August 18, 2021
Page 2
Kabul Falls without a Fight
Taliban promise
women’s rights
under Islamic rule
(AP) — The Taliban vowed
Tuesday to respect women’s
rights, forgive those who fought
them and ensure Afghanistan does
not become a haven for terrorists
as part of a publicity blitz follow-
ing the fall of Kubul in a message
aimed at reassuring world powers
and a fearful population.
Following a lightning offensive
across Afghanistan that saw Kubul
and many cities fall to the insur-
gents without a fight, the Taliban
have sought to portray themselves
as more moderate than when they
imposed a strict form of Islamic
rule in the late 1990s. But many
Afghans remain skeptical — and
thousands have raced to the air-
port, desperate to flee the country.
Older generations remember
the Taliban’s previous rule, when
they largely confined women to
their homes, banned television and
music, and held public executions.
A U.S.-led invasion drove them
from power months after the 9/11
attacks, which al-Qaida had or-
chestrated from Afghanistan while
being sheltered by the Taliban.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the Tal-
The
Zabihullah Mujahid
iban’s
longtime
spokesman,
emerged from the shadows Tues-
day in his first-ever public appear-
ance to address those concerns at a
news conference.
He promised the Taliban would
honor women’s rights within the
norms of Islamic law, without
elaborating. The Taliban have en-
couraged women to return to work
and have allowed girls to return to
school, handing out Islamic head-
scarves at the door. A female news
anchor interviewed a Taliban offi-
cial Monday in a TV studio.
The treatment of women varies
widely across the Muslim world
and sometimes even within the
same country, with rural areas tend-
ing to be far more conservative.
Some Muslim countries, including
C ontinued on P age 11
Week in Review
COVID Surge Hits Hospitals
Oregon reported a new daily
COVID-19 hospitalization record
Monday as the state’s health sys-
tem battles another surge fueled
by the highly transmissible delta
variant. On Monday, 752 people
in Oregon were hospitalized due
to the coronavirus, health officials
said. In addition, 14 more people
have died from COVID-19.
Housing Moratorium Extended
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown an-
nounced Monday she is extending
the statewide residential mortgage
foreclosure moratorium for those
experiencing financial hardship
during the ongoing pandemic un-
til Dec. 31. “ I am committed to
ensuring that Oregonians have a
warm, dry, safe place to live during
this pandemic,” Brown said.
amas County home in late July,
believed to be the largest weapons
seizure in the agency’s history.
Arrests in connection with the sei-
zure are expected, authorities said.
Pride, BLM Flags Banned
The school board in the Portland
suburb of Newberg voted last
week to ban pride flags, flags read-
ing Black Lives Matter and any
broadly “political” signs, clothing,
and other items. The action drew
the ire of lawmakers of color in
Salem who said it goes against re-
cent state efforts to support black
and LGBTQ+ students.
Nabisco Bakers Strike
Nabisco bakery workers in north-
east Portland walked off their
jobs and called a strike last week,
demanding a fair contract. The
employees said the company is
destroying union jobs by out-
Recall Effort Goes Slow
An effort to remove Portland May- sourcing work, eliminating pen-
or Ted Wheeler from office in a sions, increasing healthcare costs,
recall election is failing to gather cutting pay for overtime.
the number of signatures necessary
Firefighter Arrested
to place the measure on the ballot
An off-duty Portland firefighter is
this fall, organizers reported last
accused of kidnapping a man off
week. Absent a substantial infu-
the street by gunpoint because he
sion of cash or a surge in volunteer
believed the man was burglarizing
support, the TotalRecall PDX cam-
a marijuana dispensary he owned.
paign said it may not reach its goal.
Douglas L. Bourland, 46, and two
Hundreds of Firearms Seized other men are accused of holding
Multnomah County deputies the abductee in a storage container
seized 337 firearms from a Clack- at a marijuana farm in Estacada.