Human rights violations have outraged men’s conscience around the globe. The history witnessed bloody wars and violent practices which led to the death and injuries of thousands. A great number of human beings suffered on the grounds of their race, sex or beliefs. In other words, many historical wars originated from ideological beliefs, ethnocentrism or racial discriminations. The hitherto ideological wars result in human casualties and men have yet to take lessons from the history.
The transgression of men’s inalienable rights and contempt for their dignity is practiced on a large scale. One’s freedom is curtailed and his/her blood is shed either for following a certain school of thoughts or belonging to a particular ethnic group. Freedoms of thoughts, beliefs and expressions are beyond the tolerance of religious fundamentalists.
As a result, the self-styled Islamic State (IS) group imposes their warped beliefs on the barrel of gun and inflicts indescribable pain and anguish upon the ethnic minorities in Iraq and Syria. Their inhumane treatments root in radical interpretations of religious texts and stereotypical ideologies. The IS insurgents perpetrate the most horrible crimes under the aegis of false narration of Sacred Book and Sunnah and claim to establish Islamic Caliphate not only in Iraq and Syria but on the surface of Middle East.
The IS’s practices are totally void of humanity and moral standards. They infringe the humanitarian law and treat the noncombatants, including women and children, without an iota of mercy. Their fatwa, under Abu-Bakr al-Baghdadi, justifies moral corruptions such as rape – under the name of Jihad-e Nikah or Jihad against nonbelievers – and violent acts of bloodshed. Further more, the IS militants claim to be religious stakeholders and their de facto leader, al-Baghdadi, is a highly qualified Caliph to be pledged allegiance and obeyed with eyes closed.
The IS seeks to trigger sectarianism across the Islamic countries through subjugating and violating the rights and dignity of ethnic minority groups. There are reports that IS has gone about systematizing rape, sexual assault and slavery by embedding the buying, selling and gifting of slaves into a system of rewards for its fighters. Of the estimated 3,500 Yazidi women held by IS few months ago, survivors report being interrogated and in some cases stripped for sorting and categorizing. They have been rated according to desirability, labeled and transported across IS-held territory. They have been traded between fighters, and awarded by leadership as prizes.
Not surprisingly, it was previously reported that the US hostage Kayla Mueller was repeatedly raped by IS leader Abu-Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Currently, the IS group has gained foothold in Afghanistan and compete against the Taliban militants for superiority. Sporadic skirmishes have been reported between the Taliban and IS insurgents in different parts of the country. The IS’s acts of cruelty such as blowing people up via explosive devices were denounced by the Taliban militants. To put it succinctly, the IS has surpassed the Taliban in barbaric acts and inhumane practices.
The IS outfits also stoke sectarianism in Afghanistan and intend to spark racial tensions among the nation through decapitating ethnic minority groups. Their recent act of violence namely beheading two women, four men and a child from Hazara ethnicity last Sunday offended the public and prompted them to stage huge demonstrations in various parts of the country including the Kabul City. The demonstrators did not only call for action by government to ensure the safety of civilians but also demanded equal rights for all. Issuing a declaration, demonstrators called on government as well as the United Nations to ensure justice is served against those behind the Zabul incident and that they ensure the safety of every Afghan citizen. Shortly after reading out their demands, a group of representatives from the organizers of the protest entered the Presidential Palace where they reportedly met with government officials over their demands.
Meanwhile, Afghan parliament or Wolesi Jirga condemned murder of seven hostages by IS group in Zabul province and accused the National Unity Government (NUG) of incompetence in releasing hostages. “This is a dangerous message to the nation, government and political allies at the international level. We should consider just for a moment that how it feels that a nine years old girl beheads in front of her family,” Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi the WJ chairman is quoted as saying. Similarly, Afghan President Muhammad Ashraf Ghani also condemned the issue. However, the question is that will condemnation or condolence alleviate the anguish of victims’ families or tackle the crisis?
A member of the Wolesi Jirga Abdul Rahman Rahmani spoke angrily about the NUG’s insufficient achievements. He is cited as, “National Unity Government benefited nation’s trust with the hollow slogans and took control of the country. They should satisfactory reasons over their failure in releasing the abducted passengers.” The government has to pay serious heed to the citizens’ rights and do its best to secure the people. Moreover, the officials must leave no room for sectarianism and foil the militants’ plan of sparking racial tensions. Afghan soldiers should be reinforced to counter terrorism with high morale and root out the insurgents’ haven. Similarly, Afghan President will have to answer positively to the protestors’ legal demands and provide equal security to the entire Afghan nation. It is hoped that the heads of NUG will fulfill their promises made during their presidential elections and protect the rights and dignity of the nation.