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Really, one hundred percent? Not just ninety-five? :) > [Bacha Bazi] is not a determinant factor in "winning the hearts and minds" of the Afghan people. This
by nate_meurer 5y ago
Really, one hundred percent? Not just ninety-five? :)
> [Bacha Bazi] is not a determinant factor in "winning the hearts and minds" of the Afghan people.
This rather famous report written by the US military disagrees:
By some accounts, the first incident that brought Mullah Omar and the Taliban to prominence in the eyes of the Pashtun people actually involved a dispute between two warlords over a particularly attractive halekon. This dispute took the pedophilia of the warlords to such an extreme that the locals themselves were repulsed and happy to embrace a force of reform.
and:
Even where the halekon tradition is not "celebrated "per se, it appears to underlie a number of Pashtun social structures, most notably the recruitment of very young "soldiers" by commanders of paramilitary groups. (This is so much true even today, that current law prohibits "beardless boys" living in Afghan military and police stations.) This in turn fits under the traditional warrior ethos which defines the role of men within Pashtun culture. This dynamic played a major role in the functioning of the warlord culture that preceded the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan.
From https://info.publicintelligence.net/HTT-PashtunSexuality.pdf https://info.publicintelligence.net/HTT-PashtunSexuality.pdf - "Pashtun Sexuality"
- least 5y agoThis report doesn't actually disagree with my assessment and in fact largely reinforces it. Cherry-picking one line that is contemplating on the motives behind Afghans celebrating the Taliban's intervention is not an argument against the premise that bacha bazi is deeply entrenched in Pashtun culture and thus would not be a determinant factor in gaining widespread support of a nation comprised mostly of Pashtuns.
- nate_meurer 5y agoWell... you might be right. This report does also highlight the widespread recognition that the Taliban are hypocrites who "hid their halekon in their madrasas". You're also right that the line I quoted pertains only to the early days of the Taliban's rise, and not necessarily to the rest of the conflict.