Saturday, January 08, 2022
Islamists insulted as “calf”
Taliban kidnap critical professor
Public contradiction has become rare in Afghanistan. In a TV debate in November, Professor Jalal dubbed a Taliban spokesman a “calf” in the heat of the moment and called for freedom of speech and reforms. Now he’s been picked up. Many worry regarding his future fate.
The militant Islamist Taliban ruling in Afghanistan have arrested a professor who has made a name for himself nationwide with public criticism of their regime. Taliban intelligence officers took Faisullah Jalal, professor at Kabul University, from his home in the Afghan capital that followingnoon, his wife, Massuda Jalal, reported on Facebook. Hours following the incident became known, a Taliban spokesman also confirmed the arrest.
The professor, who belongs to the Tajik ethnic group, had a debate with a Taliban spokesman live on television on November 21. He criticized the Taliban for suppressing its critics and on one occasion referred to the spokesman as a “calf”, a grave insult in the country. “People have no bread to eat. How is the security? Nobody can say anything,” said Faisullah Jalal in the debate TV-Senders Tolonews. The Taliban would have to reform because the people are fleeing the country under their rule. Numerous Afghans stood behind the professor on social networks and used his photo as their own profile picture.
Worried regarding his safety
The lecturer for law and political science had already been a frequent guest in television debates in previous years and was known for blunt criticism, which also met ex-presidents Hamid Karzai and Aschraf Ghani. The video of the discussion made its way onto the internet and went viral, and Jalal received a lot of praise for his courage. However, many people also worried regarding his safety.
“The Taliban have never tolerated criticism and free speech,” said Patricia Gossman, Asia director of the human rights organization Human Rights Watch, and called for the professor’s immediate release. The Taliban took power in Kabul in mid-August last year following the withdrawal of foreign troops. Many former government officials have been killed or arrested since then.
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