Celebrating sad days is a betrayal and a continuation of the suffering of the people of Afghanistan.
Author: Ahmad Saidi, an analyst on Afghanistan and regional issues (Germany), especially for Sangar
I did not want to write anything about the events of the 7th and 8th of Saur and the coming of the Taliban because the last four decades have now become part of history.
But this morning I saw a post by one supporter of 8 Saur, who writes that this day, when the Mujahideen came and took power, should be celebrated with all honors.
I couldn't help but pick up a pen to write something.
At first, I remembered that the late Mir Ghulam Mohammad Ghubar, a renowned historian of the country, once said: “After every bath in blood and fire, the people of Afghanistan put on the same dirty shirt again.”
In my opinion, every event that has happened in Afghanistan in the last four decades, be it the 7th and 8th of Saur or the first and second rise of the Taliban to power, has never been a source of pride. Everyone achieved nothing but destruction and wandering!
I believe that the 7th and 8th of Saur and the arrival of the Taliban is the beginning and continuation of the history of suffering and pain of the Afghan people.
The 7th of Saur 1357 (April 28, 1978) and the 8th of Saur 1371 (April 28, 1992), as well as the arrival of the Taliban, are all mutually catastrophic events in the history of Afghanistan. There is no difference between them in terms of consequences, casualties, and destruction, although these three events still have their defenders. But these events are considered the beginning of the disaster.
The events of the past four decades have brought countless sufferings and many disasters to our people.
I agree with the supporters of the 8th of Saur that victory over the Soviets is national pride. But I will never agree with the results of Islamic jihad, because our nation has not achieved a single result worthy of Islam. And in the name of jihad and Islam, our people were sacrificed to the interests of countries far and near.
Everyone knows that the 7th of Saur, coinciding with the coup d'etat of the Khalki regime against the Republic of Davud Khan, is considered to be the beginning of the brutal killings. The 8th of Saur is the anniversary of the victory of the Mujahideen group (even though some consider it a continuation of the 7th of Saur) and is solemnly celebrated as the day of victory of the Mujahideen, which commanders and leaders celebrate. But from the point of view of the victims and the people of Afghanistan, there is no difference between these events. Our people do not consider these days worthy of celebration. I say: no one has the right to celebrate the 7th and 8th of Saur or the arrival of the Taliban.
- The 7th of Saur destroyed our people under the boots of tyranny, trampled the dignity and honor of influential elders, clergy, and politicians, and massacres in prisons were the pride of the government of that time.
After the 8th of Saur, this scenario continued. It was followed by the burning of the city of Kabul, the destruction of houses, and the closure of schools. Once again, migration, flight, orphans, widows, and hundreds of thousands of deaths were another result inflicted on the people by the envoys of the 8th of Saur.
This wound had not yet healed, the Taliban appeared on the doorstep, another salt on the unhealing wounds of these people, and the same tragedy continued: killings, hangings, burials of the living, forced migration. The Taliban imposed almost three years of “pure Muslim rule” over these people in the worst possible way and distorted the image of Islam.
- I don’t know with what consciousness and with what feeling they celebrate the 8th of Saur and the arrival of the Taliban.
The celebration of the 8th and 7th Saur and the arrival of the Taliban is an insult to the thousands of martyrs, disabled, and missing people in Kabul and the provinces of the country. This is an insult to hundreds of thousands of widows and orphans who suffer from poverty, malnutrition, and various diseases and run through the streets of Kabul behind the leaders' fancy cars to beg for a penny.
Celebrating the 8th and 7th Saur and the coming of the Taliban is an insult to millions of Afghan refugees who choose to live in Iran and Pakistan and all over the world with all the humiliation and insults in these countries, but they do not dare to return to their country.
It is a glorification of violence and cruelty, a veneration of murder and atrocities, burning and destruction. This is an insult to Muslim Sharia.
Instead of celebrating the 8th and 7th of Saur and celebrating the coming of the Taliban, let's put on black shirts and mourn because the entire history of the last four decades is the history and incident of another Karbala in the land called Afghanistan. Let's honor the dead and go to march for orphans.
The 7th and 8th of Saur and the rise to power of the Taliban are the days of admission of guilt and an apology to the nation.
Yes, the highest and most valuable courage is for those responsible for the events of the last four decades of this historical day to admit their sins and apologize to the oppressed people of Afghanistan.
All of them served foreigners at the cost of the people's blood and honor of Afghanistan.
If we pay attention to the factors and motives of all events, revolutions, and crises, we will find that they have their roots outside the country, and troubles and problems are sown and watered from abroad. And it was these foreign hands that constantly destabilized our country, they created tension and used us Afghanistanis as a tool for their political, economic, military, and intellectual gain.
During our wanderings, we can see the glory and arrogance of our neighbors.
If we want our eyes not to see the destruction of the country, the killing of innocent people, security problems and difficulties, economic, political, and cultural problems, the repetition of past events, and the mysterious mistakes and atrocities of the last four decades, then our eyes, first of all, should not see a foreigner in the country, our thoughts and ideas should not be subject to foreign dictates and indoctrination, our consciousness and feelings should be freed from the shackles of xenophobia. And a sense of desire for independence and dedication must be awakened in the politicians of this country. The spirit of self-sacrifice and renunciation of personal, party, ethnic, and official interests must be revived for the realization of collective and national interests in every individual of this nation.
We must recognize the truth: celebrating tragic days is a betrayal of the country and nation and the continuation of endless suffering.
