RASC News Agency: The “Daily Mail” reports that the Taliban are utilizing Western tourists and female celebrities as tools in their propaganda and public relations efforts. The newspaper claims that the Taliban are exploiting foreign tourists to whitewash and normalize their brutal image and draconian laws. In its latest report on Afghanistan, the “Daily Mail” notes a surge in visits by foreign tourists and well-known figures (predominantly women) to the country. According to the report, “these prominent women on social media, despite recent arrests and even deaths of tourists, are flocking to Afghanistan in groups.”
The report highlights the case of Guineada Madou, an African-American tourist who traveled to Afghanistan and took souvenir photos with Taliban fighters while Afghanistani women remain imprisoned within the four walls of their homes. The report adds that while female tourists are allowed to visit public parks and markets, the Taliban have recently issued a decree that even forbids the voices of Afghanistani women, declaring them “awrah” (something that must be concealed).
Statistics provided in the report reveal that over 7,000 foreign tourists visited Afghanistan last year, representing a threefold increase in this industry compared to 2021. This uptick in tourism comes despite recent attacks on foreign tourists in Bamiyan, where several were killed or injured. The Taliban’s warm reception of these Western women stands in stark contrast to the reality faced by Afghanistani women, who remain confined to their homes under the group’s oppressive rule.
