Doha 3; UN's Third Attempt to Fully Integrate Afghanistan into the Global Secular Order

News:

On June 2, Afghanistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared that Tomas Niklasson, Special Envoy of EU for Afghanistan met with the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, speaking on the importance of Afghan government representatives attending the Doha 3 meeting. The Afghan Minister has stated that Afghanistan would announce its position after reviewing the meeting’s agenda and arrangements.

Comment:

Nearly three years have passed since the recent developments in Afghanistan. The Taliban and the West seek engagement, but the West has powerful mechanisms to draw Afghanistan into its arm. Over 100 regional and international meetings on Afghanistan have been held, aiming for a unified global policy towards Afghanistan. On December 29, 2023, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution outlining a roadmap for Afghanistan’s "full integration into the international community," conditional on meeting specific demands proposed by UN coordinator Feridun Sinirlioglu.

Sinirlioglu's plan includes key conditions for integrating the Afghan government into the current global order: initiating national dialogue for an inclusive government, adhering to international conventions and laws, combating terrorism and drugs, valuing human rights, and actively involving women and girls in various sectors. The document also suggests appointing a special representative to engage with the Afghan government and promote intra-Afghan dialogue. While the Afghan government deems this unnecessary, it appreciates the overall document. However, the core issue is the aim of integrating Afghanistan into the global secular order, which is more dangerous than the Afghan government realizes.

The key conditions for integration include forming an inclusive government and countering terrorism. This Western roadmap dictates Afghanistan's domestic and foreign policies. The term "inclusive government" is unfamiliar in Islamic terminology, and the West indirectly pushes for a government that aligns with democratic and secular values. For example, the 2020 OECD policy defines an inclusive government as one that practices democratic governance and human rights.This term was introduced in the developed world in the 1980s. In the same way, the World Bank has termed inclusive government as an “Open and Inclusive government".

One of the main concerns of the West is to ensure that Afghanistan does not nurture Islamic and jihadist sentiments and does not become a haven for oppressed but Mujahid Muslims. The West, using a mix of carrot and stick policies, aims to prevent the Taliban from becoming a transnational power that threatens the global secular order. Western think tanks are pushing for the Taliban to halt jihad and engage with the world. A recent RUSI article by Sultan Barakat and Antonio Giustozzi discusses opportunities for Western engagement with the Taliban, noting that many Taliban officials no longer take the views of hardliners like Abdul Hakim Haqqani seriously, viewing jihad as having ended with the fall of Kabul in August 2021.

Although Afghanistan did not participate in the previous Doha meeting, it seems unwilling for them to miss such opportunities again. As the Afghan Foreign Minister stated, Afghanistan’s policy is based on balanced and positive engagement with all countries and seeks meaningful participation in Doha 3 for the benefit of people and country. However, the Afghan government should recognize that integrating into the global secular order is a failed path, leading to disgrace in this world and punishment in the hereafter.

The Afghan government must realize that integrating into the secular world order means entering the ground of the enemy, who has scripted the rules of the game himself. Integration in the secular world order and acceptance of international covenants is deemed as abandonment of covenants of Allah (swt).

Why don’t they realize that true Islamic governance and proclaiming Islam over other religions will only be achieved through the establishment of a Caliphate (Khilafah) not by integrating into the secular global order. The opportunity to restore the Caliphate still remains; act on it to receive support (Nussrah) from Allah (swt). Can there be a better supporter than Allah (swt)?

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Yousuf Arsalan
Member of Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir in Wilayah Afghanistan