Afghanistan is about to become a very rich country and those now leaving will regret it
By Abdul Rashid bin Abdullah
14 Muharram 1443 (August 22, 2021)
Every month I go to the Immigration office here in Beijing to get my visa renewed. And who else do I see there? Rivers of Chinese who left China over past decades returning home to China because they found out the US is not what they thought. The center of the old and new worlds is in Asia and the US is sinking fast – a violent ship in a storm of its own creation. So sad. Such a waste. For now we can only pray they awaken before the great crash they have fashioned for themselves with their infinite corruption.
Alhamdulillah the War in Afghanistan is over, but a new war is beginning.
This is an information war. It’s also a war against corruption and poverty.
The international media is screaming to modernist Afghans: “Get out! Run! Hide!” What devious propaganda.
That is a trick of war. The international media driven primarily by US corporations is the primary promoter of wars and conflicts around the world. Of course, they will promote fears and advertise “Everybody run!” What shameless tricksters.
Everyone who has ever been in Afghanistan for even a short time knows the previous governments were unbelievably corrupt and the people are unbelievably poor because of it.
The Afghan army didn’t all abandon their posts because of any great love for the government. Just the opposite. They were not idiots. They knew of the absolute corruption and hopelessness of life in Afghanistan under the former kleptocracy.
Most of the major western newspapers ignore this, or maybe devote one sentence to it. But it’s worth more than a single sentence when your life and your children’s lives are condemned to eternal poverty because of government corruption.
The last interview I had before leaving Kabul in 2015 was with a government prosecutor who was terrified of the idea of prosecuting corrupt government officials. He and nobody on his staff would even try to prosecute a government official. Prosecutors that tried to investigate corrupt politicians were killed. That’s how bad it was.
One thing the Taliban have in their favor is they are disciplined. Back when they were working with the CIA on the opium eradication program, they first told everyone to substitute opium for other crops. Those who failed to obey were killed. Simple, effective discipline. Let’s hope more moderate but equally effective persuasion can now be used.
Effectively fighting corruption is something no previous Afghan government has done. They were always too busy fighting: Too busy fighting each other over who gets the contracts and the bribes, and to a lesser extent the Taliban.
Afghanistan’s vast wealth is waiting
China and Russia have the advanced technologies to help Afghans begin to extract the huge natural resource wealth in their country in an efficient and clean manner.
At present most of the gemstones coming from Afghanistan are “blown” out of the rocks using old military ammunition. That destroys 90% of the gemstones.
On the other hand, with mining done in an efficient modern way Afghanistan will become the richest nation in Central Asia quickly.
According to Reuters:
Aug 19 (Reuters) - Returning to power in Afghanistan after a 20-year absence, the Taliban have regained control of natural resources that a former mines minister of the country once said could be worth up to $3 trillion. That estimate was made toward the end of the last commodities supercycle in 2010 and could be worth even more now, after a global economic recovery from the coronavirus shock sent prices for everything from copper to lithium soaring this year. Afghanistan is rich in resources like copper, gold, oil, natural gas, uranium, bauxite, coal, iron ore, rare earths, lithium, chromium, lead, zinc, gemstones, talc, sulphur, travertine, gypsum and marble… https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/what-are-afghanistans-untapped-minerals-resources-2021-08-19/
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated volumes of undiscovered, technically recoverable, conventional petroleum resources for the Amu Darya Basin and Afghan–Tajik Basin Provinces of Afghanistan, Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The mean volumes were estimated at 962 million barrels of crude oil, 52 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, and 582 million barrels of natural gas liquids for the Amu Darya Basin Province and at 946 million barrels of crude oil, 7 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, and 85 million barrels of natural gas liquids for the Afghan–Tajik Basin Province.
https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/item/5059ee78e4b0c8380cd49d89
And there is also this:
Lapis Lazuli from Valley of the Kokcha River Badakhshan Province
Blue Sapphire from Badakhshan. These blue and purplish sapphires from a new deposit near Khash in Badakhshan.
Rudy and pink sapphire from Jegdalek, Surobi District, Kabul
Emeralds from Panjshir Valley
And that’s not the half of it.
https://momp.gov.af/sites/default/files/2020-07/MoMP%20Roadmap-1-merged.pdf
https://postconflict.unep.ch/publications/UNEP_Afghanistan_NRM_guidance_chart.pdf
Finally, having gotten rid of the American troublemakers and corrupt old government, Insha’Allah the Taliban can get contracts with trustworthy partners (quickly) because hungry impoverished people tend to be poor decision makers.
Economic prosperity is needed to bring peace to Afghanistan. I believe the Taliban have the discipline to make that happen.
The critical question
The question is, will they be able to unify the country or be forever divided by conflicts?
The peace can so easily be won or lost.
There is so much the modernists in Afghanistan just don’t know.
As older and wiser men, the Taliban have to be patient in teaching. The resources are already there. It’s just a matter of aligning already existing forces.
The biggest obstacle: Conflict between liberals and conservatives
The biggest divide in the world is not race or religion. It’s not male and female. It’s not even good vs. evil. The biggest divide in this world is between liberals and conservatives.
How stupid we Muslims sometimes are. We fall into almost every trap set for us by the CIA and what’s unfolding in Afghanistan now is exactly what they want. Muslims fighting and killing each other over conflicting extreme ideologies they conditioned us to believe in.
The CIA will divide and conquer our Ummah until every last Muslim is dead - if we cannot win the peace in Afghanistan.
This “great conflict” is really between conservative vs. liberal philosophies.
Young people tend to be more liberal and older people more conservative. Even in the Quran this division is found. Earlier in the Quran one will find more liberal mandates, for example in regards to manner of clothing, and later in the Quran one finds more conservative mandates. Preference is given to Ayats later in the Quran. But that does not mean we should erase those in the beginning. Flexibility and tolerance are the keys to winning the peace.
Islam is the true religion of moderation (Al-Wasatiyyah - moderation, justness), and both extremes are haram (forbidden).
The Bull
Photo by Ввласенко. This file is licensed under the Creative CommonsAttribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported
Like the simple-minded bull in a Spanish bullfight wherever the matador waves the red cape too many of us Muslims will go charging only to be slaughtered.
When I was ages 11 and 12 (in 1967/1968) my family lived in Spain. My father loved the bullfights but my mother hated them. I was bored so I went to the bullfights with my father.
Now, as an older man, I agree with my mother. Bullfights are so cruel. Yes, there is artistry and courage in the art of the matador. But, it’s a rigged contest. The bull doesn’t always die, but 99% of the time he does. And, he suffers hugely for 1) the entertainment of the crowd, 2) ego of the bullfighters and 3) the money the promoters earn from that suffering and death.
Entertainment, ego and profits
For Americans, war is the same thing. Entertainment, ego and profits.
Reading RT this morning, only five days after what should have been the end of the war I see:
Taliban fighters killed and captured after Afghan militias seize 3 districts just north of Kabul
Impossible to evacuate Afghan allies by end of August: Eu foreign policy chief says Americans cause problems
The Taliban are ‘country boys with a code of honor?’ Is this really an apt way to describe these cold-eyed killers of women?
Though I generally like RT’s news lineup, that last article in particular is insulting. Who has killed more innocent men, women and children than the USA? The Taliban? No way. It’s a 10,000 to 1 ratio there. That’s extremely biased “news.” I’m shocked and disappointed in RT’s editors for that. Does the US execute women? Sure, every day in different countries around the world. And in the vast majority of cases, they are innocent civilians. The US executes entire families routinely, often at weddings and funerals. These things are known by all. Even in the US, the US executes women, though it’s true: Women represent less than 1.2% of the 1,533 executions performed in the United States since 1976. Overseas though? Women’s and children’s lives don’t matter any more than ants.
Dozens killed as US-backed strike hits Afghan wedding
The incident comes after the US ramped up airstrikes in Afghanistan, contributing to pro-government forces being responsible for more deaths than militants. Most of the dead in the airstrike were women and children.
https://www.dw.com/en/dozens-killed-as-us-backed-strike-hits-afghan-wedding/a-50549512
12.11.2019 At least seven members of a single family were killed in eastern Afghanistan in an alleged U.S. drone strike, an official said on Tuesday.
Hafeezullah Mubarez, a member of the Paktia provincial council, told Anadolu Agency the incident took place in the Aryob Zazai district when a passenger car was targeted in the air raid.
Mubarez said a doctor, three women and three children were victims of the airstrike…
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/alleged-us-drone-strike-kills-7-afghan-civilians/1642925
2020.04.1 A family mourns as US drone attacks in Somalia continue
Civilians paying a heavy price as al-Shabab punishes them and US drone attacks kill them, Somali politician says.
https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2020/4/1/a-family-mourns-as-us-drone-attacks-in-somalia-continue
There are hundreds of such stories. They happen every day, but most are not reported because 1) they happen in rural areas and 2) everyone is dead.
And when the US isn’t bombing people its starving them to death.
As Western vessels continue to deplete starving Somalia’s fish stocks to sell to comparatively privileged consumers, propaganda denounces Somali “piracy” against Euro-American ships.
https://thegrayzone.com/2021/08/13/in-somalia-the-us-is-bombing-the-very-terrorists-it-created/
US occupation continues to steal wheat and oil, strengthens it bases in al-Jazeera
Hasaka, SANA – The US occupation forces have continued to steal the country’s resources as 45 of their vehicles loaded with wheat and oil leaved Rmelan area in Hasaka northeastern countryside in parallel with bringing equipment and logistic materials to support their bases in the province.
Stealing starving people’s fish and wheat. That’s official American foreign policy. They had the same policies in the Philippines starting in 1898. Nothing changes. They learned it from the British and French.
And yet, most Americans and even some Afghans have no idea what the US is really up to there, here or anywhere. Everyone says the US has a “free press.” What a lie!
Thank God they are finally almost gone from Afghanistan!
What we Muslims are lacking now is the creative application of the gifts Allah has given us.
Good movies and books do exist!
There are good movies out there. I list some later in this article. They show who really are the biggest killers and rapists of women. It’s not the Taliban. Compared to the CIA the Taliban are saints. Sound unbelievable? If you think so you don’t know the history of the CIA. You don’t know them personally as I have known them. Some scars never heal and some evil deeds can never be forgotten or forgiven. It takes more than a little self-control and will power to stay focused and not lose sight of the positive goals we all should be working towards. Keep your guard up, but otherwise forget about them.
We traditionalists need to learn how to teach the modernists using modern communication methods: 1) movies and 2) reading.
Me personally? I like reading. But most people under 40 theses days just watch movies. That’s understandable. The western media makes everyone lazy. I sometimes like watching movies after reading too many hours in a day.
Most modernists don’t read much. So, they don’t know much about history and they clearly don’t know much about Islam except what American TV “teaches” them.
Fortunately, there are some good movies that do teach some very important truths.
Right now, most of the modernist Afghans are angry, scared and bored and they need some good movies that will teach them who really are the bad guys.
Abandonment issues and fear
The modernists are angry not so much at the Taliban but rather because they feel they have been betrayed by their God, the USA. Which is true. They have been betrayed by their God, the USA. They don’t see it that way, but that’s the truth. They’ been hypnotized by thousands of hours of western media promoting the fast and sexy lifestyles of the west and they are very angry at the Taliban who cut off all their western TV shows. (Please feel free to laugh at the absurdity of this, but we all know its true.)
They’re also scared. The Taliban stated they would not search houses, but the international media is now reporting they are. The Taliban state it is imposters doing the searching, but who to believe?
The sad fact is the Taliban may need to search some houses now looking for weapons. Some of the modernists probably have hidden weapons hoping and praying someday the western Gods will shine upon them again and they can go out there and “kill all the Taliban dead!” They dream of the impossible.
Please, like patient parents, let us teach them instead of killing them.
The modernists are bored. They’re mostly hooked on western values of extremely liberal ‘entertainment.’
The modernists would much prefer to think of revenge and violence rather than communication with the Taliban. That’s what they learned on American movies and TV shows: THE ONLY ANSWER TO PROBLEMS IS GET SOME GUNS AND KILL THEM ALL!
That is not Islam. That is 100% pure American thinking. Well, that’s not entirely true. That’s crusader thinking. It’s a lot older than the USA. Even the Mongol hoards gave cities the option to surrender before obliteration. Not the USA though. When they want the oil, or the wheat, or the strategic location, there is no negotiation. Even the so-called “diplomatic branch” of the the government, the Department of State is always led by a war monger these days.
It’s insane. And it’s wrong. But those are the values the CIA and so-called “Department of Defense” (DoD) dominated media teach. Don’t believe it? Look at this internet site:
The CIA/DoD practically owns Hollywood. They can control what movies are made and what movies are not made. More and more now they control the content too. Somehow though some good movies are produced in spite of them.
Some movies that show who are the real killers
The 3rd of the three RT news stories cited above paints the Taliban as “cold-blooded killers of women.”
There are many good movies that show who are really the biggest killers (and rapists) of women. It is not the Taliban. It is the USA and their allies.
Movies for example, by Oliver Stone clearly show who are the biggest killers of innnocents. See the movie “Platoon” for example.
The movie “Redacted” is good too. It was written and directed by Brian De Palma. It is loosely based on the 2006 Mahmudiyah killings in Mahmoudiyah, Iraq, when U.S. Army soldiers raped an Iraqi girl and murdered her along with her family. This film, which is a companion to an earlier film by De Palma, 1989's Casualties of War, was filmed in Jordan.
The movie “Above the Law” by Steven Seagal is quite good.
The movie “Whistleblower” directed by Larysa Kondracki - This drama based on the experiences of Kathryn Bolkovac, a Nebraska cop who served as a peacekeeper in post-war Bosnia and exposed the U.N. for covering up a sex trafficking scandal," is very educational also.
The "Land of Blood and Honey" directed by Angelina Jolie is excellent.
Many (but not all) of the movies on this list are good: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_anti-war_films
There is a movie about Ibn Battuta called: Journey to Mecca: In the Footsteps of Ibn Battuta. I haven’t seen it. But it might be good.
(Incidentally, Ibn Battuta spent 30 years traveling outside of his homeland. I have spent 25 years traveling outside of the land where I was born. He was an Islamic scholar. I am only a common Muslim as ordinary as a stone.)
There are old movies about Saladin. I don’t know if they are good because I have not seen them. I have read that none of them are historically accurate. For example there should be no comparisons between King Richard the crusader and Saladin. King Richard was a terrorist as exemplified by the “Massacre of Ayyadieh” August 20, 1191. The newer movie called “Kingdom of Heaven” however is generally very good.
Yemen – Collective failure, collective responsibility (A short video available on YouTube.)
It seems to me Netflix or one of the other big movie rental companies might make a deal with the new government in Afghanistan so they can show some educational movies on TV that will teach the people the US is not all goodness and light. That would be a very good investment I think.
Some books that should be read by everyone on earth
Killing Hope - U.S. Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II -https://williamblum.org/books/killing-hope is excellent. This book proves who are the biggest killers: the CIA.
The Afghan ladies will probably like: The Great Caliphs: The Golden Age of the 'Abbasid Empire by Amira K. Bennison. Why? It proves Muslims honor and respect women, and in Islamic history some women became very powerful. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6747055-the-great-caliphs As we know, Khadija was the first wife of the Prophet Muhammad (Alayhi as-salām), and is a shinning example of a strong, independent Muslim woman with an entrepreneurial spirit.
The book “The Travels of Ibn Battuta” is excellent. But you cannot trust the free pdf from the internet. I have a paperback version translated by Rev. Samuel Lee. It is very good.
The book The Silk Roads: A New History of the World by Peter Frankopan is quite excellent. It clearly shows how Muslims were in many ways way ahead of, and superior to their western counterparts in history. It’s a bit surprising for an Oxford University historian, but I read and enjoyed that book. His research is excellent and his conclusions are accurate. Muslims have much to be proud of in our history.
My books: White “Christian” Terrorism, Volumes 1 and 2 are good. I used the pen-name Jonny Wycliff when I wrote them to reduce the probability of being murdered for having exposed some of the truths about the history of the Catholic church. They can be downloaded for free in PDF from: https://www.silkroadvirtualuniversity.org/white-christian-terrorism.html
(Incidentally, my father, a well-known European historian was Catholic until he spent too much time in the Vatican Library in Rome. After that he became an atheist. As for me? I chose Islam.)
The article: An Analysis on the Practices of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in Resolving Conflicts by Mustafa Monjur is excellent.
I have a large collection of book PDFs that are wonderful. But, they’re all in English. Probably Iran has Farsi book pdfs, and Tajikistan Tajik PDFs and so on.
Why not make a collection of Pashto and Dari great book PDFs available to everyone for free?
Reading is GREAT. People need entertainment and education. That’s free for the regular person.
I would like to see Kabul University remain open but I think students need to read the books above to gain a better understanding of real history, not just the American white-washed versions of history. Most modernist Muslims are ashamed to be Muslim because they don’t really know our glorious history. If they did, they might be able to appreciate the victory of the Taliban.
I’d also love to see some Taliban write books about their experiences. I’d be happy to edit the English.
Combining entertainment and education
There are hundreds of good movies and thousands of good books out there and people, everyone, needs better - more fair and honest - education.
The Western Roman Empire was unbelievably terrible in so many ways. But it still lasted about 500 years. The Romans knew the people must be distracted. People need entertainment.
If they don’t have entertainment, they will cause trouble.
The Roman choice of entertainment was very cruel, for example the gladiatorial games. Those were horrible. Alhamdulillah the Eastern Roman Empire later on forbid the gladiatorial games and only had chariot races in the Hippodrome. The Eastern Roman Empire lasted 900 years longer than the Western Roman Empire. My point here is: Entertainment is necessary.
As we know, real Christians are good people. We Muslims don’t agree with all they believe, but generally they follow the 10 Commandments given to Moses.
All religions have been hijacked by devilish people
The CIA/DoD has hijacked all the major religions and polarized almost everyone. They hate all religions. And, they’re doing an effective job of making all religions look terrible. Please, let us NOT help them in that process. Let us not give them any fake martyrs.
Calm the fears of the modernists who mostly want to escape Afghanistan now.
The new Afghanistan will need the modernists. The western media is working to promote they all should run away. That would be a huge loss for Afghanistan and they will regret it later on.
Media screening board
Perhaps a media screening board needs to be put together that can identify movies and TV shows that provide meaningful values, like the struggles to end wars, expose corruption, become a great sportsman, artist or scientist and so on. This should be done quickly. Very quickly. Speed is life and life is speed. Now is no time to waste time. Afghanistan is still bleeding. Many of it’s best and brightest are sucked into western news media and only want to run away. Go to the US or India? Crazy!
Some of the best movies are comedies. Comedies show the absurdity of life. They cause a perceptual shift.
Most anti-war movies are violent, but they are worth watching just the same.
When encountering pockets of armed resistance, it is best to not fight them but instead, just contain them. Then using diplomacy one can negotiate.
The war is already won. Now is the harder part, winning the peace.
Muslims should remember the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah.
Sometimes compromises must be made for the sake of peace. This is halal.
Al-Nasir Salah al-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub (Saladin) also showed us the way.
He usually released prisoners after capturing them. We Muslims must stop killing each other. True, those Afghan resisters are fighting for the USA and its ultra-liberal ideals, but they don’t know it. They are simple-minded. If they are killed, they will be seen as martyrs even if they are just foolish tools of the CIA.
Please remember, they don’t know they are foolish tools. They are just simple minded. Wise parents and leaders use patience. Sometimes extreme patience. Sometimes that patience is beyond the extreme. But, this is what we must do for peace. Eventually most people do grow up.
Muslims must always try to use diplomacy, communication and education to help each other instead of killing each other.
All of us Muslims must be more tolerant with those who have different views on life.
Please remember: There shall be no compulsion in religion. (2:256)
In and of itself ʿahd thus implies a reciprocal agreement and obligation, but when used with the preposition ilā, ahd indicates a unilateral ‘agreement’ that has been ‘enjoined’ by one party upon the other. The third form from the same root āhada has more reciprocal implications and is employed in eleven Qur’anic verses.
Most instances refer to the covenant between God and human beings (Q. 2:100; Q. 9:75; Q. 16:91; Q. 33:15 and 23; Q. 48:10), while others provide specific references to treaties made between the Muslims and other groups in Arabia (Q. 8:56; Q. 9:1, 4, 7), and one (Q. 2:177) can be read as a reference to fulfilling the covenant between God and human beings or as a reference to maintaining pacts and treaties among human beings.
Covenant and Covenants in the Qur’an, by Joseph Lumbard, June 2015, Journal of Quranic Studies 17(2):1-23, DOI: 10.3366/ jqs.2015.0193, Downloaded from:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281415736_Covenant_and_Covenants_in_the_Qur%27an
If some of the modernists have broken the covenant with Allah, they should be given time to readjust. Everyone is always in a hurry. In this information war extreme patience is required.
Now is the battle for peace. Let’s change our strategies to win this most important battle of all.
Right now I am supposed to be working on a business proposal for a group of companies here in China.
After posting this article I will get back to that.
The prosperous happy future is in good business. The Holy Prophet Mohammad knew that. The Chinese believe this too. Win-win is possible. The American leadership tragically does not believe this. Tough luck for them.
Trade and business are what we most need to work on.
We have to start to let go of our obsession with the US. We have to think for ourselves, and take care of ourselves and those around us. Working on business is a very good way to do that!
Doing clean business is following the footsteps of the Holy Prophet
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was also a very successful and well-traveled businessman. He was well-known in Yemen, Syria, Basra, Iraq, Jordan, and trading cities in the Arabian Peninsula. He started learning about trading at least by the age of 12 when he traveled on business trips with his uncle.
Before revelation came to him, the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), earned his living as a trader.
His integrity and veracity were noticed by his employer, Khadija, who later proposed and was married to him.
When he wasn’t traveling, he was busy taking care of wholesale markets of Makkah.
In Islam trade has always been recognized as an important aspect of human life.
It was because of his noble character that he became known as “al-Amin,” the “Trustworthy.”
Those who take bribes and those who give bribes are cursed by God.
Bukhari and Muslim Hadith
The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is reported to have said:
If the son of Adam were to possess two valleys of riches, he would long for the third one.
Muslim Hadith Collection
Some people say “business is war.” And, sometimes negotiation can be rough and tough, but it is not war. Those who know war and business know the difference. I agree with the Chinese in this matter. Business can and should be win-win even if negotiations are fierce.
I’ve watched Arabs for example haggle over pennies and it sounds like war. Eventually they make an agreement and then both are laughing. It’s a funny culture, sometimes.
Let’s think about business instead of all this war.
Yes, sometimes we need to relax and we need entertainment. But our primary efforts should be to get our economies going again instead of: “Who should I kill today?” That is so haram, and so stupid and so like the enraged bull that gets slaughtered 99% of the time in bullfights.
So, insha’Allah it is time to smile.
Abdullah ibn Al-Harith ibn Hazm said, “I have never seen anyone who smiles more than the Prophet does.” (At-Tirmidhi)
Jarir ibn Abdullah said: “Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) never refused me permission to see him since I embraced Islam and never looked at me but with a smile” (Sahih Muslim).
Moreover, Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah said: “You cannot satisfy people with your wealth, but satisfy them with your cheerful faces and good morals” (Abu Ya`la and Al-Hakim; Authentic hadith).
Abu Dhar narrated from the Prophet that he said, “Do not disdain a good deed, (no matter how small it may seem) even if it is your meeting with your brother with a cheerful face” (Sahih Muslim).
And, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Smiling in your brother’s face is an act of charity” (At-Tirmidhi; Declared Authentic by Al-Albani).
https://aboutislam.net/shariah/hadith/hadith-collections/5-hadiths-about-smiling/
And get busy. Clean up our minds and cities. Then, time for business.
Amin