The group who facilitated Taliban spokesman Sayed Rahmatullah Hashemi’s funding and acceptance to Yale is The International Education Foundation, and here’s a PDF document from their web site that shows the fuzzy-headed fluffy bunny reasoning behind it: International Education Bridge: The Pitch for Hashemi. (Hat tip: gs.)

OUR PLAN
…is to create a learning bridge between the people who “blame us” and the people “we blame”. Learning about them as they learn about us – international education. The first phase is modest: to take one former Taliban government official from Afghanistan and get him into a top university in the United States and support his education – and understanding.

And, while at that university, this Afghan will teach about the perspective and logic that led up to the Taliban playing a part in the action against us. Behind every action is a unique perspective and rationale. When this person returns to the political world in Afghanistan – he will be changed – those who met and listened to him – they will be changed.

Rahmatullah Hashemi was the chief translator for Mullah Omar who was the head and founder of the infamous Taliban of Afghanistan. At the age of 21, he became a roving ambassador under the foreign minister – Wakil Ahmed Muttawakil - and traveled to the west as translator and ambassador. In the spring of 2001 he came to the U.S. for a series of talks to try and bridge the growing gulf between the moderate Taliban and the U.S. government.

Rahmatullah’s education is unique and extensive. His formal school education ended in the 4th grade. He speaks four languages, is married with two small children, and his hobby is “gravitational theory as it applies to astrophysics.” Only a top educational institution would consider even talking to such a unique potential student.

Meanwhile in Iran, radical clerics are actually encouraging students to study in the United States and Canada, because they know it will only harden their beliefs. (Hat tip: Penraker.)

Many of Mesbah’s former students hold places in the Revolutionary Guard’s ideological and political section. The cleric encourages students to study in Canada and the United States, which critics say does little to soften their views. Most eventually return to Qom.