CNN INTERNATIONAL
Q&A TALK SHOW

Aired November 9, 2001 - 15:30:00   ET

Should War in Afghanistan Continue During Ramadan? 

On November 9, 2001, Dr. Louay Safi was interviewed, along with Dr. Farookh Hassan, by Q&A Anchor Tumi Makgabo. Below is Ms. Makgabo's questions to Dr. Safi, and his responses.

TUMI MAKGABO, CNN ANCHOR: Reports that the opposition Northern Alliance in Afghanistan is making gains against the ruling Taliban. On this edition of Q&A: The military campaign, the latest developments, and should it be brought to a halt during Ramadan?

. . .

MAKGABO: Hello, I am Tumi Makgabo. Jim Clancy is off for the day. Welcome to Q&A.

First, let's get the latest developments in the military campaign in Afghanistan. According to a Pakistan-based paper "The Afghan-Islamic Press", Taliban sources say their troops have withdrawn from Mazar-e- Sharif. However, they are said to be regrouping just outside it. And the opposition Northern Alliance says it now has control of the city.

There is no independent confirmation of any of these developments. Meanwhile, air strikes continue just north of the Afghan capital, Kabul, and in the southern stronghold of Kandahar.

Well, Pakistan's president, Indonesia's president, as well as clerics in Russia have all asked that the military campaign in Afghanistan be halted during the holy month of Ramadan. The Pakistani president says if the bombing continues, the effects will be felt by the entire Muslim world.

Well, to talk with us about that, we're joined at the moment by Louay Safi, who is the Director of Research at the International Institute of Islamic Thought. Thank you very much for being with us.

LOUAY SAFI, INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ISLAMIC THOUGHT: Thank you.

MAKGABO: If I could begin with a question regarding the change or what appears to be a change in strategy or a change in diplomacy for many of these Muslim or Islamic states.

Why are we seeing that and why now?

SAFI: Well, definitely, the coming of Ramadan is an important factor. And the sentiments within the Muslim populations are another factor that many of the leaders of Muslim countries are looking into and considering in their decisions.

MAKGABO: When they are looking into this and considering and trying to make decisions about what they're going to do, how far are they willing to go in applying pressure or putting pressure on the U.S. to, perhaps, if not tone down, completely stop their air strikes?

SAFI: Well, if you listen to President Musharraf, he has been talking about the need to have a short campaign. Since the campaign started, he wished to have it a short one.

And now with the increased tension within Pakistan and the possibility that Ramadan would inflame further the public passion, I think he is now coming stronger throughout his tour in Europe and now in the States. He is going to counsel, as he has been counseling, that the coalition should stop bombing during Ramadan.

MAKGABO: But why should the coalition, in fact, stop bombing during Ramadan? We've seen in history -- throughout history -- that Muslims have, in fact, fought during Ramadan, including the prophet Mohammad himself. Why should this situation be any different?

SAFI: Well, that's correct. Definitely, Muslims have fought in Ramadan, and there's nothing in the Muslim scripture that would prevent a war to be fought. In other words, the Koran, and the prophet himself, doesn't prohibit any engagement in war.

But we have to realize that now this war is also being fought -- and what is important is the perception of the Muslim populations. And I think we have to remember that to win this war against terror and terrorism, the support, the understanding, of the Muslim peoples is very crucial here.

After all, those who fought and committed the act of terrorism do not come from, you know, organizations that are established in Muslim countries. And that's why I think we have -- the United States has-- to win the war in terms of rallying support -- popular support-- behind it and reducing the pressure on many of the Muslim leaders who are party to, or part of, the coalition.

MAKGABO: Well, looking at practical sense, many are asking that the United States stop its campaign during Ramadan. Does that mean that, in fact, any extremists who -- I'm sorry -- Islamic or for that matter, any terrorists are going to stop their activities because it's Ramadan?
. . .

MAKGABO: Louay Safi, if I could perhaps put the same question to you.

Is this, in fact -- when we are asking the United States and the coalition to change their strategy during the month of Ramadan, are we, in fact, looking at a situation where anybody else is going to be changing their strategy in observance of Ramadan?

SAFI: Well, let me put it this way. Definitely, I think, there is a problem also in terms of how this strategy is presented. And clearly, the objectives have not been made very clear because people in the Middle East hear about a broad [terrorism] network that spans about 60 countries, and that the United States is going to fight a very long war. And then, it's not clear who is next and why civilians are falling in Afghanistan when the targets should be the terrorists and their camps.

So I think here there is also a need to be more clear and to really target  military facilities as opposed to towns and cities where innocent civilians will be -- will die as a result.

On the top of that, we know that Afghanistanis have been suffering -- even prior to the war -- of famine. And today, you have over two million refugees on the run in Afghanistan. They need food. And the images that many people in the Middle East are seeing are not very helpful for a war on terrorism.

MAKGABO: All right.
. . .

MAKGABO: Well, Louay Safi, if we could perhaps look at that issue a little bit more closely, that of once again stopping the bombing and, perhaps, looking at a situation where the Taliban is given an opportunity to regroup.

Dr. [Farookh] Hassan mentioned how the Pakistani president has said that, you know, war shouldn't be stopped, in fact, halfway through. Wouldn't that, in fact, be what was happening, that you are stopping halfway through?

And although the U.S. and the Pentagon have said that they have the Taliban on uneven footing at the moment, you know -- taking advantage of that and perhaps, continuing to put pressure on them?

SAFI: Definitely, the situation presents the American leadership with a dilemma: how to deal with this situatio?. There will be no easy answers. But definitely, one has to weigh the need to have public support to fight terrorism against the possibility that the credibility of the American campaign will be lost within the Muslim population.

And after all, remember that those radical groups can only operate if they have some sympathy within the population. And it's very important that the United States [should] be seen targeting terrorists and not, you know, civilian population, and to have very clear objectives: that it is fighting those who are using violence against civilians, and not combating civilians, and not fighting Muslims nations or giving the impression that when the war is over in Afghanistan, then the U.S. armies and the forcesl would move to another Middle Eastern country.

MAKGABO: Gentlemen, to both of you. We have to leave it there. Thank you very much for joining us.

SAFI: My pleasure.
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