Not-so-easy questions on semicolon

Hi. In the Grammarly Handbook by Grammarly (online) on "comma," I saw this sentence:

A little dot with a tail; how could such a thing be relevant to a language?

My question: Why a semicolon after the word "tail"? Is it correct? I think it should since it is a online source where we can get grammar help.

Also, Afghan President Hamid Karzai (Uniited Nations General Assembly September 12, 2002) said:

My vision of Afghanistan is of a modern State that builds on our Islamic values promoting justice, rule of law, human rights and freedom of commerce, and forming a bridge between cultures and civilizations; a model of tolerance and prosperity based on the rich heritage of the Islamic civilization.

My question: Why a semicolon after the word "civilizations"? I think I have seen semicolons used before a long phrase beginning with the phrase "for example" and even before a long subordinate clause that comes after the main clause. I think a semicolon could be thought of as a moderate pause and in certain right cases should be used to avoid confusion. Thank you for your help in advance.