[lit-ideas] Democracy in Afghanistan
- From: Omar Kusturica <omarkusto@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 16 Apr 2006 20:18:03 -0700 (PDT)
http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=49&ItemID=10103
Defense of Abdul Rahman Misses the Mark!
by Mehmooda
April 16, 2006
When Abdul Rahman, an Afghan Christian convert was
arrested in Kabul, the U.S. and many other governments
in the West seemed to wake up! Suddenly over this one
man, there was an overwhelming --even global--
response to the fundamentalist Chief Justice Mullah
Fazal Hadi Shinwari and the other mullahs surrounding
him. Suddenly, all eyes in the Western World focused
on single freedom while we are fighting for so much
more. There are many others in our country that are
not as ?lucky? as Rahman to generate such global
interest.
Similar to what other media have done, the Christian
Science Monitor published an article about Rahman. It
was written by Tony Perkins on March 24, 2006. Since
it appears to us to reflect aspirations and view
points of the many in the West, I would like to take
this opportunity to comment on this article.
Tony Perkins writes: ?Is this (to force Rahman to
change his mind) what Americans have fought for in the
frigid mountains of Tora Bora??
American troops fought in Tora Bora and other areas to
remove the Taliban from power but unfortunately this
did not bring freedom and democracy for the people of
Afghanistan. This is because the American government
allowed the Taliban to be replaced with many Islamic
fundamentalists from the Northern Alliance (?NA?) who
are as bad or worse than the Taliban.
We continue to struggle under the weight of a
Constitution that while it incorporates the
Declaration on Human Rights only recognizes the rights
of people to change their religion as far as it does
not conflict with Sharia. As RAWA has always
emphasized, fundamentalists of all types have a gun in
one hand and Sharia in another while using both to
suppress the people.
There are many people working in Afghanistan who
believe in true change and democracy. RAWA is just one
of many who believe in true secular democracy with
many guaranteed freedoms --we are not so different
from you. Our statement of core values includes:
Everyone must respect all human beings regardless of
language, religion, race, color, etc.
There is no difference between people; no human being
is superior to any other because of class, color,
language, race, or religion.
All human beings do not have to think alike or live
the same way.
It is to the benefit of society that all human beings
live in peace, understanding, and harmony.
We are not alone in these beliefs. There are many
people in Afghanistan who are working under the threat
of assassination and death to make these beliefs into
a reality for our new democracy. We are writing in the
hope that people in the West will realize we are not
so different-we are fighting for the freedom,
democracy, and safety that are the very cornerstones
of your existence.
It is apparent to us writers in the West don?t realize
there are 25 million Afghans struggling for these
ideals for Mr. Perkins continues: ?But we will have
gained nothing if we allow another Islamic
fundamentalists regime to arise in Kabul.? We are
concerned that the failure of the World Press to
adequately report on the views of democratically
minded groups such as RAWA will allow the continued
misconception that most of our people have views
similar as those expressed by people in the Northern
Alliance. This group would tear the Constitution to
shreds whenever they felt the need. They feel no shame
in talking about democracy while threatening free
press and any voice speaking out against the
fundamentalists.
We are furious that the rampant murder, rape,
insecurity, stealing of billions of dollars, etc. are
now the norm in Afghanistan. We are working every day
with our partners in the West to make our country and
people safer. We have not been able to stop the
Northern Alliance members, representatives of the
Taliban, and Parchamists and Khalqis from filling the
seats in the parliament. We need the justice-loving
Western Press shed the same light and global pressure
on these groups. They are enemies of the Afghan
people!
The theft of aid money destined to help the poor in
Afghanistan is particularly upsetting in the light of
a recent report by UNICEF that ?An estimated 600
children under the age of five die every day in
Afghanistan, mostly due to preventable illnesses, some
50 women die every day due to obstetric
complications??. That billions of dollars were stolen
instead of used to help our suffering people is a
major crime in itself.
Before ?9/11? we were suffering under the Taliban and
since then we have had the immoral fetters of the
Northern Alliance clamped on us. Don?t let that be the
legacy of the Americans who ?have fought in the frigid
mountains of Tora Bora?!
We are pleased that there is such righteous outrage
over Rahman?s fate but this anger is has missed its
mark. This anger should be targeted and mobilized to
help with the horrible ongoing hardships of 25 million
Afghans. The luxury to defend a single individual is a
Western viewpoint - we are not at that point in our
country. We must defend democracy as a whole. Anything
less is insufficient and insignificant.
Unfortunately, the world media has not always taken an
interest in the anti-democratic and criminal nature of
the Northern Alliance and other fundamentalists. For
example, there was very little media attention when
thousands of Hindus and Sikhs compatriots were looted,
raped and expelled from Afghanistan. And when the
Northern Alliance bands of Qanooni, Rabbani, Sayyaf,
Massoud, Khalili, Dostum, Mohaqiq etc. slaughtered
thousands of Kabul residents during the period of 1992
to 1996. There are several other examples of when
little or nothing was said in the world media such as
infamous pro-Sayyaf and pro-Gulbaddin fundamentalist
like Shinwari were assigned to such a key post, when
13 year old Rahima raped by Northern Alliance men,
when the former interior minister Ali Ahmad Jalali
didn?t disclose the list of high level officials
engaged in drug-trafficking, when according to the
former finance minister 90% of billions of dollar of
aids have been embezzled and when Islmail Khan were
committing such a repellent crime against women in
Herat and so forth. We are asking for the same news
coverage and righteous anger for these crimes!
In the last paragraph of the article Mr. Perkins says:
?Who can claim it is a just war that results in
establishing a radical Islamic fundamentalist?s regime
in Afghanistan?? This is same painful question from
our people and millions of American now ask. Given the
current situation, we feel our nation has been pulled
out of the flames only to be thrown into the fire.
Mr. Perkins ends writing with the following words:
?For freedom to endure it must first gain a foothold,
and that foothold may well depend on the fate of Abdul
Rahman.?
We must beg to differ. That ?foothold? will depend
basically on the fate of our whole SECULAR DEMOCRACY.
We must fight for all freedoms not just one.
We are sure Abdullah Rahman will soon be released
unharmed. However this ?thaw? will never make a
summer. Such facades of the US and its Afghan puppets
will be repeated again and again while the sufferings
of our people will go on and on?
Is this democracy? Is this the way freedom will gain a
?foothold??
Hearing the cry of tens of thousands murdered
residents of Kabul, no freedom-loving women or men
should trust their killers.
Do you hear their cry?
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com
------------------------------------------------------------------
To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off,
digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html
Other related posts:
- » [lit-ideas] Democracy in Afghanistan
