The team at Newtown's Rolling Penny are putting their money where their mouths are in an effort to do their bit to help the citizens of Afghanistan by way of cheeseburgers. All weekend the gang will be selling $10 cheeseburgers with 100 per cent of proceeds going to a charity to be determined. If chomping down on a beef pattie, pickles, caramelised onions and American cheese means charity work, then sign us up.
Every bit helps right now to send aid to the people of Afghanistan, who are facing incredible chaos as thousands attempt to flee the country's capital Kabul after it fell to Taliban troops less than two weeks after the US and allies announced plans to officially pull troops out of the troubled nation. After a two decade war that in 2001 overthrew the Taliban, a notoriously hard line Islamic political party that formed in the early 1990's who are largely regarded by political leaders as a terrorist organization, the group seized parts of Afghanistan including Kabul in a shockingly fast 11 day sweep. The party have announced that they will be ruling the nation according to Sharia law, with a Taliban spokesman saying issues such as the media and women's rights would be respected "within the framework of Islamic law", but the group has not yet provided any details of what that will mean in practice. Historically however, the Taliban have been known for their strict interpretation of Sharia, including punishments such as public executions of convicted murderers and adulterers and archaic policing of women's bodies.
Right now, there are more than 130 Australian civillians trying to escape the capital, which contrasts with the millions of people across the Middle East who have been displaced over the course of the US-Afghan conflict. This is an incredibly complex political issue but if there's one simple act Sydneysiders can do it's to support folks who are doing what they can to help. The Rolling Penny cheeseburgers will be available every day this weekend, with updates posted on the cafe's Instagram page here.
