When in Rome, do as the Romans do

Reacting out of reflex more than thoughtful analysis, some irate commentators have been trying to create an international incident out of two separate cultural clashes in Afghanistan.

Instant opinions are cheap and plentiful, especially among shoot-from-the-lip Western liberals.

It was inevitable that such people would be outraged by the news that Afghanistan's Taleban administration authorities detained some European Union (EU) representatives and, separately, expelled three United Nations officials for failing to observe Islamic customs.

EU human rights commissioner Emma Bonino was detained for three hours during a visit to a women's hospital in Kabul because members of her party were photographing the event. Under Taleban rules it is forbidden to take photographs of women.

The second incident occurred after the Taleban refused to speak face-to-face with a woman delegate of the UN High Commission for Refugees and put her behind a curtain in a strict interpretation of Islamic rules against the mixing of sexes.

This prompted a walk-out by the rest of the UN party. They were expelled for "violating the UN charter and trying to insult Taleban officials".

It has been obvious for years that Afghanistan's pendulum is swinging in an Islamic direction, particularly in those areas under Taleban control. This has meant, among other things, a ban on the sale or consumption of alcohol and mandatory head scarves for women.

Is this an example of fundamentalist fanaticism? Not necessarily.

There are many ordinary Afghans whose motives for observing these rules are mostly nationalist, with religion serving mainly as an identity badge of nationality.

This does not mean there is no militant Islamic zeal in Afghanistan. But it does mean that people who visit other parts of the world should obey the laws of their host countries whether they agree with them or not.

-- The Hong Kong Standard