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November 14, 2001
Ignorance is a hell of a thing
By A. H. Hotep
The US secretary of state, Colin Powell, said a multinational force, almost exclusively Muslim, will be sent to provide security in Afghanistan. The force will be made up of soldiers from Turkey, Bangladesh and Indonesia.
Bush also signed the bill allowing for military trials for citizens.
How many people understand what all of this means? Full Article
Clash of extremes
By Denis Solomon
Islam is worldwide, and Islamic terror is transnational. But Islam in its early history was closely associated with states, and in many cases remains so, unlike Christianity, which in most countries has been separated from the State. The successors of the Prophet were caliphs, i.e. chiefs of state. The Sunni-Shia schism was a quarrel over the succession to Muhammad. Full Article
Response to Clash of extremes
By Davy De Verteuil
I find it difficult to ignore or not to respond on a point of correction to you article "Clash of extremes Pt 2" by posing a few questions or points of fact Full Article
Seeing the bigger picture
By Bukka Rennie
The responses to some of my recent columns have been fascinating, to say the least. My aim is always to dig below what is regarded and projected as official government policy. The day we begin to accept readily all that is told to us by officialdom is the day that we would have given up on the possibilities of "democracy" that can only come with eternal vigilance and a willingness to disbelieve.
People like myself look for "connections", apparent or not, that lurk below the surface and which usually bring forth other dimensions to the truth of what obtains. Full Article
News Release Issued by the International Secretariat of Amnesty International
The civilian population of Afghanistan has again been put at risk by the failure of the international community to protect them, Amnesty International said today as the Northern Alliance reached Kabul and reports were received of the execution of captured fighters.
"The rapid advance of the Northern Alliance into Kabul without any international arrangements to safeguard civilians is a clear indication that the military agenda has overtaken human rights concerns", Irene Khan, Secretary General of Amnesty International said.
"The Afghan population is at the mercy of armed political groups with an appalling human rights record. Full Article
Civilian Casualties Simply 'Aren't News'
By Matt Bivens
Here is the text of a memo circulated to editors of a small-town Florida newspaper:
"DO NOT USE photos on Page 1-A showing civilian casualties from the U.S. war on Afghanistan. Our sister paper in Fort Walton Beach has done so and received hundreds and hundreds of threatening e-mails and the like ...
"DO NOT USE wire stories which lead with civilian casualties from the U.S. war on Afghanistan. They should be mentioned further down in the story. If the story needs rewriting to play down the civilian casualties, DO IT. The only exception is if the U.S. hits an orphanage, school or similar facility and kills scores or hundreds of children." Full Article
No surprise at rumours of new atrocities by our 'foot-soldiers'
By Robert Fisk
The Northern Alliance's sudden victories in Afghan-istan may be good news for the West but the bad news is not far behind. The Uzbek, Tadjik and Hazara gunmen who make up this rag-tag army have a bloody reputation for torturing and executing prisoners which - if resumed in the coming days - will plunge America and Britain into a moral abyss.
Chilling stories of more than 100 pro-Taliban Pakistani fighters shot dead after their surrender in Mazar-i-Sharif - and of Alliance gunmen "roaming the streets" of the abandoned city - will not come as a surprise to those who are aware of the atrocities committed by America's new allies during the 1992-96 fighting in Kabul. For the Americans - and for the minuscule British component of the West's military forces inside Afghanistan - the behaviour of the Northern Alliance presents a grave problem. As our "foot-soldiers" are in Afghanistan, we cannot disclaim responsibility for human rights abuses by the Alliance's gunmen; yet neither the Americans nor the British appear to have tried to control the army they are now helping. Indeed, it seems they may not even be able to prevent the Alliance from entering Kabul. Full Article
