Libertarian Librarian

You may or may not have heard, but Yale recently admitted an Afhani to its undergraduate ranks-- wonderful! See what our work in Afghanistan has lead to? Except, well, one problem. He's a former Taliban minister and advisor to Mullah Mohammed Omar, the former head of the Taliban.

Unlike the above linked article, some aren't quite so sanguine about a former member of the Taliban studying at one of America's premier schools of higher education. This guy, for instance. Who finds it odd that Yale does not want to actually discuss whether it's appropriate to have a former high-ranking member of the Taliban taking courses at Yale. This article, which is the basis for the Penraker article, is an interesting read as well.

Now, it is entirely possible that Mr. Rahmatullah has legitimately put his past behind him. It is also entirely possible that he is exploiting the system for his own benefit, feels no remorse for his past actions, and is, effectively, an enemy of the United States. Given the nearly impossible task of determining which is, in fact, the case why didn't we bring over some other deserving afghani with no ties to the Taliban whatsoever?

And why is Yale so touchy about discussing the issue?

Labels: Oh That Ivory Tower