For
Immediate Release
September 27, 2001
By
Congressman Joe Pitts
When Mohammad Zahir Shah, the
king of Afghanistan, was assassinated in 1933, his 19-year-old son, Zahir Shah,
became the king of that landlocked and historically war-torn nation.
Ruling Afghanistan was a difficult job, but as the young king matured, so
did his policies. By 1964 he had introduced a new constitution providing for a
bicameral legislature, free political parties, and freedom of the press.
He introduced social reforms, improving the status of women.
He reached out beyond his nation’s borders to become part of the world
community. Through his leadership,
Afghanistan was ready to stand up and take its place in the world.
But in 1973, all of this came
crashing down. While he was abroad,
his left-wing cousin Mohammed Daoud staged a coup de etat which brought
renewed instability followed by calamity.
The Soviet Union, which
bordered Afghanistan to the north, had long sought to meddle in the nation’s
affairs. Prime Minister Daoud’s
inability to unite his country invited a Soviet-sponsored coup, which came in
1978. Like all communist regimes,
the new government set about unraveling centuries of tradition and replacing it
with atheist, communist doctrine. Before
long, Afghanistan was enflamed by the fury of a people dedicated to preserving
their centuries-old culture and restoring independence from Moscow.
In December of 1979, Soviet
troops began entering Afghanistan by the thousands to prop up the puppet regime.
One of the bloodiest and most destructive wars of the 20th
century had begun. The United
States, intent on containing communist aggression, supported the opposition
forces. Both sides spent billions
of dollars on arms and equipment. Two
million Afghans died. Six million
fled the country.
The Soviets finally withdrew,
conceding defeat, in 1989. There
was, however, no peace. A civil war
ensued as factions vied with each other to fill the vacuum left by the Soviets.
In 1996 the Taliban militia succeeded in taking the capitol, Kabul, and
exercising effective control over most of Afghanistan.
It is the Taliban who rule most of Afghanistan today.
The Taliban are extremists who
practice an ultra-orthodox version of Islam that has been rejected by Muslims
almost everywhere else in the world. Women
are prohibited from working outside the home other than in health care.
They must wear veils from head to toe and may not ride in a vehicle
unless escorted by a male relative. Men
are prohibited from shaving or even trimming their beards.
Television and popular music are banned.
Violators are beaten, dismembered, or brutally killed. Displaced children
have been ignored and allowed to freeze to death.
Religious minorities such as Shiite Muslims, Christians, Hindus, and Jews
are treated poorly and are prohibited from practicing their religions in any
meaningful way. In May, the Taliban
announced a policy of requiring Hindus to wear armbands, much the way Jews were
forced to in Nazi Germany. Reportedly,
only two Jews remain in Afghanistan. The
Taliban’s main source of domestic support comes from its ability to maintain
order after so many years of war.
From America’s perspective,
the Taliban’s worst crime is harboring and protecting Usama bin Laden, the
apparent mastermind behind the bombings of the USS Cole, American embassies in
Kenya and Tanzania, and the horrific attacks of September 11 of this year.
The prospect of American retribution has thrown Afghanistan once again
into chaos. Dependent for years on
foreign aid, millions of Afghans now face the prospect of starvation as relief
agencies withdraw. Renewed instability has prompted the Taliban to step up their
brutality.
Returning peace to Afghanistan
has been an elusive goal. There is,
however, an apparent answer. Almost
thirty years after his exile, King Zahir Shah—now in his 80s—continues to
live in a villa near Rome. He alone
has the ability to unite the factions that divide his country.
There is an age-old tradition
in Afghanistan, in which the king calls a loya jirga or “grand
assembly” of leaders from all over the country to address issues of great
concern. Remembered by millions of
Afghans as a ruler who cared for his people, Zahir Shah is able and ready to
call a loya jirga, help set up a transitional government, and bring peace
to his country.
Last year, America donated
over $170 million in food to the Afghan people.
Nevertheless, the crisis has worsened. Millions of Afghans are displaced, mutilated, and starving.
The Taliban are unfit to rule. Foreign
terrorists like Usama bin Laden must be dealt with.
But America must reestablish the friendship it had with the Afghan people
during their fight against communism, and should do what it can to assist Zahir
Shah—who has no desire to rule again—to assemble a loya jirga. Only then will the Afghan people have any prospect of peace.
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