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Karakul hats the crown of cruelty |
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Hashmat Moslih - AlJazeeraTalk
Karakul or Qara-Qul is a breed of sheep only native to central Asia and in particular Afghanistan. It is believed to have been bred since 1400 BC. Karakul is renowned for its ability to survive in extreme living conditions. Dark fur color is dominant in Karakul sheep, especially as they age, it is not clear whether this feature of the sheep is behind it’s name Karakul (black lake in Uzbek language) or a village in or a lake in Tajikestan which also bare the name Karakul.
Apart from it endurance under extreme living conditions Karakul is famous for its prized pelt (skin with fur). Karakul’s fur is used for carpet weaving while its pelt is used to make the kind of hat that is worn by Mr. Hamid Karzay the US backed Afghan president. In the hat made of Karakul skin is simply referred to as Colahe Pust which can literary be translated as Skin hat. Karakul hat (Colahe Pust) comes in two types,
Qayche Na-khordah (not cut) and Qayche khordah (cut). Qayche khordah the cut version is made from the skin of a new born baby Karakul sheep, as soon as the baby is born it is killed and skinned, because the fur is long it is cut to make it short and light and is regarded as the cheep version. However the Qayche Na-khordah the not cut version is surrounded with controversy and was declared Haram (forbidden) by the religious scholars. For this reason Burhanudeen Rabbani the leader of the Islamic Society Party abandoned his hat and opted to wear the traditional turban. Karakul hat the version which is not cut is made from the skin of a unborn baby Karakul sheep. A pregnant Karakul sheep is killed before its baby’s fur becomes coarse and heavy, once the pregnant Karakul sheep is killed its baby is also killed and skinned, it is this skin that is used for the kind of hat that one sees Mr Hamid Karzay wear today. In both practices baby sheep are killed and one could call these hats ‘Cruel hats’ not Karakul hats. Like many other forbidden customs and practices that have come back to the ’s society under the government of Mr. Hamid Karzay, the Karakul hat or the Cruel hat is the crown and symbol of it.
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too bad thing