In Musk vs Zuck scuffle, Taliban oddly cheer for 'free speech' platform Twitter

Weighing in on the social media scuffle that has been brewing between tycoons Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, Taliban's Anas Haqqani lauded the latter for running a platform that offers strong credibility to users and promotes free speech, something that the Taliban routinely squashes in Afghanistan.

"Twitter has two important advantages over other social media platforms. The first privilege is the freedom of speech," he said in a tweet on Monday. "The second privilege is the public nature & credibility of Twitter. Twitter doesn't have an intolerant policy like Meta. Other platforms cannot replace it," he added.

However, the Taliban leader's tweet met with strong criticism as users called him out for hypocrisy, referring to the oppression and the ill-treatment that the Taliban has inflicted upon the women of Afghanistan since its takeover in 2021. "The Taliban liking twitter because of “free speech” is the most ironic and funniest shit I’ve seen," remarked one user.

Outrage ensues over Taliban leader's tweet

"Glowing endorsement of Twitter by none other than the leader of the Taliban," another user added. "When the Talibs endorse Twitter you know it’s time to leave the sinking ship," a third user quipped, possibly referring to jumping the ship and moving to Meta's new platform, Threads. 

The tweet by Haqqani comes at a time when Afghan women face the wrath of the Taliban regime, with stringent restrictions placed on everyday life. Recently, the group imposed a ban on women's beauty salons across the country. The move has been strongly opposed by workers in the beauty industry, such as hairstylists and makeup artists. 

Nonetheless, Haqqani preferring Twitter over Meta-owned platforms is assumed to have stemmed from the latter's policy on not allowing accounts of terrorist individuals, and organisations. "In an effort to prevent and disrupt real-world harm, we do not allow organizations or individuals that proclaim a violent mission or are engaged in violence to have a presence on Facebook. We assess these entities based on their behavior both online and offline, most significantly, their ties to violence," Meta told Newsweek in a statement.