Comments on: Comments on 9134

Post number 9134

bwg — Thu, 19 Jul 2001 08:56:06 -0800

Taliban Bans Neckties, Lipstick, Chess
The radio quoted the leader's order as telling border guards and security agencies to seize the banned items and hand them over to the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, which acts as the Taliban's religious police.

oh yeah, it has long been known that chess is an evil, evil game...

By: silusGROK

silusGROK — Thu, 19 Jul 2001 09:04:21 -0800

Well good for them! If you're going to do the loopy authoritarian routine, you might as well do it right. (Hey... what's up with Spell Checker? All I got was an "about" screen...)

By: Cavatica

Cavatica — Thu, 19 Jul 2001 09:05:08 -0800

Chess, a vice? "Listen, I'll bet you $40 I can beat you in 7 moves or less." "You're on!!! Set 'em up!!"

By: MonkeyMeat

MonkeyMeat — Thu, 19 Jul 2001 09:07:55 -0800

It's times like this when you have to realize that if the separation of church and state in this country only goes as far as giving special privileges to faith-based charities, we're in pretty good shape. Not that that's in any way desirable, but given a choice between the two... This country's definitely going down the tubes, but I read something like that and I have to shut my mouth for at least a little while.

By: geir

geir — Thu, 19 Jul 2001 09:16:20 -0800

Chess is so... bourgeois.

By: UncleFes

UncleFes — Thu, 19 Jul 2001 09:19:20 -0800

I'm not sure we have the right - or the means - to stop them from doing whatever they want. Remember, these are the same guys who bled the Russkies dry through the '80s. They are tough mofos, motivated, armed to the teeth, and afraid of dying about as much as you and I are afraid of accidently drinking spoiled milk. It's easy to call them nutcases and maniacs, but you can't just dismiss them. PLUS, they are right there in the hot corner of Pakistan, Iran and Uzbekistan. If a shooting war breaks out in Kashmir, the mujahadeen are going to go on the jihad against India; Iran is modernizing, and I'm sure that generates zero laffs in Kabul, so it could be that the muj decide to take their show on the road westward, show Tehran the error of her ways AND pick up some good oil fields in the process. It's a crazy place. I just wish that they'd worry a little more about feeding themselves and less about whether "items made from human hair" are prohibited by the Koran.

By: faceonmars

faceonmars — Thu, 19 Jul 2001 09:51:20 -0800

>oh yeah, it has long been known that chess is an evil, evil game... Well, the bishops are obviously anti-Islamic, and do the queens wear veils? I don't think so.

By: bwg

bwg — Thu, 19 Jul 2001 10:00:03 -0800

let's not forget that the knights are reminiscent of the crusades, and as for rooks, they're so medieval england...

By: anapestic

anapestic — Thu, 19 Jul 2001 10:32:50 -0800

I can work up a fair amount of outrage over the Taliban's reported treatment of women and religious minorities. But if they feel like banning chess, it seems like an internal matter to me. And, frankly, I wish they'd outlaw neckties in the good old US of A.

By: fooljay

fooljay — Thu, 19 Jul 2001 10:50:56 -0800

Amen, anapestic. And suits. And pants. Hell, ban all clothing...

By: jcterminal

jcterminal — Thu, 19 Jul 2001 10:57:29 -0800

so i take it the taliban are this administration's bad guys? with bush sr. it was iraq, but junior's decided to go with a new group?

By: kurumi

kurumi — Thu, 19 Jul 2001 11:11:29 -0800

"The word Chess is thought to be derived from "shah," the Persian word for king, and the word checkmate from shah mat, meaning 'the king is dead.'" ( http://www.chess-poster.com/english/history.htm) Zealous etymologists in the Taliban?

By: darukaru

darukaru — Thu, 19 Jul 2001 12:08:31 -0800

This isn't the first time chess has been banned in the Islamic world, actually. The first time was in 638, six years after Muhammad's death. So, I guess there's actually some precedent here.

By: darukaru

darukaru — Thu, 19 Jul 2001 12:15:54 -0800

Well, ok, it was a chess-ancestor that was banned.

By: sabbydarling

sabbydarling — Thu, 19 Jul 2001 12:28:19 -0800

Do any bells go off in anyone else's head about the badges non-Muslims have to wear? Yeesh.

By: tomorama

tomorama — Thu, 19 Jul 2001 12:36:22 -0800

*backs the truck up* What's wrong with the Taliban being viewed as bad guys? They're pretty bad in my book.

By: daveadams

daveadams — Thu, 19 Jul 2001 12:46:37 -0800

I wonder if Go is an acceptable game for Muslims... Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice This almost sounds straight out of 1984 if it weren't so wordy. "Ministry of Happiness" perhaps? Banning chess may not be as weighty as the Taliban's attitude towards women, but it's a good sign that they've gone waaaaay over the edge of reason.

By: harmful

harmful — Thu, 19 Jul 2001 13:02:53 -0800

Bad guys? Aren't we giving them foreigh aid for not selling drugs or something like that?

By: Dirjy

Dirjy — Thu, 19 Jul 2001 13:48:39 -0800

What a surprise... another Taliban-bashing post on MeFi. *YAWN* C'mon folks -- the coup is over. Get over it. Most Afghanis are ready to move on.

By: tamim

tamim — Thu, 19 Jul 2001 16:00:38 -0800

When comparing the fundamentalist Taliban Afghanistan to the secular Turkey, Afghanistan at least comes accross as less hypocritical. Secular Turkey features a thriving naturalist community and has banned all Islamic prayer calling. They even jailed an American cleric for praying in a congregation. Now secular Turkey is banning non virgin females from access to education at medical schools. At least the Taliban complete and total ban on women's access to education is a lot less hypocritical than the secular Turkish conditional, virtue based access to higher education laws. [Warning: The two naturalist community links contains nudity.]

By: darukaru

darukaru — Fri, 20 Jul 2001 00:35:10 -0800

I guess Turkey just goes to show that you don't need to be run by religious nutballs to have a medieval approach to human rights. (But it helps.)

By: modofo

modofo — Fri, 20 Jul 2001 00:39:48 -0800

those crazy arabs...first it was cat stevens and now this? next they'll be gunning for uno and phil collins...

By: chaz

chaz — Fri, 20 Jul 2001 01:26:12 -0800

neither turks nor afghans are arabs. but I think you're right about phil collins

By: modofo

modofo — Fri, 20 Jul 2001 01:27:41 -0800

taliban schmaliban...