| Synopsis |
An email petition is being circulated to convince the Taliban, the ruling regime of Afghanistan, to stop requiring Afghani Hindus to wear a yellow badge to distinguish them from Moslems.
See the petition here.
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Is it true?
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Yes, the Taliban does require the Hindu and Sikh minorities in Afghanistan to wear a yellow badge.
No, it is extremely unlikely that an email petition will cause the Taliban to rescind the rule.
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| Why? |
The Taliban announced the law requiring Hindu and Sikh adherents to wear a yellow badge when outside of their homes in May, 2001. The Taliban justified the rule saying that it was necessary to distinguish them from Moslems so they would not be subject to arrest by the religious police from the Taliban's 'Department for the Propagation of Virtue and the Suppression of Vice.'
For the rest of the world, however, the yellow badge was all too reminiscent of the yellow Star of David forced on Jews in Nazi Germany and occupied Europe and international protest followed.
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| When? | August 2001 |
| Comments |
The Taliban regime is a pariah in the international community, even more so after the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. It is diplomatically recognized by only three other countries. It receives little in the way of international aid of any sort. In short, there are few levers by which the international community can moderate the Taliban's policies. If elected officials from democratic countries are unmoved by email petitions, what impact could they have on the Taliban?
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| See also |
Web references:
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Urban Legend Zeitgeist: Taliban Petition