NOTE: On March 31, the Ṭālibān also released a statement regarding Terry Jones burning the Qur’ān, which you can read here.
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Two week ago, an ignorant American pastor, Terry Jones, set fire to pages and a copy of the Holy Quran in Florida. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan condemned this despicable act in clear words after the incident. It was most appropriate for the American government and the world, as a whole, that they should have assumed a united stance against this abhorrent action and indicated that it was a clear violation of the belief of 1.5 billion inhabitants (Muslims) of the world and should have called for a harsh punishment for the perpetrators. But the American rulers and a number of other governments of the world neither showed any strong reaction nor condemned this wicked act openly. Rather they defended the blasphemy under the so-called freedom of speech and belief.
The Afghan believing and Mujahid people, as a committed and pious nation, consider it their legitimate right to defend their belief and sacncrosant and lay down their lives in the way of its cause. Similarly, the Afghans have seen the invading forces, committing desecration of the Holy Quran in prisons and during house searching time and again. However, the recent incident of the burring of the Holy Quran has caused great pain to the Afghans. Therefore, as a last option of solution, they resorted to launching demonstrations and protests, causing small and vast demonstrations to be taken out in all parts of the country from the north to the south of the country. The demonstrations are still going on.
The Afghan people in the last few days showed that they would never remain indifferent as regards their sacrosanct but are ready to offer every sacrifice in their defense. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan considers the Islamic enthusiasm, ideological conscience and resurgence shown by the Afghan people, as a matter of pride and satisfaction and commends the efforts made and the sacrifices offered in the cause of the Holy Quran. The Islamic Emirate, meanwhile, condemns the conduct of the police force of the Kabul Puppet Administration with the common people during the recent demonstrations.
Two days ago in Balkh province and yesterday in Kandahar city, police opened fire at the defenseless demonstrator’s pointblank, at the bidding of their foreign masters. As a result, many of our countrymen were either martyred or injured. The common people and journalists, who were present at the spot, witnessed this abhorrent act of police with their own eyes. The police claimed that there were armed opposition members among the demonstrators. However, there is not an iota of truth in the claim. Contrarily, this brutal act on the part of the domestic hirelings further unveiled their real feature and people came to know that the so-called Afghan national army and police will obviously choose the side of the crusaders whenever a clash occurs between the Muslims and the crusaders.
We are of the opinion that the Americans intentionally wanted to cause pain and agony to the hearts of the believing people by opting to burn the Holy Quran. Now they are bent on martyring the brave Afghans who have risen in support of the Holy Quran and thus want to give full vent to their feeling of failure and humiliation at the battle field by avenging themselves on the Afghans. However, they should know, their despicable and inhumane action will yield them nothing. But rather it will cause awakening in the Islamic Ummah, particularly, among the Afghan miserable people, so they would plainly identify the enemies of their sacrosanct and values and their surrogates and confront them with strong determination, prudence and planning.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
