On September 11, 2001, thousands of Americans died in an attack that was planned and trained for in Taliban controlled Afghanistan. The same Taliban that sheltered Al Qaeda governed Afghanistan as a 7th Century theocracy where women were hidden under burqas and homosexuals were executed by having stone walls toppled on them. They were removed and kept from power at the cost of thousands of U.S. and NATO lives. Americans are still dying there while the Taliban burn down schools for girls and splash acid in the faces of women who don’t cover them.
But boy, can those guys compose a couplet! In June, an anthology of poems written by Taliban soldiers will be published and available for sale in America.
"Poetry of the Taliban" – edited by a group of London researchers – has already been released in the U.K. and the liberal media are praising the collection as “important” and “original,” remarking how the Taliban’s verse “humanizes” murderers.
Dr. James Caron of the University of Pennsylvania gushed, “In providing such a picture, the ‘insurgent’ is restored a sense of humanity and agency.”
Jon Lee Anderson, a staff writer for “The New Yorker” fawned over the terrorist composition in similar fashion. “It’s a remarkable and important book that reveals a hitherto concealed side to the harshly perceived Afghan Taliban,” he wrote.
Obviously, Americans have been too hung up on IEDs, suicide bombers and bloody riots over books to get to know the Taliban’s sensitive side.
No more. Now we’re going to be rooting for those plucky underdogs. Wall Street Journal Istanbul bureau chief Hugh Pope wrote, “Thanks to a clear and emphatic translation, Western readers will find here a rare door to the emotions and motivations of Afghans trapped in bloody events beyond their control, and will soon forget which side they are supposed to be on.”
“The New York Times” blog released a poem translated in the anthology where a Taliban author talked about how the “the cunning enemy’s palace was white, white” (an allusion to the White House). Another poet named Jawed wrote about the joy found in killing.
Hot, hot trenches are full of joy;
Attacks on the enemy are full of joy.
Guns in our hands and magazine belts over my shoulders;
Grenades on my chest are full of joy.
Well, it’s not Wilfred Owen, is it? Still, it’s nice that liberals finally have pro-war voices they can rally around.
