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WORLD  Taliban Singles Out Hindus FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS KABUL, May 25 (VNN) — Afghanistan's Taliban rulers, already isolated by their harsh brand of Islam and poor treatment of women, announced plans to make Hindus wear an identity label on their clothing to distinguish them from Muslims. The hardline Taliban regime, which controls 95 per cent of this poor Central Asian country, plans to enforce the edict soon, Religious Police Minister Mohammed Wali said. An exact date was not set, he said. The law will also make it mandatory for Hindu women to veil themselves, just as Muslim women of Afghanistan do, Mr. Wali said. The edict, reminiscent of the yellow Star of David that Jews were forced to wear in Nazi Germany, prompted an angry statement from Hindu-dominated India. "We absolutely deplore such orders, which patently discriminate against minorities," Raminder Singh Jassal, an Indian foreign ministry spokesman, told reporters in New Delhi. "It is further evidence of the backward and unacceptable ideological underpinning of the Taliban." Archbishop Oswald Gracias, the secretary-general of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India, said the Taliban move "must be opposed by all those who believe in protection of human rights and dignity. No religion teaches discrimination against people of other religions." The decision could further isolate the orthodox Islamic militia, already under fire from the West for discriminatory policies toward ethnic and religious minorities, human-rights abuses and poor treatment of women. In recent years, many Hindus and other members of religious minorities have left Afghanistan because of Taliban policies. Mr. Wali said the latest Taliban edict is in line with Islam. "Religious minorities living in an Islamic state must be identified," the minister said. The Taliban have not yet decided what sort of an identity label Hindus will have to wear, he added. There are at least 5,000 Hindus living in Kabul. Thousands of other Hindus live in other Afghan cities, but there are no reliable figures on exactly how many. The new law will be meant only for Hindus because there are no Christians or Jews in Afghanistan and Sikhs can be easily recognized by their turbans, Mr. Wali said. At least one Jew, however, is known to live in the Afghan capital of Kabul, and there may also be some Christians. It was unclear whether foreigners living in Afghanistan would be required to wear the identity label. Anar, an Afghan Hindu in Kabul who uses just one name, said he does not want to wear a label identifying him as Hindu. "It will make us vulnerable and degrade our position in the society," he said. But Munawaar Hasan, general secretary of a major Islamic political party in neighbouring Pakistan called Jamaat-e-Islami (Islamic Party), said the move seems aimed to give protection to Hindus. "The Taliban should win praise for this step," he said. "Providing protection to religious minorities is a must in any Islamic country, and this step seems in line with this concept." The Taliban follow a harsh version of Islam that bars women from most jobs and education, and makes it mandatory for men to wear beards and pray five times a day. All forms of light entertainment, including television and music, are outlawed. The Taliban drew worldwide criticism, including from Islamic scholars elsewhere, in March when they destroyed two ancient statues of Buddha in central Bamiyan, calling it their religious duty. Most of the Islamic world, including pro-Taliban Pakistan, differ with the Taliban regime's narrow interpretation of Islam and say that it is tarnishing Islam's image. The Taliban face UN sanctions for giving protection to Saudi billionaire Osama bin Laden, accused by Washington of running a global terrorist network. The Taliban deny the charge and say the United States has no evidence against him for terrorism. Copyright Associated Press  Comment on this storyContact VNN about this storySend this story to a friend
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