The Timid Herd And The Hot Iron Brand

The edict, in reality, affects only the Afghan Hindus. For, the minuscule Sikh population is easily identifiable by turbans and flowing beards. As for the Christians—mostly Westerners working with the UN and other ngos—they too can be easily recognised by their complexion, features and sartorial ways. Afghanistan has a solitary Jew, a resilient gentleman who refuses to leave Kabul's only synagogue after having survived years of conflict, innumerable governments and Islamic extremism.

This isn't the first time that the Taliban have ordered the religious minorities to wear yellow stickers. Three years ago, a similar edict was issued and enforced in Kandahar, the spiritual capital of the Taliban Islamic Movement and the headquarters of its reclusive supreme leader Mulla Mohammad Omar. There had been no international protest then, perhaps because the Taliban were not considered as much of a threat as they are now.