[Reader-list] Re: Fwd: A view from Afghanistan

[Sopan Joshi]

> > > Greetings All,
> > > Subject: A view from Afghanistan
> > > Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2001
> > >
> > > Dear Friends,
> > >
> > > The following was sent to me by my friend Tamim
Ansary. Tamim is
> > > an Afghani-American writer. He is also one of
the most brilliant
> > > people I know in this life. When he writes, I
read. When he
> > > talks, I listen.
> >Here
> > > is his take on Afghanistan and the whole mess we
are in. - 
> > > Gary T.




> > > Dear Gary and whoever else is on this email
thread:
> > >
> > > I've been hearing a lot of talk about "bombing
Afghanistan back
> > > to the Stone Age." Ronn Owens, on KGO Talk Radio
today, allowed
> > > that this
> would
> > > mean killing innocent people, people who had
nothing to do with
> > > this atrocity, but "we're at war, we have to
accept collateral
> > > damage. What
> >else
> > > can we do?" Minutes later I heard some TV pundit
discussing
> > > whether we "have the belly to do what must be
done."
> > >
> > > And I thought about the issues being raised
especially hard
> > > because I
> am
> > > from Afghanistan, and, even though I've lived
here for 35 years,
> > > I've
> >never
> > > lost track of what's going on there. So I want
to tell anyone
> > > who will listen how it all looks from where I'm
standing. I
> > > speak as one who
> hates
> > > the Taliban and Osama Bin Laden. There is no
doubt in my mind
> > > that
> these
> > > people were responsible for the atrocity in New
York. I agree
> > > that something must be done about those
monsters.
> > >
> > > But the Taliban and Ben Laden are not
Afghanistan. They're not
> > > even
> the
> > > government of Afghanistan. The Taliban are a
cult of ignorant
> psychotics
> > > who took over Afghanistan in 1997. Bin Laden is
a political
> > > criminal
> with
> >a
> > > plan. When you think Taliban, think Nazi SS.
When you think Bin
> > > Laden, think Hitler. And when you think "the
people of
> > > Afghanistan" think
> "the
> > > Jews in the concentration camps." It's not only
that the Afghan
> > > people
> had
> > > nothing to do with this atrocity. They were the
first victims of
> > > the perpetrators. They would exult if someone
would come in
> > > there, take
> out
> >the
> > > Taliban and clear out the rat's nest of
international thugs
> > > holed up
> in
> > > their country.
> > >
> > > Some say, why don't the Afghans rise up and
overthrow the
> > > Taliban? The answer is, they're starved,
exhausted, hurt,
> > > incapacitated, suffering
> A
> > > few years ago, the United Nations estimated that
there are
> > > 500,000
> >disabled
> > > orphans in Afghanistan--a country with no
economy, no food.
> > > There are millions of widows. And the Taliban
has been burying
> > > these widows
> alive
> >in
> > > mass graves. The soil is littered with land
mines, the farms
> > > were all destroyed by the Soviets. These are a
few of the
> > > reasons why the
> Afghan
> > > people have not overthrown the Taliban.
> > >
> > > We come now to the question of bombing
Afghanistan back to the
> > > Stone
> Age.
> > > Trouble is, that's been done. The Soviets took
care of it
> > > already.
> Make
> > > the Afghans suffer? They're already suffering
Level their
> > > houses?
> Done.
> > > Turn their schools into piles of rubble? Done.
Eradicate their
> >hospitals?
> > > Done. Destroy their infrastructure? Cut them off
from medicine
> > > and
> >health
> > > care? Too late. Someone already did all that.
> > >
> > > New bombs would only stir the rubble of earlier
bombs. Would
> > > they at
> >least
> > > get the Taliban? Not likely. In today's
Afghanistan, only the
> > > Taliban
> eat,
> > > only they have the means to move around. They'd
slip away and
> > > hide.
> Maybe
> > > the bombs would get some of those disabled
orphans, they don't
> > > move
> too
> > > fast, they don't even have wheelchairs. But
flying over Kabul
> > > and
> dropping
> > > bombs wouldn't really be a strike against the
criminals who did
> > > this horrific thing. Actually it would only be
making common
> > > cause with the Taliban--by raping once again the
people they've
> > > been raping all this time So what else is there?
What can be
> > > done, then? Let me now speak
> with
> > > true fear and trembling. The only way to get Bin
Laden is to go
> > > in
> there
> > > with ground troops. When people speak of "having
the belly to do
> > > what
> >needs
> > > to be done" they're thinking in terms of having
the belly to
> > > kill as
> many
> > > as needed. Having the belly to overcome any
moral qualms about
> > > killing innocent people. Let's pull our heads
out of the sand.
> > > What's actually
> on
> > > the table is Americans dying. And not just
because some
> > > Americans
> would
> >die
> > > fighting their way through Afghanistan to Bin
Laden's hideout.
> > > It's
> much
> > > bigger than that, folks. Because to get any
troops to
> > > Afghanistan,
> we'd
> > > have to go through Pakistan. Would they let us?
Not likely. The
> conquest
> >of
> > > Pakistan would have to be first. Will other
Muslim nations just
> > > stand
> >by?
> > > You see where I'm going. We're flirting with a
world war between
> > > Islam
> >and
> > > the West And guess what: that's Bin Laden's
program. That's
> > > exactly
> >what
> > > he wants. That's why he did this. Read his
speeches and
> > > statements.
> It's
> > > all right there. He really believes Islam would
beat the West.
> > > It
> might
> > > seem ridiculous, but he figures if he can
polarize the world
> > > into
> Islam
> >and
> > > the West, he's got a billion soldiers. If the
West wreaks a
> > > holocaust
> in
> > > those lands, that's a billion people with
nothing left to lose;
> > > even
> >better
> > > from Bin Laden's point of view.
> > >
> > > He's probably wrong, in the end the West would
win, whatever
> > > that
> would
> > > mean, but the war would last for years and
millions would die,
> > > not
> just
> > > theirs but ours. Who has the belly for that? Bin
Laden does
> > > Anyone
> else?
> > >
> > > ~ Tamim Ansary


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