Modernity Under Attack

The people fighting against an Afghanistan that moves into the 21st century--heck, the 20th century, even--carry out the battle in many ways.

The group we're engaged in military conflict with, the Taliban and friends, have decided to bomb mobile phone towers, bringing down three in the past week. Destroying the towers serves no military purpose (the Americans and NATO rely on satellite technology) but will drastically affect the civilians who rely on cell phones for communication.

Taliban militants ordered mobile-phone operators last week to switch off their networks from 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. each day. The insurgents say U.S. and NATO forces track the Taliban through their phone signals and then launch attacks on their hiding places.

Many military operations against Taliban leaders have been conducted by the U.S.-led forces at night.

But many Afghans, including politicians, dismiss the Taliban's justification for attacking the mobile phone sector as "meaningless."

Legislator Shurkiya Barekzai says that by attacking the towers the Taliban wants to damage Afghanistan's economy. She says the Taliban claims that coalition and Afghan forces tracking their forces via mobile signals "does not make any sense."

[...] As almost the only means of communications in Afghanistan, cell phones have become increasingly popular all over the country. They were widely introduced in Afghanistan after the Western-backed government took power following the defeating of the Taliban in 2001.

The telecommunications industry is considered one of the fastest-growing and most profitable sectors of the Afghan economy. Four main telecom operators provide coverage to even the most remote corners of Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, a group we're not fighting with attempts to achieve through democracy what the Taliban had achieved through theocratic dictatorship.

The Islamic Council of Scholars, which I suspect is a cabal of old grumpy men who feel threatened by the sight of women making their own decisions, is aggressively lobbying the government to remove wildly popular Indian soap operas from television. They seem to be having success in their campaign.

"The people like these shows. They take their minds off their troubles," said Farhad Hazatulla, a 22-year-old university student. "They do no harm. These old men (on the Islamic Council) live in the past."

[...] New TV stations have proliferated in the last three years, offering a mix of hard-hitting news that is often critical of the government and light entertainment that draws the wrath of religious hard-liners. Indian soaps are said to be popular even in the conservative province of Helmand and in remote areas where residents are willing to exhaust precious fuel to crank up their generators to watch evening soaps.

[...] "We have so many problems in this country - kidnapping, terrorism, inflation - so why is the government making a big deal about something that is pleasing to the eyes and ears of most Afghans?" asked Mohseni. "Our soap operas and pop shows are a bit of enjoyable escapism for viewers and take their minds off some of the misery that people have to face in this country. And 'Afghan Star' is a talent show - it is so tame. It is worrying that we are once again witnessing radicalization of Afghanistan."

It's a bit depressing to have to be fighting these sort of battles, though a reminder of why our commitment to the country matters.