Editorial
A 19-year-old Afghan asylum seeker in France has been sentenced to prison after he was found guilty raping six animals, resulting in the death of one, at an animal sanctuary and educational farm in France.
Known only as Massoud S, he declared himself a “normal person” before the court and refused to accept the charges, claiming he was innocent, although prosecutors presented video footage and the farm owners allegedly caught him in a compromising position with a goat.
The convicted man claimed that he is a “normal person.” His denial, despite allegedly being caught in a compromising position with a goat, reflects Afghan mindset based on rejecting reality and portraying as a victim. Afghans are directly involved in terrorism in Pakistan but consistently deny it. According to this argument, when Pakistan strikes terrorist camps inside Afghanistan, Afghan authorities claim that civilians were targeted, although terrorists operate among civilian populations and allegedly receive support from elements of the Afghan security apparatus to spread terrorism in Pakistan. Afghan Taliban routinely claim that women and children are the victims of Pakistani strikes, but reality is that terrorists often live with their families in Afghanistan and sometimes use women and children as human shields.
His (who has been convicted for rapping goats) denial may be shocking to Europeans, but not to those who understand Afghanistan’s social structure, where selling daughters is described as a tradition, grooming young boys for bacha bazi (sexual exploitation of boys by men) is portrayed as an accepted practice among powerful individuals, smuggling is regarded as a business, carrying illegal weapons is considered a matter of honour, and contract killing is treated as a profession. Russian and Central Asian anthropologists and sociologists have described aspects of Afghan society as being rooted in traditional values instead of modern state psychology and Afghans use these traditional values to justify their illegal activities. Central Asia folklores indicate that Afghans had been denied jobs as caretakers of livestock farms during Taimur period because of their habit of sexually exploiting animals as according to these tales because bestiality is a social norm of Afghan society and many people keep female donkeys (jennies) rather than male donkeys because they are used both as working animals and for sexual purposes. Various newspaper articles and memoirs by NATO personnel have mentioned incidents involving Afghan men and animals. NATO personnel deployed in Afghanistan have also reported being instructed by their superiors to ignore incidents in which Afghan soldiers and interpreters sexually abused young boys because such conduct was regarded as a local practice.
Modern legal systems are built on the principle that credible evidence not personal denial determines guilt. When overwhelming evidence exists, persistent denial undermines confidence in the rule of law and demonstrates a refusal to accept responsibility.
The case (of France) has also renewed attention to social practices in Afghanistan that have been widely documented by international organizations and researchers. Practices such as bacha bazi, child marriage, forced marriage, honour-based violence, and the dominance of customary justice over formal law have been condemned by the United Nations, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and numerous academic studies. These are genuine human rights concerns that deserve open discussion rather than denial.
The French case nevertheless illustrates an important policy issue. Countries that grant asylum have both humanitarian obligations and a responsibility to protect public safety. Criminal offences committed by asylum seekers should be investigated thoroughly and prosecuted without regard to nationality. Where the law provides for deportation following serious criminal convictions, governments should apply those laws fairly and consistently.
Public debate is healthiest when it distinguishes between proven facts and generalizations. A serious crime should be condemned for what it is, and harmful cultural practices should be challenged wherever credible evidence exists. Should normal human beings accept the lies that Afghans may tell to shield themselves from global and domestic laws?
