The Taliban Reader is a collection of statements taken from websites and news sources by those associated with the Taliban movement. The two excerpts below are from The Taliban Reader.
OPENING A LIBRARY FOR JIHADI RELICS
Tolo-ye Afghan, 9 March 1997.
[ Considerable care was taken to construct a narrative of history in which the 1980s jihad was connected to the present-day struggles. In this way, the Taliban saw themselves as part of a longer trajectory. (We can, of course, trace this back— as many did— all the way to the example of the Prophet Muhammad). This source shows the ways that jihad was brought into the centre of their self-conception, with the construction of a museum to preserve documents and artefacts of the 1980s conflict and, presumably, that of the present day.]
A library of relics from the time of jihad was opened next to a public library in a special ceremony. Bakhtar News Agency reports that the ceremony was organised for this library. The librarian, those interested in books and some intellectuals, workers and a number of journalists took part. At the start of the ceremony some verses from the holy Qur’an were recited and after that the Chief Justice of the Islamic government of Afghanistan and the acting deputy for the high court, respected Mawlawi Jalilullah Mawlawizadah, was there
to open the library by cutting the ribbon.
He spoke about the need for such libraries and for the collection of relics from the time of jihad. He thanked those who have put together these artefacts and asked those responsible for this library to do their best to maintain and preserve these objects. After that, Mawlawi Zakiullah Ashrafi, the head of the public library, respected Mawlawi Rahimullah Zurmati, the publication deputy of the Ministry of Information and Culture, and respected Al-Haj Mawlawi Abdurrahman Ahmad Hotaki, deputy of finance and administration in the Ministry of Culture and Information and responsible for publishing the weekly Shariat newspaper, all of them in turn spoke about this library and the value of such artefacts. They said this library should be extended to house more such relics. They said the collection of such items was a service to the true Islamic culture and regarded the idea of such a library as a valuable step. They asked the writers, intellectuals and the Muslim people of Afghanistan to send any printed books, magazines and newspapers, their annual collections— all of which represent the time of jihad— to this library in order to make this library fuller and more valuable. The ceremony ended with a prayer for the implementation of the aims of the Islamic government of Afghanistan, the strengthening of peace and for the progress of genuine Islamic culture. This library, in addition to newspapers and magazines, has 60,000 relics from the time of jihad which are ready for those interested to come and browse through.1
GREAT AND HISTORIC POETRY-READING CONTEST HELD AS AN INITIATIVE OF SHARIAT WEEKLY. (see also, Poetry of the Taliban).2
1997-[ Poetry and song (in a particular context) were very important to the Taliban, from senior leadership down to the lower ranks. If we can talk about a cultural legacy that the Taliban were part of, this was a significant aspect. Contests and grand gatherings were a long-standing feature of Afghan society, so there wasn’t anything particularly path-breaking in the Taliban’s version of these traditions. Rather, it is instructive to read how they sought to sew the binding energy of this literature into the fabric of the movement .]
Shariat, 27 March 1997 An honourable poetry-reading contest was held in the Intercontinental Hotel on 8 March 1997 by Shariat Weekly on the occasion of spring’s arrival and given the provision of security in the country. The Shariat Weekly reporter reported that the contest began at nine o’clock in the morning and several ministers, heads of governmental offices, clerics, poets, people of literature and journalists attended. The contest began with recitation of few verses of the great Qur’an by Qari Fazlur Rahman Saraji. After that, the Deputy Minister of Culture and Information and administrative and financial affairs and Director of Shariat Weekly , Al-Haj Mawlawi Abdurrahman Hotaki, welcomed the guests and said in his speech that before everything else he would pray for the spirits of the martyrs of the incident in Jalalabad and asked Allah to grant patience to the families of the victims. Respected Hotak said that when the Taliban laid down their books in the madrassas and put their pens in their pockets to ensure an Islamic system, the territorial integrity, political and national sovereignty of their homeland, they not only kept the trenches of jihad hot with their blood and sacrifices, but also rolled up their sleeves for the cultural construction of the country. In a very short time, they have provided a lot of services in this regard.
After that, the message of the head of the Supervisory Council of the Islamic government of Afghanistan, respected Al-Haj Mullah Mohammad Rabbani, was read to the participants by the director of Radio, Television and Afghan Film: Mullah Mohammad Eshaq Nizami. In one part of the message, it said, ‘Dear respected brothers, you know that literature is a crucial part of intellectual culture, and nations and ethnic groups are known by their culture and literature, but it is beautified with beautiful literature and culture.’ After that, respected Qari Noor ul-Haq recited a few verses of the Qur’an and prayers were offered for the martyrs of the Nangarhar incident. The report adds that respected poets then presented their poems reflecting their messages about their love of the Lord’s shari’a, presenting images of security in the country and the season of spring flowers.3
Someone was unhappy with the CNN interview about Poetry of the Taliban. However, the interview discusses the collection & may be of interest.
Strick van Linschoten, Alex., and Felix. Kuehn. The Taliban Reader : War, Islam and Politics in Their Own Words. Oxford: Oxford University Press, Incorporated, 2018, pp. 143-144.
Rahmany, M., Stanikzai, H., Strick, . L. A., & Kuehn, F. 2012. Poetry of the Taliban. London: Hurst. (Available on Amazon). This is the first collection in English of poetry inspired by and inspiring the Taliban. Most Taliban fighters are Pashtuns, a people who cherish their poetic tradition, and poetry is used in battle.
CNN video with editors. Alex Strick van Linschoten & Felix Kuehn.
Robin Yassin-Kassab, Robin (May 13, 2012). Taliban poetry: the gentle, flowery side of the story? The Guardian. A collection of verse from the Afghan frontlines caused much controversy, but provides a valuable glimpse of an otherwise unseen culture
Ibid., Strick van Linschoten, pp.145-146.
I believe this is one of your most important posts. It tests the limits of liberal thought and tolerance. The existence of a Taliban archive is important, regardless of what one may think of the group. The contrast with the ongoing attempt to destroy US history is stark. Thank you for bringing this to light; I know none of it.
I recently read Walking to Samarkand. Bernard Ollivier walked across Iran and Turkmenistan in the year 2000. He encountered the mullahs but also many people who didn’t want religious rule. He commented on how poetry was revered in the region.