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On Sunday, August 15th, the large public square outside the Vancouver Art Gallery, in Downtown Vancouver, was filled with Shi’a Muslims, participating in the annual Walk With Hussain. Every year, Shi’a Muslims participate in this event which falls at the beginning of the Islamic calendar, also known as the Hijri calendar. Walk With Hussain is a celebration of Ashura - when Imam Hussain was killed in 680 AD. The grandson of Prophet Muhammad, Imam Hussain, was “a personality who demonstrated true courage and resistance in the face of falsehood, and by doing so, stood up for the freedom of humanity.” according to Vancouver’s Walk With Hussain Facebook.
Ashura marks the beginning of the month of Muharram, the second holiest month in the Hijri calendar, where Muslims reflect and pray. Importantly, during Muharram, warfare is not permitted according to the Qur’an.
The same Sunday, which originally marked the beginning of a time of peace, Taliban troops took Afghanistan’s capital - Kabul. With the fleeing of the country’s president and the withdrawal of the US military, the Afghan troops put up little resistance as the Taliban regained control over the country.
Concerns now turn to the Afghans, Canadians, and Americans who are now in danger from the Taliban. Many Afghans are in danger because of their service as interpreters for the United States and Canada, while minorities such as Sh'ia Muslims risk being persecuted for their faith. President Biden vowed to help many Americans who want to leave and states that, while American citizens are the priority, Afghans affiliated with the US are “equally important almost”.
In a supermarket in Winnipeg, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded to a clear statement from Maryam Safar, a Canadian now safely returned home. She stated, “If my family gets executed or any other family get executed, know that you have their blood on your hands.” While Prime Minister Trudeau assures that Canada is working “day and night” to get Canadians, and those affiliated with Canada to safety, many are unsatisfied with its progress. According to CNN, Canadian veterans began calling for the withdrawal of Canadians in Afghanistan, after watching the speed with which the Taliban began seizing parts of the country. Trudeau now says that it is nearly impossible to pick up as many people as Canada had originally hoped, and blames the Taliban checkpoints on the way to the airport, which is being held by US forces.
US forces have evacuated approximately 5000 American citizens and Afghans, who are considered “allies” to the US. On the other hand, Canada has evacuated just 507. While the Taliban promises not to take revenge on Afghans who have aided Western countries, Maryam Safar claims that “in Afghanistan, the mentality is, when you're associated with the infidel, you're associated with it forever.”
In the United States Pentagon, press secretary John Kirby announced that “we know that al Qaeda is a presence”, while President Biden earlier declared that al Qaeda was “gone”. UN reports have found that the Taliban and al Qaeda are closely connected, though the Taliban has recently promised to cut ties with al Qaeda, as part of their deal with the US.
Lastly, NATO’s joint statement expresses concern over “reports of serious human rights violations and abuses across Afghanistan,” and does not want Afghanistan to become a safe zone for “terrorists”. The need to provide humanitarian aid has already been discussed, according to President Biden - though for now, the priority is evacuating those in danger. The future for those who cannot be evacuated, however, is uncertain, as the Taliban promises to let journalists and non-profits continue their work in the country and to continue allowing women to pursue an education, and retain some rights.