The Day I Met The Taleban

It's not everyday that you sit in a room with a group of men and one of them announces: we are Taleban.

It would – had I not already spent two weeks in Pakistan – have been a worrying experience. Images of guns, kidnapping, and beheadings would have all readily sprung to ming.

The security situation, and specifically the Taleban, is something that comes up in conversation on a frequent basis - much in the same way the financial crisis was discussed in great detail in the UK when it first hit. It's clearly a popular topic, and of the between two and three hundred people I've spoken to in the last two weeks, I'd estimate that the security situation comes up around 60% of the time.

This post is quite long. But I thought I'd try and summarize (as briefly as I can :-) the conversations I've been having.

To summarize the situation as portrayed in the media, were told that:

1)There are two groups operating in Pakistan: The Taleban and Al Queda. Both these groups are responsible for terror attacks in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India – and we're told – are planning attacks both in the US and UK.
2)The Pakistani people are broadly supportive of both these groups, and are either directly or indirectly supporting them.
3)The Pakistani government is supportive of both groups, and until recent pressure was applied by the United States were turning a blind eye to their activities.

While there's a grain of truth in the press reports, I've learned that the situation is far more complicated than what were being presented at face value, and many of the people I've spoken to feel that the true situation is not being accurately reported.

Certainly point one in the list is correct. But in reality, the people who form these groups are rarely of Pakistani descent. Many were forced out of Afghanistan by American action in the country, and given the geography of the border, it's almost impossible to stop people migrating undetected into Pakistan. While the American government berate Pakistan for not taking sufficient action – it appears that it is the actions taken in Afghanistan that has created the situation.

Recruits for these groups are usually drawn from radical countries, including Georgia, and the “Stans”, or are radicalized recruits from the UK and US.

And whether there's one group called the “Taleban” is also open to opinion. A large number of people told me that the term Taleban is now seen as a trade mark amongst radicalized groups – a trade mark that anyone with a grievance will use.

One thing that's clear is – and 100% of the people I spoke to about this subject agreed – Islam is not a religion of violence, and that there is no precedent for killing others in the name of Islam. A number even quoted from the Holy Quran to show that the only time a Muslim can use force against another is if they are attacked first.

Many were clear – suicide bombers and those who kill in the name of Islam are not Muslims.

It's also certainly true that many people in Pakistan support The Taleban. And while this may appear contradictory based on the above, it was only when I learned what the term “Taleban” means that the situation makes sense.

Taleban means a student of Islam – someone who not only professes to be a Muslim – but makes the efforts required to practise the teachings of Islam: praying five times a day, fasting at Ramadan, and choosing to live a good life by not stealing, lying, or killing. A very simplified list, but it gives the picture.

The term is being used in much the same way as the term “Born Again Christian” in the UK and US to identify people who not just profess to be Christians, but put the teaching of Christianity into active practise.

So in Pakistan – it is true to say that there are many Taleban – and they have the full support of the regular people. These “true” Taleban do not kill in the name of Islam – and find the very concept abhorrent. In fact – they would even go as far as to say that these type of actions preclude one from being a Muslim.

And it's for this reason that when I was surrounded by a group of men professing to be Taleban – I knew that there wouldn't be any problems. These were men of peace whose concern was to live a good life.

Finally – there is a great deal of anger here at American foreign policy. President Bush gets very little respect, and it is believed that the preemptive actions taken have created instability in the region. The people I've spoken to feel that Pakistan now has to resolve the situation without the levels of International support seen in Iraq.

With a large number of western governments (Canada, Australia, and America to name a few) advising against all travel to Pakistan, tourism has dwindled, and this is having a major impact on the lives of the people in the North of Pakistan who rely on tourism for their livelihood. It's gotten to the point that in Karimbad one man told me he was facing a return to poverty because of the situation. When he'd first opened his shop, there had been fifteen tourists for each villager – now they are lucky to get fifteen tourists a day.

And because of this, the resources that should be used to develop Pakistan are now being diverted to fight a war that no one wants.

It's sad – but every one I spoke to feels that the situation in Pakistan is being misrepresented – and that there's a general lack of interest in reporting the real facts.

There's certainly something at odds between what were being told is happening – and what I've seen for myself. Since I've been here I've had no problems, and have only found helpful friendly people who are quick to welcome a stranger and make a friend.