Many have pointed to the Taliban’s involvement in drug production as proof that the Islamic character of the regime was only window dressing. However, such analyses overlooked the sharp division between Muslims and non-Muslims that is an essential part of the radical Muslim world view. I illustrate this in Islam Unveiled, quoting Abdul Rashid, at that time the head of the Taliban’s anti-drugs control force: “Opium is permissible because it is consumed by kafirs [unbelievers] in the West and not by Muslims or Afghans.”
Now comes evidence that Al-Qaeda is involved in the same dirty business: “A US warship has seized two tonnes of hashish from a small dhow in the northern Arabian Sea this week in what was believed to be an al-Qaeda smuggling operation.” This from ITV, with thanks to Jean-Luc.
“The Navy said about Monday’s incident near the Strait of Hormuz in which the guided-missile destroyer Decatur stopped the 40-foot boat: ‘An initial investigation uncovered clear ties between the smuggling operation and al-Qaeda. . . . The smuggling routes are known to be used by al-Qaeda and four of the 12 crew members are believed to have links to the organization.'”