Date: Fri, 04 Sep 1998 18:49:12
Subject: Re: Why Throw Americans Out of Middle East... by Taliban



I can't allow the rantings of the Taliban to pass without comment. While I
intensely dislike the Israeli PM and his shocking, criminal policy towards
Palestinians, I don't think the cause of justice is in any way advanced by
the Taliban's hate-mongering.
The article smacks of paranoia ('a deep, well-planned conspiracy against
Islam and the Islamic world'), and is pervaded by an intolerant sense of
superiority (cf. reference to Saudi Arabia's 'superiority over the rest of
the countries of the world') which is quite naturally accompanied by
strident racism (cf. references to 'the cunning and dirty Jews, the bigoted
Christians' and 'the foul-smelling, dirty Kufar' - i.e. Americans).
I don't find the article's moral very inspiring: 'the Jews and the
Christians are your worst and eternal enemies, don't make friends of them.'
All of this is a recipe for disaster - for the continuation of hatred and
mindless violence. Is this what  the world really needs?
I find what the Taliban are doing (especially to women) deeply repulsive.
Nor does their complicity with terrorists endear them to me. What about all
the innocent victims who were killed and maimed in Nairobi and
Dar-es-Salaam? There can be no justification for the massacre of civilians,
which is condoned by Bin Laden (and presumably by his Taliban friends).
Faced with such acts of war, the US had no choice but to retaliate. Not
very pretty, to be sure, but what else can be done when you're dealing with
people who regard Westerners as 'eternal enemies' ? Grin and bear it?
The Taliban's own fanaticism will be their undoing in the end - and,
especially for the sake of Afghan women, I hope that end is not too far awayProf. Xavier Pons
Université de Toulouse-Le Mirail (France)
pons-AT-univ-tlse2.fr


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