Taliban 2.0 versus The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

[bluewater]

A distinction without a difference?

Perhaps.

I mean, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is an authoritarian theocratic state oppressing women.

How oppressed are women in Saudi Arabia? Well, the World Economic Forum ranked Saudi Arabia near the bottom in its 2015 Global Gender Gap Index, with the country falling at 134 out of 145 countries. And it was only in December 2015 that Saudi women finally got the right to vote and run for office—and even then only in municipal elections.

https://fortune.com/2016/03/17/this-is-how-oppressed-women-are-in-saudi-arabia/

It has the death penalty for being gay.

20 Most Dangerous Places For Gay Travelers
#4. Saudi Arabia

“Saudi Arabia is another of the countries on our list which implements the death penalty for consensual homosexuality under their interpretation of Sharia law,” says Fergusson. “Other punishments include 100 whips or banishment for one year ‘Men behaving as women’ or wearing women’s clothes, and vice versa, is also illegal in Saudi Arabia, making this a particularly unfriendly country for members of the trans community.”

https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurabegleybloom/2019/11/25/most-dangerous-places-safest-lgbtq-gay-travelers/?sh=38c286041169

It prohibits the free practice of religion.

Saudi Arabia

LEGAL FRAMEWORK
The Basic Law of Governance establishes the country as a sovereign Arab Islamic state in which Islam is the official religion. The Basic Law says sharia is the “foundation of the Kingdom” and states the country’s constitution is the Quran and the Sunna. The Basic Law contains no legal recognition or protection of freedom of religion. Conversion from Islam to another religion is grounds for the charge of apostasy, which is legally punishable by death, although courts have not carried out a death sentence for apostasy in recent years.

Blasphemy against Islam may also be legally punishable by death, but courts have not sentenced individuals to death for blasphemy in recent years. Punishments for blasphemy may include lengthy prison sentences and lashings. Criticism of Islam, including expression deemed offensive to Muslims, is forbidden on the grounds of preserving social stability.

The 2017 counterterrorism law criminalizes “anyone who challenges, either directly or indirectly, the religion or justice of the King or Crown Prince.” On January 25, authorities issued implementation regulations that criminalize “calling for atheist thought in any form or calling into question the fundamentals of the Islamic religion.” The right to access legal representation for those accused of violating the counterterrorism law is limited; according to the law, “the Public Prosecutor may, at the investigative stage, restrict this right whenever the interests of the investigation so require.” There is no right to access government-held evidence.

https://www.state.gov/reports/2019-report-on-international-religious-freedom/saudi-arabia/

I could go on an on posting other similarities, but you get the gist.

[Walleye]

1. I've often thought about that. The Taliban wants to avoid becoming an international pariah

[jmbar2]

2. The Taliban have a tradition of sexually abusing little boys

How does that fit into the anti-gay thing?

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-11217772

[bluewater]

4. No one should expect logical consistency from the Taliban

Afghanistan. A new Penal Code enacted in February 2018 explicitly criminalises same-sex sexual conduct.[citation needed] Sources cited by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGBTIA) indicate that there is a "broad consensus amongst scholars that execution was the appropriate punishment if homosexual acts could be proven”.[2] The sharia category of zina (illicit sexual intercourse), which according to some traditional Islamic legal schools may entail the hadd (sharia-prescribed) punishment of stoning, when strict evidential requirements are met. The Hanafi school, prevalent in Afghanistan, does not regard homosexual acts as a hadd crime, although Afghan judges may potentially apply the death penalty for a number of reasons. No known death sentences for homosexuality have been passed since the end of Taliban rule in 2001.[3][4]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_for_homosexuality

[sarisataka]

8. In approximately the same way

Having sex with a porn star while your 3rd wife is pregnant fits into that traditional family values thing.

[Mr.Bill]

11. Maybe it's not so much about being gay or sex

as it is about control. White men who would never think about dating a black woman rape them.

[Klaralven]

3. The Taliban studied at and are the product of Saudi-funded madrasas in Pakistan border areas

The similarities are not accidental.

[bluewater]

6. Well said.

[bluewater]

10. Now that you mention it... "taliban" means "students"

I recall this:

Taliban (n.) Sunni fundamentalist movement begun in Afghanistan, Pashto plural of Arabic tālib "student;"
so called because it originated among students in Pakistani religious schools. Group formed c. 1993.

https://www.etymonline.com/word/Taliban

[uponit7771]

5. K&R, no one who knows anything about that Af thinks they'll be better than the Saudis

[Eugene]

7. The Saudis were one of the Taliban's few open supporters

before the invasion. Expect them to return, if they ever left.

KSA is more sensitive to excesses that may make Islam look bad.

[WarGamer]

9. As someone who's spent time there... the Saudis are moving towards "Dubai Style" culture...

Might take 30 years but that's the movement.

[jmbar2]

12. Is that more liberal?

Or even hedonistic?