Instead, he decided to establish the first and probably only Afghan restaurant to this day, not only in the Czech capitals, but throughout the country. The basement Restaurant Kabul near the National Theater on the walls is proudly decorated with photos of the company’s boss with famous guests, including Václav Havel and Karel Gott. In the “deaf” time between lunch and dinner, Hasib sat down at one of the tables and spoke in solid Czech about the current rapid development in his home country.

According to the Prague restaurateur, a coup d’état directed by the Islamist Taliban movement does not automatically mean tragedy. “We can’t overtake, we have to wait a while with the overall evaluation. The situation is changing every moment. If the Taliban keep its promises to respect the rights of women, children and other groups, Afghanistan has hope.

Otherwise, I think there will be a civil war, which no one wants, “Hasib emphasized at the beginning. He sees the opening days of Taliban rule as “more promising” than the first power triumph of Sunni radicals in the 1990s.

Tactical calm before the storm?

However, an established businessman in the Czech Republic adds that the current certain restraint of the movement may just as well be a manifestation of “a sincere will to do something good for Afghanistan” as a “tactical calm before the storm”. Hasib, on the other hand, is unquestionably problematic to decide the Taliban’s decision to release thousands of prisoners at once.

He notes that, despite the open future, all of his friends in Afghanistan, with whom he is in contact, are afraid. Nevertheless, the guide is obvious – the complete uncertainty of the current situation. “I don’t know if I should laugh or cry at the sight of the new ruler of the country,” one of Hasib’s friends said into the phone.

All of these people live in the city, they all consider themselves Muslims, but at the same time none of them wants to live in the regime of religious fundamentalists, who are now in serious danger. Hasib himself is said to not understand what the Taliban think of as a caliphate (a theocratic state).

“If they introduced a fundamental system that would be contrary to our lives, then of course no one would accept it. After all, even Saudi Arabia observes the reality of today’s world when it allowed women to drive a car. In Iran, women go shopping on their own. I see no reason why Afghanistan should be more papal than the pope, “thought the restaurateur, who, even after almost thirty years of existence, stands alone behind the bar.

They made me a nine-year-old relative

Asad Rez appeared among the few guests at the Kabul Restaurant in the “dining time”. Less than 20 years old left Afghanistan and moved via Pakistan to Europe in 2015. His family found the threat of death from the then “insurgent” movement, which Assad does not believe a word of.

“The Taliban are always trying to suppress women’s rights. In the spirit of the traditions according to which a woman should stay at home. After all, I think that a similar ideology was alive a few decades ago in some Western countries, “said a young Afghan man who lives in England in excellent English on a holiday going to the continent as a volunteer to deepen children’s language skills.

“There is no evidence to support the belief that the movement could be serious about respecting the rights of women and ethnic minorities. Especially the Hazars, to whom I belong, and who have been subjected to harsh persecution, including ethnic murders, for a long time, “Asad explained his view, which is clear thanks to one horrible experience.

“In 2016, in the province of Ghazni, the Taliban abducted and beheaded nine-year-old Tabas, who was a relative of mine. They killed not only her, but several other Hazars, “he recalled the event, which sparked a wave of protests against violence.

The lifestyle went in a positive direction

After the young boarder leaves, the conversation with Hasib turns to the possible causes of the fundamentalists’ success again. According to him, the twenty-year foreign intervention “put Afghanistan back on its feet” after the previous war destruction. The inhabitants of the Central Asian country are said to be aware of the value of the West (including the Czech Republic) and to appreciate the positive changes.

“Despite the great corruption and the continuing danger in the form of bombings and the like, the lifestyle has been constantly positive. Even though salaries didn’t rise much, infrastructure was being built, offices and banks somehow worked … “Hasib commented over the past twenty years.

We consider the withdrawal of the Western Allies, led by the Americans, without a reconciliation agreement between the Afghan elected government and the Taliban to be a big mistake. “President Biden simply turned off the lights and left. He probably helped the Americans, not the Afghans, “warned the man, who created the fatigue of the Afghan army’s fatigue from constant warfare and the probable agreements between the current president and the Taliban.

“There are rumors that the president has instructed the military not to fight. It makes sense, but I’m no analyst. In any case, we are afraid of another brain drain from the ground. I’m afraid that no one will be educated there. The Taliban cannot do without educated people, including officials, and he is well aware of that, “Hasib said.

We explain to migrants what life is like in Europe

Until the current arrival of Afghan “interpreters” with families, the reader of the Afghan community in the Czech Republic has about three hundred people, including “temporary” residents of embassies and almost a hundred employees of Radio Free Europe (RFE / RL). Hasib Saleh sees no reason why much of the newcomers should automatically continue “further west.” After all, as a collaborator of the interparliamentary commission, he himself will try to help newcomers with the beginning of integration.

“When migrants come to us, we explain to them what life is like in Europe. That there is a system here that wishes working people. If you are hardworking, you have a place everywhere, including the Czech Republic. As we all know, there is a lot of work here and a construction worker usually earns 200 crowns per hour, which is comparable to the West. There are no unnecessarily bureaucratic obstacles here. Unlike in Germany, for example, it is not possible to work here during the asylum procedure, “added the” Prague “Afghan, who invites you to his unique restaurant specializing in national cuisine. For example, bags filled with leeks and vegetables, sprinkled with minced meat and cottage cheese or rice with carrots, raisins and lamb.