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Published in issues #520 on 8 April 2002 and #521 on 15
April 2002*
A new year for Omaid Weekly,
a new beginning for Afghanistan
(Issue #520)
By Omaid Weekly staff
Reporting the news on Afghanistan when there was not any
available in the United States, especially in our language, was a
primary mission of Omaid Weekly when it began publication in April
1992. The advent of the newspaper came during a time of hope (the
meaning of omaid in Dari-Persian) and great expectations for the
people of Afghanistan. Afghanistan's mujahideen -- the freedom
fighters who in their noble conduct against the Soviet Union and its
client government in Kabul gave the world a picture of a genuine,
successful jihad (struggle) -- liberated our country and took power
in a bloodless march on the capital. The people of Afghanistan were
given the opportunity of freedom, security, stability, and
prosperity, while the country regained its independence,
sovereignty, and territorial integrity.
However, this did not last long. Foreign interference by
Afghanistan's neighbors, most significantly by Pakistan, robbed our
people and our nation from the golden opportunity gained from over
10 years of sacrifice for faith and country. Many reasons were given
for the misfortune: from Pakistan's "strategic depth"
goals to U.S. oil interests in Central Asia; from the growing power
of Saudi-funded Wahhabism to conspiracy theories of attempts to
discredit the valiant and exemplary jihad and its outcome of peace
and prosperity in a bona fide Islamic system of government that
would have set an example for the rest of the poor and miserable
Muslim world. (And that would not have been a first for Afghanistan,
which in the first millennium A.D., became the first Muslim land,
then known as Khorassan, to gain independence from the Arabs and to
restore Islam, which had been usurped by the Arabs as their private
domain, to its true, universal form.)
Throughout these ten years, Omaid Weekly was on the forefront of
reporting the news on the ever-worsening situation in Afghanistan.
Beyond the news, Omaid Weekly provided the first, most accessible
and most accessed forum for the views and opinions of Afghan
intelligentsia. The newspaper's editorials and its articles,
commentaries, and analyses shed light into the conflict, exposed its
root causes, and foretold of the devastation to come if it were not
solved. As it did so, Omaid Weekly grew from a four-page bulletin
read by Afghans in the San Francisco Bay Area to a sixteen-plus page
newspaper, with readers from Los Angeles to Toronto, from London to
Tokyo, and from Kuala Lumpur to Sydney. Its subscription base
expanded from Afghan individuals to even U.S. government agencies
and international organizations. Funded by its sales, subscriptions,
and advertisements, Omaid Weekly was able to maintain its
independence, and by virtue of that, was perhaps the only Afghan or
even non-Afghan media to provide an untainted and unmatched arena
for information and analysis of the conflict. Moreover, the
newspaper went on to include an English section and a popular Web
site, thus multiplying its readership and influence.
However, Omaid Weekly's success has not come without hard work
and dedication. Led by its Editor in Chief, whose work week includes
several 20 hour workdays, the newspaper's legion of talented and
alacritous content contributors, its loyal and supportive readers,
and its valuable advertisers can be credited for Omaid Weekly's
achievements.
However, as they would all agree, their efforts pale in
comparison to that of the people of Afghanistan. Led by
Afghanistan's national resistance leader, Ahmad Shah Masood
(rahmatullah alaih—God's blessings upon him), the people of
Afghanistan, once again, vanquished a foreign aggressor, Pakistan
and its Arab terrorist allies, and yet again, set an example for the
entire world for the potential of the enduring and divine spirit of
humanity. And their success, also, came at a high price: the
sacrifice of thousands more of Afghan lives, and Afghanistan's
supreme sacrifice, the martyrdom of Ahmad Shah Masood, a paragon of
humankind, and, by Islamic definition, a modern-day al-Insaan al-Kamil.
May the Almighty continue the success of the way of Masood; blessed
was he to have achieved the freedom and independence of Afghanistan
twice in two decades.
Now, ten years later, Omaid Weekly has begun a new year of
publication. Afghanistan, too, has begun a new chapter. The people
of Afghanistan have hope. And so do we. Yet, we must continue our
vigilance. Foreign and even domestic aggressors continue to threaten
Afghanistan. Foreign interests may again undermine the interests of
Afghanistan and its people. However, now entering its eleventh year
of publication, Omaid Weekly will continue its mission to further
the cause of a free and sovereign Afghanistan. And with the grace of
the Almighty, which is the ultimate source of success for both Omaid
Weekly and the people of Afghanistan, we hope to continue serving
Afghanistan and its people in an ever-greater capacity. ><
Top
A contemporary Muslim saint
from Afghanistan
(Issue #521)
Courtesy of the new Web site of the Embassy of Afghanistan in
the United States, http://www.afghanistanembassy.org/
Masood's true miracle
The western media is widely reporting the transformation of the
burial site of assassinated Afghan hero Ahmad Shah Masood from
that of a venerated grave to a spiritual shrine which emanates
miraculous healing powers to devoted pilgrims.
A reporter for the Washington Times [eds: 2 April 2002 issue, http://www.washtimes.com/world/20020402-39297010.htm]
even compared Masood's grave to the "Afghan equivalent of
Lourdes," a French site where Catholic pilgrims claimed to
experience miraculous cures for many decades.
Within Islam, only the graves of saints and the relatives of
the prophet Mohammad [peace and blessings of God upon him] have
been the site of miraculous cures, so Masood's cultural
transformation from beloved nationalist and pious Muslim to a
source of a higher power is unprecedented.
Devoted pilgrims to Masood's grave have told reporters about
being cured of epilepsy, mental illness and spinal injuries.
Without refuting or even questioning their heartfelt claims, we
respectfully put forth our belief that Commander Masood's true
miracle is the free Afghanistan we see today. With meager supplies
and munitions and greatly out-numbered forces, Masood turned back
the invasion of a World Superpower and the joint invasion of Al
Qaida and Taliban. His low-keyed but soaring inspirational
leadership against incomprehensible odds brought forth the rebirth
of our homeland. For Afghans young and old, it was -- and still is
-- nothing less than a miracle. ><
Top
The pen is mightier than the
sword… provided it's inked with Central Asian oil
(Issue #521)
Courtesy of the New
York Times
Cartoon by Ted Rall
Top
Large, historic Afghan body
expresses support for Interim Authority, political movements
(Issue #520)
Following is the preamble and resolution of the second round
of the Consultative Meeting, convened in London on 30-31 March
2002. A detailed report of this historic gathering of over two
hundred Afghan intelligentsia will be published in a near future
issue.
Pursuant to the decisions made by the London Consultative
Meeting at its first round in London back on 28-29 July 2001, an
august gathering of Afghan expatriate intelligentsia, comprising
academics, politicians, notable national figures, technocrats, and
known scholars, both men and women from across the world, was
convened as the second round of the Consultative Meeting in
London, U.K. on 30-31 March 2002.
Referring to its first meeting in London, the gathering
reiterated the importance of the national patriotic solidarity
declared by the participants, in response to the historic appeal
made to Afghan intelligentsia by late commander Ahmad Shah Masood,
the national hero of Afghanistan, for addressing the crucial
questions of freedom and independence of Afghanistan against
foreign aggression, and reaffirmed its resolve toward
implementation of the commitments made thereupon and advancement
of his legacy since the tragic assassination of commander Masood.
The gathering discussed at length the substantive concurrent
national issues of Afghanistan, and to effectively deal with the
agenda items before it, set up three ad-hoc committees to address
political, economic and reconstruction and cultural matters, and
adopted a nine-point consensus resolution:
Resolution
Adopted by the "London Consultative Meeting"
30-31 March 2002
London, UK
The London Consultative Meeting:
Recalling its first meeting in London on 28-29 July 2001,
Reaffirming its full support for the pursuit of the commitments
made in the previous resolution in London 28-29 July 2001,
- Expresses its full support for the "Bonn
Agreement", signed on 5 December 2001, considers it as a
unique opportunity for the people of Afghanistan in their
quest for peace and establishment of a permanent government
and for reconstruction of Afghanistan, and extends its
appreciation to the Afghan sides, having prioritized national
unity, rapprochement and conciliation in their approach toward
the historic agreement in Bonn, and also to the United Nations
and the entire international community for their contribution
in bringing the historic Bonn Agreement to a successful
conclusion;
- Considers the establishment on 22 December 2001 of the
Afghan interim authority as an important step toward durable
peace, stability and national unity in Afghanistan, endorses
the efforts made by the interim authority aimed at achieving
peace and reconstruction of the country, and declares its full
readiness to be part of the process;
- Stresses that reconstruction of Afghanistan constitutes the
core element of the ongoing process and urges all Afghans the
world over to support and actively and meaningfully
participate in the reconstruction of Afghanistan;
- Supports fully the establishment of a broad-based,
multi-ethnic, gender-sensitive and fully representative
government in Afghanistan, as called for by numerous United
Nations resolutions on Afghanistan;
- Expresses its conviction on the principles, inter alia, of
political pluralism, freedom of speech, freedom of the press,
and the right of the people to peaceably assemble, believes
that suitable conditions for the establishment of an active
political movement exist in and out of Afghanistan, and to
this end, expresses its readiness for participation in such a
movement;
- Declares its genuine solidarity with the people of
Afghanistan and its international allies with a view to the
country's supreme national interests, peace, freedom,
independence, sovereignty, and national unity, and in this
context, deploys efforts aimed at promoting unity, harmony and
concord among the Afghan people, and strengthening and
consolidation of pacific relations with all neighboring
countries and the rest of the international community;
- Dispatches a ten-member contact group to Afghanistan with
the task of establishing and maintaining active contacts with
interim authority and other Afghan socio-political
organizations;
- Assigns the executive body of the meeting, with the aim of
continuation and follow up of its decisions, to remain
actively seized of the matters on the agenda until the third
round of its meetings to be convened;
- Expresses gratitude to the Embassy of Afghanistan in London
for playing host to the meeting and the warm hospitality
afforded to it.
###
Top
Media, saboteurs deflect blame
away from real culprits
(Issue #520)
By Mariam Ataazai
If a bright future for Afghanistan is our main focus, then we
need to reconsider how we are going about achieving our goal.
Keeping in mind the last 23 years of war and foreign imposed
fighting, it should not be too difficult to realize that the
resulting ethnic divisions and conflicts must come to an end.
We have been down this road before. Our decade-long struggle
against the Soviet occupation was followed by a Pakistani-imposed
war, which utilized ethnic factors as a tool of division and
strife, leaving Kabul in ruins and causing the loss of thousands
of innocent Afghan lives. It also led to the emergence of the
Taliban and the entrenchment of Afghanistan by Osama bin Laden and
his Al-Qaida network.
Today, Afghanistan is free from the hands of the oppressive
Taliban and the terrorist Al-Qaida. But there are some Afghans and
foreign interests who are relentless in trying to drag us into
another war, again using ethnicity as the tool to achieve their
goal. And sadly some Afghans are falling into the trap.
Why is it that after so many years of war, Afghans have yet to
offer an inclusive, rather than an exclusive view of who should be
included in a national government? Perhaps it is the Afghans in
exile, who have yet to understand the problems in labeling the
interim government as "Tajik" dominated rather than
Afghan.
The foreign press has also jumped on the
"ethnic-labeling" bandwagon and is having a field day
with their reports. More often than not, their focus is on the
United Front or so-called Northern Alliance (a term created by
Pakistan's I.S.I. to cause further division among Afghans) and the
alleged threats that they pose to the return of former king
Mohammad Zahir Shah, to Chairman Karzai and to the peace process
as a whole.
On March 20th, the London Times published an editorial
discussing the alleged risks to Chairman Karzai in allowing power
to be concentrated in the hands of "4 men" all of whom
the writer labeled "Panjsheri Tajiks." The writer went
so far as to state that the presence of these four men in the
interior ministry -- including its intelligence unit -- was
"stirring up trouble from Uzbeks, Hazaras and Pashtoons, who
feel under-represented in the current six-month Government, and
are looking to its next incarnation in the summer for more
clout."
The newspapers seem to concentrate on how a particular group is
dominating the interim government. Every time a particular
minister is mentioned, a reference to his or her ethnicity is made
as well. Why this emphasis on ethnicity and ethnic loyalty?
Instead of dissecting their ethnicity, the focus should be on
their qualifications.
It was not so long ago that Zahir Shah's return to Afghanistan
was delayed, and according to hints from certain quarters,
"the Northern Alliance" posed a threat to the King's
life. Some went as far as accusing the Interior Ministry. But
according to Mr. Zalmai Rassoul, Zahir Shah's former secretary and
currently the minister of transportation and tourism, the Rome
group had been working closely with the interior minister, Mr.
Younous Qanooni, and was satisfied with his efforts to provide
security for the King's return. Mr. Rassoul stated, "If I had
thought the security was not satisfactory, I would have told him
not to come."
After learning of the recently foiled plot to assassinate
Chairman Karzai and derail the Loya Jirga process planned for this
June, we realize that a delay in the King's return was
providential. We also cannot ignore the fact that the coup
attempt, spear-headed by Gulbudin Hekmatyar's Hezb-e-Islami, was
foiled by the interim government's interior ministry and ISAF
admitted that they were unaware of the extent of the danger to Mr.
Karzai's administration.
The ISAF did assist Afghan intelligence in arresting some 300
plotters, and to uncover weaponry and explosives. Lt. Col. Peckham,
a spokesman for ISAF said that those arrested also included
Pakistani members of another militant group, the Jamaat-e-Islami,
which had been a main source for the Taliban's military and
ideological support in Pakistan.
Who is the real threat to the peace process in Afghanistan?
Tehreek-i-Afghaniat Islami (the Afghan Islamic Movement) is
another group who recently launched a tirade against Afghanistan's
interim government, branding it an "un-Islamic" body led
by hypocrites who deserve death, the Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) --
a mouthpiece for Pakistani-created Afghan saboteurs -- reported.
The group recently sent a statement against Mr. Karzai along
with his defense, foreign and interior ministers.
Tehreek-i-Afghaniat Islami claimed that the interim government
supported Christianity. Therefore, fatwas (religious edicts) have
been issued against the interim government. The group also said
that a jihad had become mandatory after foreign aggression and
said every active member of the interim regime deserves the death
penalty.
Lets not forget that the Al-Qaida, Osama bin Laden, Mullah Omar
and certain Taliban are still at large and can be seeking an
opportunity to strike or cause further chaos. The recent events
are a great example of that.
There is more at stake for the likes of Gulbudin Hekmatyar and
the extremists movements to make sure Afghanistan fails again. A
stable and functioning Afghan government and military does not
bode well for these people and groups. They used Afghanistan as a
haven to carry out crimes against humanity for too long and are
desperate in their attempts to fulfill their evil objectives.
We are not just Pashtoons, Tajiks, Hazaras or Uzbeks. We are
Afghans. Yes, we are diverse, but that is at the core of what
makes us unique. Not to mention our common love for Afghanistan.
As such, it is imperative that we not allow for the success of
these new attempts to divide our people. ><
Top
*From this week's English-language page
of the hard-copy edition of
Omaid Weekly. Visit the Subscription page for details on how to
subscribe to the hard-copy edition Omaid Weekly.
Please contact us at copyright@omaid.com
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