Afghanistan talking points and thinking points

The Taliban have declared victory and the end of the war in Afghanistan.

America has been in dialogue with the Taliban for a couple of years. They finally signed an agreement under former President Donald Trump for the US to withdraw last year. 

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban negotiator who was released by Pakistan at President Trump’s request, was humble in his first statement. He said the victory was unexpectedly swift and had no match in the world. However, he said the real test would begin now, with meeting the expectations of the people and serving them by resolving their problems.

Dear Friend -

As the term #Sharia is already trending in the Twitter world, and blame is being passed around, this is not the time to be silent. Here are some thinking points and talking points for us to consider on the fast-changing events in Afghanistan:

Important Principles: 

• Muslims have a God-assigned duty to be just in love as well as in hate, as asked by God Almighty Himself (Quran 57:25 & 4:135).
• Muslims are obliged to speak truth to power. Prophet  Muhammad, God’s peace and blessing be upon him, said “No man can attain a firm faith, unless he developed strength of character and that cannot be achieved unless one acquires the habit of speaking the truth.” (Reported by Ali in Nahjul Balagha. May Allah be pleased with him.) 

Action items:

Tweet for Refugee Aid Now: 
Tweet Secretary of State Antony Blinken @SecBlinken and leader of the USAID Jeremy Bernton @PowerUSAID to airlift relief supplies to half a million Afghan refugees who are in Kabul staying under trees and on sidewalks. The same flights that are evacuating Afghans can be used to airlift desperately needed supplies to those who have been displaced. 

Support President Joe Biden’s Decision to withdraw:
Tweet a thank you to President Biden @Potus for doing what two presidents failed to do: withdraw from Afghanistan. Please ask @PowerUSAID to airlift relief supplies to the displaced Afghans. 

Participate in conversations: 
There is a huge ongoing conversation all over the media about events in Afghanistan, the Taliban, Americans wars, and of course Sharia. Thousands of Americans are commenting on news stories and articles about what is happening. Be part of that discussion. Do not remain silent. Your perspective can bring much-needed clarification if you are connected to, and/or familiar with the country and culture. 

Prepare for Second Sharia Freakout: 
The Taliban will very likely implement Hudood as well as their own tribal harsh punishments as they have done in the past.That will provide Islamophobes with yet another opportunity to attack Islam, Muslims, and rekindle the Sharia freakout. Please have your spokespersons trained on talking points to tackle this. Sound Vision has three brochures on this topic for distribution to our neighbors. They are good reading for Muslim schools’ classrooms as well. You can call 1-800-432-4262 to request bulk copies of these. Or you can read and download them:

• The Sharia Muslim Americans live
• Prophet Muhammad Honored By the U.S. Supreme Court As One Of The Greatest Lawgivers Of The World In 1935
• Religious Laws & Freedom of Religion in the United States

Talking Points

• President Biden is right in withdrawing from 20 years of war. It is what former President Obama and former President Trump both declared they would do but could not. 
• Afghans must determine their own future. They have the right to self-determination just as any other people do. If they want Islamic criminal law with their tribal code, they have as much right to choose that as Saudi Arabia does.
• American responsibility must go beyond evacuation of Americans and Afghan allies. There are at least half a million displaced people in Kabul right now and more are coming. USAID must airlift massive relief supplies to Afghanistan right away. The same flights can bring back thousands waiting at Kabul airport.
• If America can work with Vietnam despite its communist ideology and brutal conflict, it should have no problem working with the Taliban. Today, 30% of Vietnam’s economy is connected with that of the US.
• There must not be any ban on girls' education whatsoever. Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, specifically mentioned women when ordering, “Seeking knowledge is a binding duty on each Muslim man and Muslim woman” (Hadith recorded by Ibn Majah).  
• There must be freedom of religion for all Afghans, as per the Constitution of Madinah instituted by the Prophet himself. 

Education of Girls in Afghanistan

In December 2020, UNICEF and the Taliban signed a formal agreement to run up to 4,000 community-based classes reaching 120,000 students in areas under the Taliban’s control. This agreement includes girls’ primary education. Hopefully, UNICEF and the Taliban will be able to expand the area of work now that the Taliban is in power.

Please Make Duas:

Duas for Afghanistan:

• We are thankful for the peace and security some of us have. Please bless Afghans with peace, justice, and freedom.
• Ya Allah, only You can bring love in the heart. Bless all factions of Afghans with love for each other.
• Ya Allah, You are the Samee (the All-Hearing) and the Baseer (the All-Seeing). You know the state of the Ummah. Ya Allah guide us and keep us all on the right path.

Duas for America:
President Biden made the right decision to pull out of Afghanistan. Both earlier presidents also wanted to do that. But he is in the hot seat right now, as everyone is looking to blame someone for the current chaos. Ending occupation is not easy. 

• May Allah bring our country together so that our tax money is used to save lives instead of taking lives.
• May Allah help us learn from these unending wars.
• God Almighty, please protect our freedoms and bless us to respect freedom for others.

Duas for the Taliban:

• May Allah bless them with wisdom to follow the path of forgiveness practiced by the Prophet against his worst enemies. Allah’s peace and blessings be upon the Prophet.
• May Allah guide them so they fulfil their promises of peace and justice.
• May Allah give them the ability not to repeat the mistakes of the past.
• May God Almighty ensure that they do not end up giving a bad name to Islam and the Ummah of the Prophet.
• May Allah give Tawfiq or the ability to the Taliban leaders to discipline their rank and file to uphold the ideals they cherish.

The Sound Vision team is saddened by killing of 90 Afghans and 13 American service members by ISIS-Khorasan in Kabul yesterday. This dangerous terrorist group has harmed so many in multiple countries. They represent the worst of humanity. Sound Vision led a major campaign against ISIS in 2015 and many brochures on how the terrorist group defies Prophet Muhammad's teachings. Allah's peace and blessing be upon the Prophet. We also encourage you to benefit from our Talking Points and Thinking Points about the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.