Resolution Adopted by the CCAR
RESOLUTION ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND RELIGIOUS
FREEDOM IN AFGHANISTAN
Adopted by
the Board of Trustees
June, 2001
Background
Afghanistan
has endured over two decades of civil war, costing the lives of more
than a million civilians. Today, with over two million Afghani
refugees in Iran and Pakistan, Afghans are the largest single refugee
group in the world. The Taliban, a political and military force that
appeared at the end of 1994, now controls most of Afghanistan. The
regime has committed horrendous civil and human rights abuses, as well
as civilian massacres and acts of religious persecution, most recently
the smashing of ancient Buddhist statues around the country. Although
the members of the Taliban justify their actions by Islamic law, their
interpretation of these laws has been questioned by Islamic scholars
and institutions that believe Islam and the prophet Muhammad allow
women more freedom, and show a high degree of tolerance toward other
religions. The Taliban denies the people of Afghanistan many rights we
hold dear, including women’s rights, human rights, and religious
freedom.
Women’s Rights
For several years, the Taliban has worked
systematically to eliminate women from public life. The regime has
forbidden women from working outside the home or even leaving the
house without a male relative accompanying them. Women are not allowed
to deal with male shopkeepers, see male doctors, or study at schools
or universities. Women must be covered from head to toe in a long veil
(burqa) outside the house, and they may be, and are, whipped
for any infraction of the dress code. Dozens of other rules prohibit
women from a wide range of activities, from laughing loudly to
appearing on the balconies of their apartments, or even wearing white
socks.
Human Rights
The Taliban movement has also been responsible for the
massacres of hundreds of civilians in areas where civil war continues
in northern Afghanistan. According to Human Rights Watch, the victims
are mostly Shiite Muslims of the Hazara ethnic group, while the
Taliban are Sunni Muslims who are ethnic Pathans. These massacres are
part of efforts to intimidate minority populations and to deter them
from cooperating with the Taliban’s opposition, the United Front,
which has carried out its own massacres of suspected Taliban
sympathizers.
Religious Freedom
Claiming a desire to eliminate
idolatry from Afghanistan, troops from the Taliban militia have used
explosives and rockets to destroy two-thirds of the country’s
statues, including two huge statues of Buddha from the 3rd
and 5th centuries, and most of the 6000 statues in the
Kabul museum. These acts of cultural and religious vandalism
demonstrate a complete disregard for other religions, cultures and
peoples. Although today Afghanistan’s population is overwhelmingly
Muslim, the religious statues destroyed by the Taliban are sacred to
Buddhists around the world.
Moreover, the Taliban has suggested forcing Hindus
to wear identity labels on their clothing. The stated purpose would be
to protect the Hindus from the religious police, who might mistake
them for Muslims not fulfilling the obligations incumbent upon Muslim
citizens. However, this action opens the door for discrimination
against the Hindu population. As Jews who all too well recall the
yellow star of Nazi Germany, we cannot stand by in silence as history
potentially repeats itself.
THEREFORE, the Central Conference of American Rabbis
resolves to
international initiatives to end the devastating human rights abuses,
complete subjugation of women, and religious persecution, including
the proposed forced identification of Hindu citizens, carried out by
the Taliban, and the massacres perpetrated by anti-Taliban forces in
Afghanistan; and,
and the public on the gravity of the situation in Afghanistan, and
encourage them to voice their concern for the people of Afghanistan
and support for international initiatives to restore the rights of the
people of Afghanistan.