Football Faux Pas

We have an Afghan graduate student in our department. He is studying here so he may return and work at university in Afghanistan. I had lunch with him the other day, and he told me a fascinating story. He complained that head officers of NATO and the U.S. never really listened to or employed cultural translators (not just language translators), so there have been an ongoing series of incidents that have really riled the public and have played right into the Taliban's hand. A recent "bright idea" was to air drop hundreds of footballs (or soccer balls in the U.S.) for children to play with. The only problem was that each ball had the flags of several countries on it, and one of those flags was Saudi Arabia, which contains a verse from the Qu'ran. Sort of like putting a crucifix on a football. Many citizens were outraged, and the Taliban released statements that essentially said "See how they disrespect your religion? They hate you."

Good lord, if you can't even get the recreational equipment right, what about the serious negotiations with various groups, your interaction with the citizens of Afghanistan? Not good. Not good at all. Especially considering all the sacrifices of and by the soldiers of NATO and the U.S., and their efforts to rebuild a country that was completely destroyed by the Soviet/Afghan war.