Request Stokes Debate Over Yale Student With a Taliban Past

Impoverished Afghanistan was racked by war for 10 years after the Soviet invasion in 1979. Sayed Rahmatulla Hashemi’s formal education ended with the fourth grade, and he learned English from aid workers. The brutal Taliban regime soon took control over the nation, and with minimal skills, Hashemi worked as a translator and then diplomat for the Office of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan. After the US invaded Afghanistan, Hashemi assisted media representatives and the US military before arriving to the US to take classes as a special student at Yale, sponsored by the International Education Foundation. Special students like Hashemi can apply for admission, but critics suggest that Hashemi’s high-level involvement with the Taliban precludes him from an education at one of the most selective schools in the US. Hashemi led a low-key and private life until February, when the New York Times profiled him as a student holding his own at Yale. The publicity unleashed criticism from conservatives and those who lost family members in the 9/11 attacks. Yale students and professors, unruffled and generally supportive of Hashemi, suggest he can contribute to classes and campus. Yale released a statement noting that “universities are places that must strive to increase understanding, especially of the most difficult issues that face the nation and the world.” – YaleGlobal