Expert: New Ancient Hebrew Manuscripts Could Have Major Impact on Taliban
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Afghanistan Jews hamid karzai Hebrew Manuscripts Afghanistan Hebrew Manuscripts Jerusalem Jere Van Dyk Jere Van Dyk Algemeiner Jere Van Dyk Taliban Pashtun Jewish Pashtuns Israel Taliban Jewish
Former Afghan Taliban. Photo: wiki commons.
The recent unveiling of 1,000-year-old manuscripts, found in caves in Afghanistan but written in Hebrew and penned by the Jewish community inhabiting the area a millennium ago, is unprecedented in its importance, says Jere Van Dyk, a journalist and author. He should know: He spent decades reporting in Afghanistan and Pakistan, is an expert on the region and the people that inhabit it, and even spent 45 days in captivity as a prisoner of the Taliban.
In speaking with The Algemeiner, Van Dyk expressed cautious optimism that the documents could provide greater insight into the relationship—and possible relations—between Jews and other ethnic groups in the region.
“If you talk to three quarters of the [Pashtuns] in Afghanistan and Pakistan they will say they are descended from –in some way, they can’t clarify it—the lost tribes of Israel, or are in some way Jewish. They don’t understand things, but this is there. As an extension of this are The Taliban, who are Pashtuns, and who are a deeply politicized people with no understanding -and Karzai, a Pashtun, will tell you this – with no understanding of their 5,000 year old Pashtun traditions or culture.”
Just this past Friday Van Dyk spoke to a Pashtun who told him that they “like Jews in ancient times, still sacrifice sheep and goats, for good fortune.” He mentioned that “we put blood over a door for good fortune, as Jews do during Passover.”
These papers, according to Van Dyk, are a giant leap toward confirming these suspicions.
Van Dyk says that if it could ever be proven that the papers date back to before the founding of the Muslim religion, or if it became evident that there was a Jewish community there at that time, then it could change the region.
“The Taliban, who are deracinated – cut off from their culture – are deeply politicized and have been for decades by Pakistan, which has its own agenda in Afghanistan. They are deeply religious – ‘We are Muslim; We want to rid our land of the infidels; We want a pure Islamic government,’ not unlike the one Mohamed is said to have created in Medina – now if it becomes clear, if there’s an increasing amount of information, and the Taliban begin to hear that, wait a minute, ‘We are descended from those who are at war with the Arabs, and our allies here Al-Qaeda’ – then it could possibly change how they look at everything.”
Van Dyk, though excited by the discovery, is practical when it comes to the possible impact of the documents. “Will it ultimately make a difference? I don’t know. But go back to the 1980s when they supplied money to the Palestinian cause. How could they in good conscience do that now if they realize that their helping people who are in effect at war with their cousins?”
5:07 am
the evidents-FROM a book of testymonys from Afghan jews, describing their meetings with some Tribes, -
1. From Michael bar Yosef, a Buchara elder-
”in the year 1948, after the state of Israel was established, …i was in Kabul,…many of our Bucharan community decided to go up to the holy land, …but the state, a religious Islamic, didn’t let so easily our wish…especially in the days of the war that it means adding more jewish people to their strugle.
in that time, i was in a muslim coffee house in Kabul, and in the news paper of the place- appeared a news item about the situation here on the land, on the yehudi-arab frontier.
we read about an arab defeat, and of the conquest of the citys of Lod and Ramla [2 ancient jewish citys from the arabs [*in All Israel's wars, the arabs always began the shooting and the war.in order to defense their citizen's-israel replied] .
in the coffee shop, also were sitting 3 Afghan high-degree officers;
one of the contacted a conversation with me, and turned to me, saying – ‘I always thought the jews are cowards and the arabs- are brave as we,..and now- I was surprised to hear the oposit, how your jews are wining’.
at first i hasitated ,thinking-is it worthy to reply to them, but suddenly i turned couragous and told them – ‘your thought about the arabs that they are heros is uncorrect, they have never been heros as you are, ..they are cowards, only the Muslim religion is common to you. But in the origin YOU ARE NOT ARABS, BECAUSE YOU ARE from Israel race, and the religion you recieved only in later period.’
hearing my reply,2 of the 3 officials got very mad at me, but the 3rd officer shut them to be relaxed and said -
‘Why are you so upset ? that Yahudi is speaking truth…
I MYSELF HAVE HEARD FROM MY DAD, THAT WE Afghans from descendants of the Israely Tribes we are.’
AND then, said to him the officer that sat near him –
”if we are true from Israel origin, so the jewish are our relatives and Brothers, and we ow to have helped them against the arabs;
later-these officers helped me arrange my papers to go up to Israel.
2. At the establishment of the state [of Israel], Shalom Simantov has heard that some of the Tribes men wanted to go UP to Yerushalem, in order to help their jewish brothers, and they can not be silent. but they were not allowed by the authoritys
5:04 am
there are evidences, and from my experience, i see there is a matter of propoganda, but the roots are unit and everlasting love among them to us. humility, recognition, faith… but last generation recieved multy islamic hatered and teachings, to show israel as very … and erase any connection. the islam word takes pride and great fear and terror on these tribes. so, among Taliban too, you can find more then one race, and the Musa ones, are afraid and keep Islam,too. i have 2 storys, evidences of past years to show, from decades ago, and the reality is need to show them the truth, help them convert, fight the violent ppl that threatens them, open door to work and love. this is life breath to us. many dear brothers there.
3:40 am
Actually, it proves that 99% of today’s Muslims [+ Christans] were forcibly converted with no choice given them. It also says clearly none of the converts were able to demand proof of the claims in the religion they were forced into. Both religions have belief – both contradict each other. The earth is exposing these disdained truths which was thus far hidden under cheirshed lies. Its pointing to chaos & disaster for humanity.
3:02 am
Islam’s roots in Afghanistan are not deep. Many of the remote tribes were converted to Islam only in the 19th century, though of course their descendants have erased this inconvenient fact from the collective memory.
1:31 am
Some of the Pashtun traditions about a relationship to ancient Israelites are detailed at http://www.dangoor.com/74069.html. It is not clear how much is accurate, but it is very specific:
“The former monarchy in Afghanistan has a widely-spread tradition according to which their origin was from the tribe of Benjamin and the family of King Saul. According to this tradition, Saul had a son called Jeremia and he in turn had a son called Afghana. Jeremia died at about the same time as Saul and the son Afghana was raised by King David and remained in the royal palace during the reign of Solomon too. About 400 years later, in the days of Nebuchadnezer, the Afghana family fled to the Gur region (Jat in our times). This is in central Afghanistan and here the family settled down and traded with the people of the area. In the year 622, with the appearance of Islam, Muhammed sent Khaled ibn Waleed to the ‘sons of Ishrail’ to spread the word of Islam among the Afghanistan tribes. He succeeded in his mission, returned to Muhammed with seven representatives of the residents of Afghanistan and with 76 supporters. The leader of these people was ‘Kish’ (the name of the father of Solomon). According to the tradition, the emissaries succeeded in their assignment and Muhammed praised them for this.”
9:59 am
This will prove to the Taliban that all Jews should be forcibly converted to Islam, just as their own ancestors were. It will not make the Taliban more humane.
12:30 am
Islam is anti-rational. At it’s core it’s mystical, ideological, dogmatic. The reality of the history of Jews will make not the least difference.
10:42 pm
Do you really think that this is going to make a difference to the Taliban’s stance on Israel!? I don’t think the Taliban is going to say, “Wait a minute. We are descended from those who are at war with the Arabs, and our allies here Al-Qaeda.” I think that is very naive.
1:12 am
Naive? Perhaps, but it is certainly an interesting proposition.
6:40 pm
The former president of Israel, Itzhak Ben Zvi (1884-1963) dedicated a whole chapter of his well-researched book “Nidhe Yisrael” (The Exiled and the Redeemed) to Afghanistan, The Tribes of Afghanistan and their Tradition . They are no more lost than the Khuzarim! He mentioned a Prof. Huzs, who published many articles in Hebrew and French, and who also discussed about this with an Afghan Sheikh in the University of Cairo. Since Jewish blood is not recessive, the genes are still there among the mixed multitudes, hence the “eternal blood bond”. But it’s an irony that there is more Jewish blood in Islam, than in Judaism or Christianity.
9:07 am
The hatred of Jews written into the Qu’ran comes from the Prophet Muhammad’s own hatred of the Jews because they did not want to follow him and his belief that Allah is the true G-d. In fact, without the hatred of Jews there wouldn’t be much of a Qu’ran.