Dear Maulana,
Hope the tragic news of a Taliban attack on a maternity ward in Kabul caught your attention: A couple of Mujahideen in search of 70-meter-tall Hooris gunned down new-born babies. These new-borns had hardly reached the age of three-to-four hours. They were shot dead in front of their mothers. Unfortunate mothers were still recovering from their labour pains. The Guardian
In the media coverage, most media outlets ignored the fact that the maternity ward was located in a Hazara neighbourhood. It is believed that the Taliban and their ISIS-split belong to the same sect as yours. It is also believed that your preaching is so moving that you move mountains. Convinced by your preaching, many cricketers gave up match-fixing, nay gave up cricket altogether, and went for chalis roza Tablighi trip. Likewise, convinced by your preaching, showbiz girls gave up their careers and started donning hijab. Therefore, I hope you can convince the Taliban in your next video sermon not to attack maternity wards or hospitals and spare the funeral ceremonies and Gurdwaras at least.
Dear Maulana! The hospital brutalized last Tuesday was built by the Doctors without Borders, an organisations of doctors we contemptuously consider infidels. Ironically, in the last twenty years, our Muslim brethren from Saudi Arabia, Iran and Gulf sheikhdoms have lavishly spent on building madrassas. However, children hospitals have been built by either western infidels, Indian Hindus or Japanese Buddhists.
It is perhaps one of the reasons that my compatriots hate two of Afghanistan’s neighbours more than the occupying Uncle Sam. By the way, why don’t you convince some billionaire in the ranks of Tableeghi Jammat to build a children hospital in Kabul. May be a hospital built by a Tablighi billionaire does not attract the Taliban wrath. In this way, our sick will at least recover in peace.
Dear Maulana! The actual purpose of penning you this letter was to seek your guidance on a couple of Sharia-related matters. For the first, I wonder if the Mujahideen gunning down new-born Afghan children will also be offered 70-meter tall Hooris. Secondly, should we fear wrath of God in some form in the wake of last Tuesday’s tragedy?
Lastly, I have a personal request to make. It is believed that you have the ear of Pakistan’s all-powerful establishment. Will indeed be nice if you could impress upon the establishment that a strategic depth that requires the blood of new born babies is in fact strategic death of humanity.
Will be waiting on your next video sermon in which you will, in your signature teary-eyed and nose-blowing style, will implore the Taliban to show mercy on Afghan children if not all Afghans. Manto’s Letter to Tariq Jamil
Sincerely,
An Afghan citizen
(This essay was originally written in Urdu for Daily Jeddojehad)
