Malaysia (MNN) — Malaysia’s envoy to the Middle East met with Taliban representatives in Qatar. They discussed Malaysia providing humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, as well as strengthening ties between the two countries.
Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs USA says, “What does it mean to see these guys who were fighters for so long, now have to be governors and have to be diplomats? They have to manage relationships with other countries, both Islamic nations like Malaysia, and other nations as well.”
Will the talks help Afghanistan?
Nettleton says time will tell if the talks bring any actual help to Afghanistan’s struggling people. It’s possible the Taliban simply wants support from Malaysia’s government.
Still, Afghanistan does need aid. Ninety-percent of the population has fallen below the poverty level, with millions at risk of starvation. To make things worse, a COVID-19 wave has decimated the already fragile healthcare system.
Upheaval in Malaysia
The meeting comes amid political upheaval in Malaysia itself. Nettleton says, “The party that had held power has now kind of reasserted themselves after being voted out of power. So the people felt like they voted in a different direction, and it seems like the old party that was in power is now reasserting itself, including now meeting with the Taliban.”
“The results of the election were one thing. The Government of Malaysia now is not really mirroring what those results were.”
Though Malaysia does tolerate Christians and churches, the country forbids ethnic Malays from being anything other than Muslim.
But God isn’t limited by this law. Pray many in Malaysia would discover the endless love of Jesus.
The header photo shows Abdul Hadi Awang, the envoy who met with the Taliban. (Photo courtesy of Zahirul Nukman, CC BY-SA 2.5 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5>, via Wikimedia Commons
