, women were not allowed to leave their houses without a male guardian, and public killings for violations of their harsh interpretation of the Quran were common.” I find it interesting that this punishment is not in the Quran but yet they practice it under shariah, this again indicates to me as I have stated before this is all more about power and control than religion.
I wonder what Code Pink or the Ladies in Black have to say about this. It is an interesting dichotomy as on one hand human rights organizations denouncing this and yet many not in favor of the violence of war to ensure it doesn’t happen again. I wonder if we can talk the taliban out of doing this again. One could argue that worked in Iran where a woman was to be stoned last month yet due to “a campaign by politicians, rights groups, diplomats and celebrities around the world.” However, the bigger issue there was the fact that their nuclear power plant built and supplied by the Russians was about to come on line. Had they gone ahead with the stoning then the Russians would have been under a great deal of pressure themselves to not start the plant.

And so on it goes the political, the religious, the thirst for power – nothing changes does it? Evil lurks some defend it others try to thwart it and in between we all live. God Bless those who are willing to be in that middle because of them we are free. Freedom is not free, we must cherish and defend it each day to ensure that it continues for our children!

You are superman Zach you are my hero and I love you.