Invisible History Blog

We noticed a strange coincidence connected to extremism this week. Apparently Israeli Jewish ultra-Orthodox vigilantes, as described in the 9/15/08 article below, have acquired the same tactics against women as Afghan Muslim extremists in the 1970’s in Kabul. They throw acid at women not dressed according to their standard. We interviewed an Afghan woman for our book who is now living in the US. She told us of witnessing two Afghan Muslim extremists throwing acid in the face of a woman at Kabul University in the early 1970’s.

“The girl screamed out,  ”Oh! God I am burning, I am burning” We all rushed toward the woman, saw the young woman pointing to her knees and crying. The scene was horrifying. Her skin was peeling off the flesh. I thought her nylons were ripped and dangling down, in fact, it was her skin.”

Both men fled to Pakistan and found safe haven. ID’d by our witness as Gulbudin Hekmatyar and Ahmed Shah Masood, they became well-publicized “Freedom Fighters” and leaders of the Mujihadeen during the Soviet occupation. The CIA has claimed that the charges against Hekmatyar regarding this incident were Soviet propaganda. It’s also well known that Hekmatyar received most of the billions of dollars flowing through Pakistan from the US. Today Hekmatyar is one of the most powerful warlords attacking Afghans and Americans in an attempt to regain power.

Ultra-Orthodox vigilantes spread fear in Jerusalem

Sep 15 2008  02:34 AM   US/Eastern  Breitbart.com

Shaking as she recalled her brutal beating at the hands of Jewish ultra-Orthodox vigilantes, a 28-year-old Jerusalem woman who would only identify herself as M. said she feared for her life.

Some residents say the self-styled “modesty squads” are spreading terror among those seen as straying from the strict moral code demanded of the ultra-Orthodox in the more conservative neighbourhoods of the Holy City.

There life revolves largely around the study of holy texts and a strict dress code that has men sporting black coats and wide-brimmed hats and women covering their heads, arms and legs.

Two weeks ago police arrested two alleged members of a modesty patrol accused of brutally beating M.

The gang allegedly gagged her, hit her, kicked her and said she would be killed if she did not move out of the ultra-Orthodox Maalot Dafna neighbourhood.

“They beat me up, tied me up and threatened to kill me,” M. said, holding back her tears. “Who will prevent them from killing me?”  …full article