Afghanistan's future perfect By Syed Saleem Shahzad
KABUL - As Afghanistan waits for the results of its parliamentary elections to
be announced early next month, people can only speculate on the composition of
the new chamber.
The low turnout (about 50%) in last weekend's polls has led many to suggest
that the Afghan masses don't believe that anything will change for the good in
the country, while others debate the merits of the return of a strong Islamic
movement in the corridors of power.
There is even talk that people with a similar ideology to that of the radical
Taliban, whom the US drove from power in 2001, could come back to haunt
Washington.
This led Asia Times Online to Ahmed Shah Ahmed Zai, a former acting premier
before the Taliban came to power in 1996 and who was a candidate in the recent
elections. He has wide influence in Kabul and southern Afghanistan.
Ahmed Shah is an engineer who graduated from Kabul University
and did his masters at Colorado University in the US. He was among the pioneers
of the Islamic movement in Afghanistan that emerged from Kabul's campuses in
the mid-1960s when Professor Burhanuddin Rabbani, Ahmed Shah Masoud, Gulbuddin
Hekmatyar and Professor Abdul Rab Rasool Sayyaf were together under one
umbrella.
All of these people went on to play important roles in the country, firstly as
mujahideen in the Afghan jihad against the Soviet Union in the 1980s, and then
as political leaders in the chaotic period between the withdrawal of the
Soviets and the ascendency of the Taliban.
Ahmed Shah, who had allied with Masoud's Northern Alliance against the Taliban,
went into exile in Turkey when they took power in Kabul. After the collapse of
the Taliban he returned to his country, and last year formed his own party.
Asia Times Online: Do you believe the Taliban were a part of an
Islamic movement?
Ahmed Shah: Nobody can deny that they were Muslim, therefore
nobody could oust them from the Islamic circle. The only difference was in
their approach, which was merely a misinterpretation of Islam.
ATol: When the US invaded Afghanistan, Islamic movements from all
over the world supported the Taliban.
AS: True. But it happened because nobody knew what they were
actually all about. Everybody in the outside world thought that they applied
Islamic laws. However, they make a mockery of Islamic teachings. For example,
growing a beard is Islamic. But nobody can penalize somebody if he refuses to
grow a beard. I know that in many instances they killed people only because
they refused to grow a beard. Penalizing women was another thing. They
victimized them in the name of Islam. In the name of adultery, they killed a
lot of women.
ATol: But is this not Islam?
AS: No, it is not. You must understand that a number of witnesses
are required to penalize somebody. There is also a question of how fair the
witnesses are. Without that applying, such penalties are victimization. At the
same time, they cut off hands for stealing. But they ignored the examples of
Omar Farooq [the second righteous Muslim caliph] that he waived that law during
times of starvation, saying that if a ruler could not provide food to his
subjects, he did not have the right to cut off hands on stealing.
The process of Islamization is a long process which needs a lot of motivation
so that people adopt the ideology rather than they are forced to embrace it.
Moreover, they [Taliban] imposed things which were fictitious. There is no
precedence that wearing a turban is an Islamic tradition. They made it an
Islamic identity.
ATol: Was the ouster of the Taliban from government a jolt to the
cause of Islam in Afghanistan?
AS: Of course it was. The first thing is that we are under
occupation.
ATol: Do you think that the presence of peace troops is an
occupation?
AS: Yes it is. Though generally the ISAF [International Security
Assistance Force] people are good, excluding US forces, they are coercive and
forcing Afghans against their will.
ATol: Do you think that the reemergence of an Islamic movement
and a movement for the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan is
possible in the near future?
AS: The process is already started, with the mujahideen set to
win 90% of the parliamentary elections. This is a major milestone in the
reemergence of an Islamic movement in Afghanistan. Now the next target is to
bring all Islamic factions together to bring about an Islamic revolution in
society. There is no other system which would be workable in Afghanistan. Those
who tried to implement communism or a secular system met with fierce
resistance, as our 25-year national struggle is a witness.
ATol: What is your opinion of the "war on terror"?
AS: It is a crusade against Muslims and Islam and all those who
are against Muslims banded together in this war.
ATol: What about Osama bin Laden?
AS: As far as I know him he was a good Muslim and a mujahid.
However, I never had interaction once he settled in Sudan.
ATol: What program do you have for a stable Afghanistan?
AS: To bring all Afghans together, including Gulbuddin and
[Taliban leader] Mullah Omar.
ATol: Have you taken any initiative for this?
AS: I do not have any authority for that. However, currently we
are under negotiations with various mujahideen groups to form a single line of
action in the future parliament so that we can get rid of the foreign
occupation.
ATol: Do you think that Mullah Omar or Hekmatyar [also involved
in the Taliban-led resistance] will agree to join the present Afghan
government?
AS: I cannot speak for Mullah Omar, but as far as Hekmatyar is
concerned, he is a power-hungry man, and once [President Hamid] Karzai asks him
to come over to Kabul, he will give up whatever he is doing right now.
ATol: Is there any chance of an armed struggle against the
foreign presence in Afghanistan emerging from the ranks of the former
mujahideen?
AS: To get rid of the foreign presence, first we Afghans should
come together. Even if foreign forces leave Afghanistan, it would be a mess all
over again. Once we are united, foreign forces will leave Afghanistan
automatically because there will be a majority opinion, and that is why they
want us to remain divided. You know, it was nobody else but we mujahideen who
were responsible for the emergence of Taliban. We fought so badly with each
other for power that despite being a prime minister, I said to then-president
Rabbani that it was better for the Taliban to grab power. As far as armed
struggle is concerned, I don't agree with that. However, gradually the
situation will be ripe for a public reaction against the foreign presence, and
the low turnout in the election was a clear message that the public is not
satisfied with the helm [government] in Afghanistan.
ATol: Are the Taliban still strong in south and southeastern
Afghanistan, and if so, why?
AS: The south and southeast are historically religious areas, and
that is why the Taliban are strong there.
ATol: You mean people there approve of the Taliban's version of
Islam?
AS: Yes, overwhelmingly. Had there been anyone else with such
support, they would never have lost power. But a lack of political wisdom and
acumen has left them where they are standing now.
Syed Saleem Shahzad, Bureau Chief, Pakistan Asia Times Online. He can be
reached at saleem_shahzad2002@yahoo.com
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