At least the Taliban and I can agree on something.
During their regime in Afghanistan, the Taliban banned the popular Central Asian sport, Buzkashi. This, uh, sport consists of horseback men riding around and trying to drag a dead calf into a ring in the sand.
If you find this objectionable for some odd reason, don’t worry – a goat can also be used.
So, the Taliban may make no bones about killing innocent people for no particular reason, but dragging around dead calves – that has got to stop. Well, since these musketeers of peace and morality are no longer running things in merry ol’ Afghanistan, the sport has made a comeback.
Now that I’ve wetted your appetite for playing polo with deceased barnyard animals, here’s the good news: the Afghans want to bring Buzkashi to the world stage, perhaps as an Olympic sport.
In anticipation of some objection from the part of the Western world, the Afghans’ Buzkashi Federation has already banned the use of knives and weapons during matches. Even with these adjustments, my guess is that the sport is still a few tweaks away from being something the West would warm up to.
Mika Salakka is a Finn living in the United States. He is a nursing assistant, a creative writer, a devoted husband, and an observer of the human condition. His interests range from music and literature to psychology, sociology, medicine, technology, and spirituality.