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| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| AFGHAN VOTE: NO FUTURE WITHOUT ISLAM, SAYS QANOONI |
| 2005-09-21 |
| As vote counting continues after landmark parliamentary elections, Afghani power broker, Younus Qanooni, has warned that the country's future cannot be modelled on a Western liberal democracy. "Afghans will never agree on any secular or liberal system. Islam is the modern system and Afghanistanâs future is tied with Islam,â he said, in an exclusive interview with Adnkronos International (AKI) on Tuesday. Qanooni, who was a key figure in the Northern Alliance which helped the US overthrow the Taliban in 2001, heads the 12-party National Understanding Front. âThe Taliban distorted the image and teachings of Islam, otherwise Islam is a very tolerant and progressive religion which co-exists with the international community very well,â he asserted. Qanooni maintained that the Mujahadeen cannot be ignored in the democratic process, arguing that they are the real leaders of Afghanistan who sacrificed their lives during the resistance against the former Soviet Union and liberated Afghanistan. Younus Qanooni, was a lieutenant to the slain Mujahadeen leader, Ahmed Shah Massoud, assassinated on 9 September 2001, and considered by some his heir. He ran a poor second to Hamid Karzai in last year's presidential race, and was dropped from the cabinet in a subsequent reshuffle. He told AKI that the Taliban are still getting support from Afghanistan, which is "neither in the long term interests of Pakistan nor of Afghanistan" and argued that president Karzaiâs policy for dialogue with the Taliban is responsible for the violence - he says this has allowed them to establish safe havens in the south and south eastern Afghanistan." Qanooni also took a swipe at the incumbent Afghan government for the spread of the narcotics trade - Afghanistan remains the world's biggest opium producer. âWhen I was interior minister in Afghanistan I devised a comprehensive plan to stop the narcotics trade. It is the international cartel which should be blocked with the cooperation of Interpol-like agencies,â he argued. |
| Posted by:ed |
| #1 This warlord sounds like he doesn't quite grasp the concept of democracy yet. He is still in the "might makes right" frame of mind, and will either have to shape up or ship out. His personal distortion of Islam is that it makes him Emir. He only objects to versions of Islam that say otherwise. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2005-09-21 11:54 |