Remember the worldwide violence over a cartoon showing Muhammad with a bomb in his turban? Well, Afghan President Hamid Karzai met recently the country’s religious leaders to ask them to kindly ask militants to stop hiding bombs in turbans and other religious garments. It is a curious appeal since one would have thought the clerics could go a little further and say that hiding bombs in terrorist acts anywhere is immoral.

There appears to be a rash of attacks by militants hiding explosives in their turbans. In two recent attacks, the military grabbed their targets before detonating their turban bombs. It is considered offensive for anyone to touch the turban of a Muslim man — making it an ideal hiding spot. Insurgents have also used burqas to hide explosives for the same reasons.

Hamed Elmi, a spokesperson for the president, explained that “President Karzai believes the clerics have a lot of influence over Afghan society” and the use of the turban “dishonour Afghan society and the Afghan people in the eyes of the world.” Where to begin? It appears that the clerics have influence over the terrorists but are asked to simply specify better places to hide bombs as an Islamic matter. Then there is the curious point of dishonoring Afghan society with the use of a turban for a bomb. Is the opposite true that you honor Afghan society with the use of a vest? Sounds more like a terrorist fashion show than a morality lesson.

It is unclear how successful the clerics will be in the Islamically correct way to wear a bomb. Considering the fact that these people are killing innocent people by the dozens, throwing acids in the faces of school girls, and burning schools, their misunderstanding of moral codes appear far more profound than a lack of respect for religious garments.

Source; Montreal