Dear Editor,

One source explains that, “The Afghan hound is one of the most difficult types of dogs to train. Unlike many kinds of dogs they do not like to listen to commands and would rather make their own choices. In The Intelligence of Dogs, the Afghan hound came in last place for working intelligence.”

This description of the conduct and behaviour of these canines exposes their reluctance and outright defiance to commands and instructions. These mannerisms are strikingly similar to those of the group of people who are currently ruling Afghanistan with iron fists. They are known to the world as the Talibans.

These ultra-extremists, who exhibit total and supreme authority over their subjects — even deciding who should live and who should die — demand total obedience, respect, and conformity from their helpless subordinates. Resistance in any form from the subjected class is met with a high level of brutality, which effectively discourages and nullifies a repeat performance of such actions or maybe even thoughts.

I don’t know if I did the Afghan hounds justice or showed them respect by using them as an analogy to describe the intolerant characteristics of these terrible turban terrors. If this is the case, let me apologise here and now to these cuddly canines. Sadly, these human versions of the innocent Afghan hounds are some of the most cruel, destructive, and wicked set of people in the world. They are evil incarnate.

As if their various and consistent atrocities were not enough, these dangerous people decided to close universities across the country and ban women from pursuing and completing their education — talk about directly and deliberately miseducating an entire country and leading it down a path of idiotic and illegal illiteracy. In any language this is backwardness personified.

A recent bit of news item from Yahoo exposes this dangerous decision by the autocratic regime to deprive women and girls a right which their counterparts in many other countries take for granted: “Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers on Tuesday banned university education for females nationwide as the hard-line Islamists continue to crush women’s right to education and freedom.”

As if this piece of cruelty was not enough: “A letter from the economy ministry, confirmed by spokesperson Abdulrahman Habib, said female employees of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) were not allowed to work until further notice because some had not adhered to the Administration’s interpretation of Islamic dress code for women.” And they want people to respect their religion and culture!

Protestors in Iran are not faring better as Mahsa Amini’s arrest indicated. The crime? She was “…wearing ‘inappropriate attire’ under Iran’s strict Islamic dress code for women”. Some 300 people died as a result of the ensuing protests.

And, as usual, they have sought and found scapegoats for their evil acts. The Government has blamed the unrest on demonstrators bent on destruction of public property and said they were trained and armed by enemies, including the United States, Israel, and Saudi Arabia.

If this is the way these religious zealots and furious fanatics continue to manhandle women (and men in some cases) then these people will be further abused and even killed throughout 2023 and beyond. The powers that be must enact various forms of effective sanctions on these “Afghan hounds” so as to help prevent them from meting out atrocities on the weak, innocent, and defenceless.

An added bonus should be thrown in the mix, whereby the last syllable of this group’s name should be literally enforced on them in a permanent manner.

Peter Price

Educator and journalist

sonumbunum360@yahoo.com