Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah recently condemned “sections of Indian Muslims celebrating the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan”, and rather called it dangerous. "Even as the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan is a cause for concern for the whole world, celebrations of the barbarians by some sections of Indian Muslims is no less dangerous," Naseeruddin Shah said in a video shared on social media. He also went on to say that those who are celebrating the revival of Taliban, should question themselves, “if they want a reformed, modern Islam (jiddat pasandi modernity), or live with the old barbarism (vaishipan) of the past few centuries.”
The 71-year-old actor also differentiated between what he called “Hindustani Islam” and what is actually practised in other parts of the world. He said, “May God not bring a time when it changes so much that we cannot even recognise it. He also mentioned about his personal relationship with God, and that he doesn’t need political religion. “I am an Indian Muslim and as Mirza Ghalib said years ago, my relationship with God is informal. I don’t need political religion,” he said.
On August 15, The Taliban took control of Afghanistan after defeating government forces across the country and caught the US off guard in the middle of its withdrawal.
The group was overthrown two decades ago by US-led forces for harbouring Al Qaeda which masterminded the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.
