26 Jan 2011
Taliban targets descendants of Alexander the Great

It would behoove anyone interested in Indo-European culture or religion to pay careful attention here. The Kalasha have survived the depredations of centuries, only to be pushed to the brink of extinction by the modern Islamic fundamentalist movement in Afghanistan and Pakistan. This is the last surviving Indo-European pagan religion - the lore that could be gleaned here is incalculable.

There may be little we can do directly in cases like this, but simply being aware and making others aware may at least put these folks on the radar of the big NGO's and human rights groups working in the area. And they can make a direct impact.

The group, believed to be descendants of Alexander the Great's invading army, were shielded from conservative Islam by the steep slopes of their remote valleys. While Sikhs, Hindus, and Christians were slowly driven out of Pakistan's North West Frontier Province by Muslim militants, the Kalash were free to drink their own distilled spirits and smoke cannabis. But the militant maulanas of the Taliban have finally caught up with them and declared war on their culture and heritage...

(link) [The Telegraph]

22:38 /Asatru | 0 comments | permanent link