Qatar's Protégés – Hamas Officials, Muslim Brotherhood, Al-Jazeera Reporters – Praise Taliban's 'Jihad' And 'Victory'; Journalists, Liberals In Response: They Should Move To Kabul

The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban's takeover of the capital Kabul and the rest of the country evoked expressions of joy and congratulation from Islamist organizations and officials, most of them affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) and supported by Qatar, such as the Hamas movement and the Doha-based International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS).[1] 

Hamas was among the first to congratulate the Taliban on its victory, which, Hamas officials said, was attained through jihad and proves the legitimacy of the Palestinian resistance as well. Hamas leader Isma'il Haniya spoke on the phone with the leader of the Taliban and congratulated him on "expelling the American occupation." Hamas also saw this is the right time to reveal its ongoing relationship with the Taliban, and published photos of a meeting between Haniya and Taliban officials that took place several months ago in Doha, the capital of Qatar, where both Haniya and Taliban leaders have been sheltering for years.  Some Hamas officials also called on the leaders of the Palestinian Authority (PA) to learn a lesson from what has happened to the Afghans who allied themselves with the U.S. and are now abandoned to their fate.

IUMS head Ahmad Al-Raissouni issued a statement expressing his "joy and satisfaction" over the developments in Afghanistan, and congratulated the Taliban for this achievement, attained, he said, thanks to the jihad and sacrifice of the Afghan people. A similar message was conveyed by Raissouni's deputy and Mufti of Oman Ahmed bin Hamad Al-Khalili, who expressed hope that the Taliban's victory would lead to further victories of the Islamic ummah and to the liberation of Al-Aqsa.  Other elements identified with political Islam and the MB, including former Kuwaiti MPs, likewise applauded the Taliban victory and its return to power in Afghanistan.

Joy over the Taliban victory and the "defeat" of the U.S. was also conspicuous in tweets by reporters and presenters for Qatar's Al-Jazeera network, who expressed glee over America's  "collapse" in the face of the Taliban. This, they said, was a historic event that "put an end to the foolish American escapade in Afghanistan." Some these journalists tweeted under the "Taliban Wins" hashtag, which went viral among users who welcomed the resurgence of this terror organization.

Conversely, some Arab journalists and media figures directed criticism at the MB and at reporters of the Qatari Al-Jazeera network for rejoicing at the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan. They wondered how it was possible to welcome the victory of an extremist terror organization that perpetrates massacres and oppresses its people, and advised the congratulators to move to Afghanistan themselves if they are so convinced of the Taliban's benign character.

This report reviews expressions of joy by Arab and Islamic elements at the victory of the Taliban, and the critical responses by Arab journalists and liberals who were outraged by these welcoming reactions.   

Hamas Congratulates Taliban On Its Victory, Reveals Ongoing Hamas-Taliban Relationship, Says: This Victory Was Attained Thanks To The 20-Year Jihad – And It Proves That The Palestinian Resistance Will Also Triumph

On August 16, 2021, after the Taliban took control of the Afghanistan capital Kabul and the country, Hamas issued an announcement congratulating the "Muslim Afghan people" on "the expulsion of the American occupation from all the Afghan lands" and also congratulating "the Taliban movement and its courageous leadership" for "the victory that is the jewel in the crown of the ongoing jihad it has waged for the past 20 years." Wishing "the Muslim Afghan people and its leadership" unity, stability, and prosperity in the country, it stressed that "the expulsion of the Americans' and their allies' occupation proves that the resistance of the [occupied] peoples – first and foremost our fighting Palestinian people – will end in victory and in the actualization of its goals..."[2] 

The same day, Hamas also announced that the head of its political bureau, Isma'il Haniya, had spoken on the phone with Taliban leader Mullah 'Abd Al-Ghani Baradar, and congratulated him for "expelling the American occupation from Afghanistan," which he said constitutes "the prelude to the expulsion of all forces of oppression  [worldwide], headed by the Israeli occupation of the land of Palestine..." He also praised the Taliban for its "political and media activity."

Baradar, for his part, thanked Haniya and expressed his wish for Allah to give "Palestine and its oppressed people... victory and control [of the land], as the fruit of jihad and of the courageous resistance that has sacrificed, and continues to sacrifice, in order to expel the occupation and liberate the Muslims' first direction of prayer  [i.e. Jerusalem] and the entire land of Palestine..."[3]

It seems that Hamas saw the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan as the right time reveal its ongoing relationship with the organization. On August 15, the day the Taliban took over, Gaza-based Hamas-affiliated journalists tweeted photos of the Hamas leadership meeting with the Taliban, apparently in the Qatari capital Doha, immediately after the May 2021 Gaza-Israel conflict.

Photos of the  August 15 Hamas-Taliban meeting tweeted by Gaza journalist Ibrahim Muslim (Source: iTwitter.com/Ebrahemmuslam)

Additionally, on August 16, the Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar cited a senior Hamas official in a report on a meeting between Haniya and Taliban representatives in Qatar a year ago, around the time that the U.S. began talks with the Taliban for a political settlement in the country. According to the official, the Taliban representatives told Haniya during this meeting about the U.S.'s intention to withdraw from Afghanistan, and revealed to him that they would move to retake the country but would not repeat their past mistakes. The report added that Haniya praised the Taliban for their jihad's success in forcing the U.S. to coordinate its withdrawal with them and that the Taliban representatives had responded, "What happened for us can happen for you – you [too] can force Israel to withdraw from Palestine." The representatives stressed that jihad for the sake of liberating Palestine is a commandment that is incumbent upon every Muslim and promised to help Hamas with it.[4]

Hamas Officials Praise Taliban For Not Being Fooled By Slogans Of Democracy And Elections, Warn PA: Your Fate Will Be The Same As The Fate Of The Afghans Who Were Abandoned By The U.S.

Other Hamas members also praised the Taliban's victory, and some even called on the Palestinian Authority (PA), which Hamas accuses of collaborating with Israel, to learn a lesson from what happened to the Afghans who collaborated with the U.S. and are now abandoned to their fate. For example, senior Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouq tweeted on August 15: "The Taliban are victorious today after being accused of backwardness & terrorism. It became more pragmatic. They have stood up to the US & its agents refusing compromise, they have not been fooled by slogans like democracy & elections. This is a lesson for all oppressed peoples."[5]

In a previous tweet, on July 10, 2021, following U.S. President Joe Biden's July 8 assurance  to Afghans who assisted the U.S.  that "there is a home for you in the United States... and we will stand with you just as you stood with us,"[6] Marzouk wrote: "Biden tells Afghan collaborators 'that you have a home in the U.S.' History tells the story of all spies of any occupation when they lost their homeland forever in disgrace. The one who cooperates & coordinates with Israel must learn the lesson." He added, in a reference to Lebanese Gen. Antoine Lahad, leader of the Israel-backed South Lebanon Army: "Don't you remember the Lahad army?"[7]

Similarly, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri tweeted, on August 16, about a video clip showing Afghans running after a U.S. plane at Kabul airport and clinging to it in an attempt to flee the country: "Those who collaborated with the American occupation in Afghanistan are trying to flee by hanging on to the aircraft's landing gear without waiting for it to stop. This is the recurring fate of traitors, every time and everywhere. The [Palestinian] traitors must learn well the Afghan lesson."[8]

Pro-Hamas Journalists: Taliban An Inspiration For Resistance Movements; What Happened In Afghanistan Will Happen In West Bank

Congratulations on the Taliban victory were also expressed by Hamas-affiliated Gaza journalists and reporters for Gaza newspapers. Gaza journalist Ibrahim Al-Madhoun, political commentator for the Hamas mouthpiece Al-Risalah, tweeted: "The U.S.... tried to create [in Afghanistan] a new environment that would allow the government to cooperate [with it] to coordinate with and serve it, but the corruption and weakness [of this cooperating regime] thwarted this idea. The U.S. escaped from the trap of attrition into which the Russians [i.e. Soviets] had fallen. The right path to expel the [Israeli] occupation from the [West] Bank is to focus on continuous operations of attrition against the soldiers and settlers. The Taliban is operating [today with] profound political awareness and it is very different from [how] the Taliban [was] before the American invasion. It is clear that it has qualitatively changed, and I think that the world will recognize [this change] and recognize it [i.e. the Taliban rule of Afghanistan], and that it will remain an important part of the regional equation. The Palestinian resistance movements are inspired by the [Taliban's] successful experience, and are interested in forming ties and developing relations with the [new] Afghanistan state [led by the Taliban]."[9]

Fayez Abu Shamala, columnist for the Hamas daily Filastin, tweeted even harsher messages, for example: "The invaders and occupiers are fleeing Afghanistan, and the Afghan leaders who maintained security cooperation with the Americans are quaking [with fear] in the face of their unknown fate, after their [American] masters abandoned them. What happened in Afghanistan will soon happen in the West Bank. The [Israeli] occupiers will flee, and [the Palestinian Hamid] Karzai [i.e. PA President Mahmoud Abbas][10] and those who collaborated [with Israel] will stand trial for their grave treason!" He then tweeted: "300,000 Afghan soldiers on whom the U.S. spent $160 billion for training and weapons have become insignificant dust in the face of the will of the Afghan people! So what do you advise the hundreds of security collaborators in Palestine [i.e. the PA apparatuses], on whom the U.S. spent $70 million in a single year, [to do]?" In yet another tweet, he wrote: "Has Mahmoud \Abbas in Ramallah seen what happened to Ashraf Ghani in Afghanistan? Have Majed [Faraj, PA General Intelligence Service head] and Hussein [Al-Sheikh, PA minister of civil affairs][11] watched... [what happened] at Kabul airport? Learn your lesson and mend your ways."[12]

Islamic Jihad: "The Afghan People Has Racked Up The Most Glorious Deeds Of Heroism And Jihad Against Any Invader In All Its History"

Like Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, on August 16, published an announcement congratulating "the dear Afghan people for liberating the Afghan lands from the American and Western occupation," stressing that "the Afghan people has racked up the most glorious deeds of heroism and jihad against any invader in all its history." It went on to express wishes for the Islamic ummah to again be strong "in order to liberate Palestine and Al-Aqsa mosque and all the Muslim lands."[13]

Islamic Elements In The Arab World Congratulate Taliban

IUMS Chair Ahmad Al-Raissouni: The U.S. Withdrawal Happened Thanks To Jihad

Sheikh Ahmad Al-Raissouni, head of the MB-affiliated IUMS, which was established by Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradawi and is supported by the Qatari regime, published an announcement, also on August 16, congratulating the Taliban for the victory attained through jihad and sacrifice. He wrote:

"The IUMS is happy and pleased with the recent changes... across Afghanistan, and particularly with what happened in the past two days in the Afghan capital Kabul. The IUMS is glad and optimistic, and congratulates the Afghan people and its leadership, and particularly the Taliban, on these moves and on the new stage that has begun or is beginning to take shape at this time in Afghanistan...

"We at the IUMS have already congratulated the Taliban for its success in arriving at an agreement to move American and foreign forces from Afghanistan. This was, in fact, the first and biggest victory; the expulsion of the invading American and European forces is an Afghan achievement arrived at by virtue of jihad, steadfastness, and sacrifice, and for this we thank the Taliban..."

Al-Raissouni went on to call on the Taliban to act in a conciliatory and tolerant manner, and to involve all sectors of the Afghan people: "We hoped, and still hope, that the problems and disputes within Afghan society and among the Afghan leadership will be resolved peaceably, with understanding and dialogue, and, Allah be praised, in the past weeks and days [things] have been going in this direction... We have seen that the Taliban has not executed anyone, and has not shed blood. It has entered cities in order to preserve security and property, and we have seen that [it is giving] general amnesty... We expect and advise the new leaders from the Taliban and others to continue [forward] in this spirit of reconciliation and forgiveness..."[14]

Mufti of Oman Congratulates Afghan People On Decisive Victory Over Invaders

 The Mufti of Oman, Ahmed bin Hamad Al-Khalili, who is Al-Raissouni's deputy, tweeted congratulations for "the victory against the invaders" and expressed a wish that this would lead to other victories for the Islamic ummah, including the liberation of Al-Aqsa mosque: "We congratulate the brotherly Muslim Afghan people on the clear and precious victory against the invaders and aggressors, and congratulate ourselves and the Islamic ummah [and wish] for the realization of Allah's faithful promise... We are optimistic and ask Allah the Almighty for this victory to unite the entire nation of Islam, so that the [Muslims'] victories will continue one after another, that they will liberate every inch of their occupied land, and that the oppressed will be redeemed from the oppression under which they bend. We wish for the fulfilment, with the grace of Allah Almighty, of the greatest heartfelt wish – the liberation of the blessed Al-Aqsa mosque, and of all the occupied land around it..."[15]

Former Kuwaiti MP From Islamist Bloc: The Taliban Is Not A Terror Organization But A National Liberation Movement

Congratulations on the Taliban takeover were also heard from MB-affiliated elements in Kuwait. For example, Walid Al-Tabtabai, a former Kuwaiti MP from the Islamist parliamentary bloc, tweeted: "The restraint shown by the Taliban fighters when they entered the cities amazes objective observers, because there are no assassinations, no plundering, no looting, and no attacks... This proves that the Taliban is a national religious movement that is unique in this era." He later tweeted several messages with the hashtag "Taliban Wins" welcoming the Taliban forces' approach to Kabul and even expressing satisfaction at the photos of Afghan residents who hurriedly removed "shameful" posters and billboards depicting women from the public space and shops.[16]

In still more tweets, he wrote: "The Taliban are not terrorists; they carried out no terror operations. This is a national liberation movement with an Islamic source of authority, and they never carried out any attack outside Afghanistan. They made a mistake when they hosted [Al-Qaeda leader] Osama bin Laden, who as a jihad fighter serving [Afghanistan] planned the attack on the U.S. from inside the country. This caused a problem for them with the U.S., when they knew nothing about the attack planned by Al-Qaeda against it..."[17]

In addition to Al-Tabtabai, other former Kuwaiti parliamentarians affiliated with the Islamic current tweeted praise for the Taliban victory, and one even penned a paean of praise.[18]

Al-Jazeera Reporters Celebrate 'Taliban Victory', 'U.S. Defeat' As Historic  Triumph For Islamic Ummah

Joy over the Taliban's victory and the U.S. "defeat" was also conspicuous in tweets by reporters and presenters for the Qatari Al-Jazeera network, who expressed glee over America's "dread" and "collapse" in the face of the Taliban. This, they said, was a historic event that "put an end to the foolish American escapade in Afghanistan" and proved that the will of the peoples could defeat even the mightiest force. Some these journalists tweeted under the "Taliban Wins" hashtag, which went viral among users who welcomed the resurgence of this terror organization.

It should be noted that, in the recent two years, Qatar, which supports the Taliban, has been mediating between the U.S. and this organization. In recent months Qatar also hosted talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government aimed at establishing a joint rule, but at the same time the Taliban took over the country.

Al-Jazeera Reporter: "A Victory For The Islamic Ummah"

On August 14, amid reports that the Taliban was taking over more and more of the country and would soon enter the capital, Kabul, Al-Jazeera reporter Ahmad Muwaffaq Zaidan, the former head of the network's offices in Pakistan, tweeted: "#Taliban wins. [This is] a victory for the [Islamic] ummah, because anyone who belongs to this ummah feels its pain and shares its hopes. The faces [of the Muslims] are shining and beaming with imminent victory. As for their enemies and rivals, their faces have been covered with dust for a while… The Islamic ummah is like a globe whose center is at any point on its surface. Today the center is Afghanistan."[19]  

Senior Presenter Ahmad Mansour: "An Unprecedented Historic Event"; "The U.S. Collapses And Withdraws, Defeated," In The Face Of The Taliban

Senior Al-Jazeera presenter Ahmad Mansour tweeted on the same day: "The rapid collapse… of the Kabul army, trained [by the U.S.] and equipped with the most advanced American weapons, completely shocked and amazed the Americans. It proved that power [does not depend on] weapons but first of all on the might of those wielding the weapons, so possessing state-of-the art weapons does not guarantee victory. This is what happened in Gaza, and is now happening in Afghanistan."[20]

In a series of tweets the following day,  Mansour added: "What is happening in Afghanistan is a historic event, unprecedented in the history of war. The U.S., with its immense military might and its advanced technology, collapses and withdraws, defeated, along with the Kabul army on which it spent billions. It stands dumbfounded, terrified and helpless in the face of the Taliban forces, which have descended on it like lightening from the mountaintops." Following the Afghan president's flight from the country, Mansour tweeted: "[President] Ashraf Ghani, the product of the American occupation, has fled Afghanistan. #Taliban Wins."[21] On August 16 he tweeted under the same hashtag: "Biden is giving his speech of defeat and acknowledging that Afghanistan is the graveyard of empires."[22]

Other Al-Jazeera reporters also welcomed the events in Afghanistan. Jaber Al-Harmi, the former editor of the Qatari daily Al-Sharq, tweeted: "Arab media figures who preach 'openness' attack the Taliban in an excessive manner… Regardless of its Islamic source of authority, the Taliban is a liberation movement which opposed the occupiers and their servants for 20 years and [eventually] beat them. Would this alarmist [attitude to] the Taliban and this distortion have existed if it had been a secular or a communist [movement]? Certainly not."[23]

Former Al-Jazeera Director: Arrogant Force has Been Defeated By The Will Of The Peoples; "This Is The Sorry End Of America's Foolish Escapade In Afghanistan"

Waddah Khanfar, the former director-general of Al-Jazeera, tweeted on August 15: "The Taliban has triumphed, and American is defeated! Twenty years of popular resistance, legendary steadfastness and an unwavering [moral] compass. This reminds us of America's defeat in its 20-year war in Vietnam (1955–1975). Arrogant force has been defeated by the will of the peoples."[24] In a tweet the following day, Khanfar shared news footage of a U.S. plane taking off from Kabul airport while hundreds of Afghan citizens try to board it and flee the country, and commented: "This [video] clip will go down in history. This is the sorry end of the foolish American escapade in Afghanistan, a fitting [end that] encapsulates the humiliation suffered by the occupiers and their helpers."[25]

Jordanian journalist Yasser Abu Hilala, the former director of Al-Jazeera in Jordan, shared a photo of a U.S. plane leaving Saigon in 1975 alongside a photo of a U.S. plane leaving Kabul, with the comment: " …The U.S. has learned nothing. Occupation is destined to disappear."[26]

In another tweet he wrote: "Let us note that [Afghan President Ashraf] Ghani governed and won [the elections] on behalf of the American occupation, with Emirati [funding]. Neither the world's most powerful army nor its richest country can grant a ruler legitimacy. [The only thing] they can provide is a seat on a plane fleeing [the country]."[27]

Arab Journalists Criticize Arabs' And Muslims' Expressions Of Joy Over Taliban Victory: "It Is A Disaster That They Applaud A Benighted, Backward Movement; Let Them Move To Afghanistan

Conversely, Arab journalists and media figures criticized the Arabs and Muslims – especially the MB and the Qatari Al-Jazeera channel – who welcomed the resurgence of the Taliban. They slammed these elements for applauding the victory of a benighted and extremist terror organization that carries out massacres and oppresses its people and challenged them to move to Afghanistan themselves if they think the Taliban's rule is so benign.

Among the critics were Egyptian liberal journalist Khaled Al-Montaser, who tweeted on August 15: "The Muslims' disaster is that they keep applauding the victory of the beards, cloaks and niqabs, even if this victory is accompanied by poverty and backwardness, and even if these people carry out massacres, trade in hostages and take their countries back to the stone age… [Despite all this, the Muslims] still regard the Taliban's victory as a glorious victory for Islam, and as a punishment… for the secularists!" In another tweet he wrote: "I have a simple solution for those who are cheering and rejoicing over the Taliban's victory: Tomorrow, order a [plane] ticket, pack your bags and go to Afghanistan. There you will find the Islamic rule you have been dreaming of your entire lives… Enough with [migrating to] Sweden, France, Germany and all those tired old countries." Montaser continued: "The Taliban has won, and is waiting for those Egyptians who [keep] calling for the return of the caliphate. I urge them to hurry up and emigrate [to Afghanistan], so as to experience the wellbeing offered by that Islamic state they dream about." [28] 

Bahraini analyst Amjad Taha directed his criticism at members of the Kuwaiti MB who applauded the Taliban's victory: "MB members in Kuwait are celebrating the Taliban's takeover of the government in Afghanistan and the oppression of the [Afghan] people! Do they mean to do the same thing in Kuwait? Or are they just mercenaries, hired by the Qatari regime to spread propaganda [for the Taliban], as they did in the past for ISIS in Syria and Libya?... We should immediately send to Kabul every reactionary MB member who sits in Kuwait, Turkey or Doha praising the Taliban, to live under their oppressive and degrading [rule]. ISIS, the Taliban, Al-Qaeda and the MB have distorted the image of Islam, just as the Qatari regime has tarnished the image of the Gulf in the world."[29]

Taha also alluded to the meeting that took place in Doha between Hamas leader Isma'il Haniya and a delegation of Taliban officials, which was revealed only after the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan. He tweeted: "The terrorists of Palestine met in Qatar with the  criminals of Afghanistan. Hamas is rich, while the people of Gaza are poor. The Taliban is [also] rich with the funds [it receives] from Doha and [earns] through drug trafficking, while the people of Kabul are poor. Yes, that is the policy of the regime of [Qatari Emir] Tamim [Aal Thani] and his father [the former emir]: letting gangs take over the government and impoverish the people, and hiring the MB in Kuwait, Yemen and Libya  to praise [these gangs]."[30]

Lebanese journalist Diana Moukalled also slammed the elements that welcomed the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, and especially at Al-Jazeera's positive coverage of the events. She tweeted on August 16: "The poison of political Islam began emerging in various places in the form of applause for the benighted ideology of the Taliban. [This was evident on] Al-Jazeera, which welcomed [the developments] and in messages of congratulation by Syrian armed factions, alongside reactionary remarks by enthusiastic [commentators], and the list goes on and on." In another tweet she wrote: "Al-Jazeera's coverage of Afghanistan, which is eager to highlight the reassuring messages, instead of the alarming reality, is a disgrace. This channel of the [Arab Spring] revolutions ignores all those who are currently living in fear in Afghanistan, and disregards the women and minorities who fear this benighted organization. They should at least treat the Taliban the way they treat [Egyptian President] Al-Sisi, and cover everything they do."[31]