Afghan clerics seek return to strict Islamic law

[شمله ور خراساني]

Afghan clerics seek return to strict Islamic law

Thu Aug 12, 2010 9:31am EDT
By Sayed Salahuddin
KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan's largest gathering of clerics, who met to discuss reconciliation with the Taliban, has called for the revival of strict Islamic law as the country seeks ways to win militants away from a growing insurgency.
About 350 of the Islamic clerics, or ulema, met for three days this week, the meeting ending with a declaration calling on President Hamid Karzai to enact sharia, or Islamic law, including punishments such as stonings, lashing, amputation and execution.
"The lack of implementation of sharia hodud (punishment) has cast a negative impact on the peace process," said a 10-point resolution issued after the meeting.
"We the ulema and preachers of Afghanistan ... earnestly ask the government not to spare any efforts in the implementation of sharia hodud."
The resolution, seen by Reuters, was sent to Karzai's government.
The ulema have a long-standing and deep influence in traditionally conservative Afghanistan and have often stepped in to back uprisings or been used to bolster past governments.
The head of a government council of religious leaders, separate to the gathering this week, has been asked to find ways to make peace with the Taliban after almost 10 years of war since the militants were ousted by U.S.-backed Afghan forces.
The head of that government council, Mawlavi Qiyamuddin Kashaf, attended the meeting of clerics and scholars this week, which included representatives from both the majority Sunni Muslim sect and minority Shi'ites.
"This (gathering) was very new for the peace efforts and the biggest yet. They will go and preach for peace in their respective regions," Kashaf told Reuters on Thursday.
However, there has so far been no reaction from Karzai's government to the council's resolution.
After years of conflict in Afghanistan, Karzai has sought to soften perceptions of his deeply religious country through programs such as moderate Islamic schools.
But at the same time he has been pushing reconciliation with the Taliban as violence continues to rise, raising concerns among some of his backers in the West.
Karzai called a major tribal "peace gathering" in June to win support for his plan to offer an amnesty, cash and job incentives to Taliban foot soldiers while arranging asylum for top figures in a second country and getting their names struck off a U.N. and U.S. blacklist.
NOTORIOUS
The Taliban were notorious for their harsh punishment of offenders during their rule from 1996 to 2001 and staged public stonings, floggings, amputations and executions.
In a reminder of their harsh rule, a woman received dozens of lashes before she was publicly executed by a Taliban commander in a remote district of northwest Badghis province this week, officials have said.
The clerics' resolution also urged foreign forces, who number more than 140,000, to stop unnecessary air strikes and searching of Afghans' homes.
While military deaths have reached record proportions this year, Afghan civilians bear the brunt of the conflict and civilian casualties have long been an irritant been Karzai's government and its backers in the West.
Such concerns have led to a tightening of tactical directives twice in the past year, under the former head of NATO and U.S. forces, General Stanley McChrystal, and his successor General David Petraeus in June.
The council also pushed for a crackdown against corruption -- one of the major Western complaints against Karzai's government -- and social immorality and "cultural invasion."
The latter two are indirect references to the airing of immodest Indian and Western songs and films by the growing number of private cable and satellite television networks in Afghanistan. Such entertainment was banned under the Taliban.






Afghan clerics seek return to strict Islamic law | Top News | Reuters

[Dehqan]

Why there was no demand from ulma that the us and nato should end the occupation of afghanistan and the imperial power should not use afghanistan as cockpit to expand their empire.
The ulma should also pass resolution that all groups in afghanistan should cut all ties with isi and pass the resolution that afghanistan belong to afghans.
Us/uk/isi/nato all out of afghanistan.

[شمله ور خراساني]

Why there was no demand from ulma that the us and nato should end the occupation of afghanistan and the imperial power should not use afghanistan as cockpit to expand their empire.
The ulma should also pass resolution that all groups in afghanistan should cut all ties with isi and pass the resolution that afghanistan belong to afghans.
Us/uk/isi/nato all out of afghanistan.

they don't have that much power to make such bold demands. If you shout out too many anti-establishment stuff you will end up in Bagram where dogs will rape you and you will be tortured for months, sometimes for years.

Plenty of people went through that process already.

It is easy to make demands from "ulema". But go to Kabul and shout out some of the stuff we post here on daily bases. And see what happens.

[Catya Sher]

What would happen if ordinary people start speaking freely ?
Would they be arrested then?

I can imagine a group like this unable to speak out what they really think.

Is it that oppressive for any old individual to express opposition? That doesn't sound like
an atmosphere of "democracy" to me....!
Times have changed little apparently from Soviet days.

[شمله ور خراساني]

There were many anti-American demonstrations in the past 2 years. The government started shooting with live rounds at them. Many people died during those anti-American protestors. Reporters were blocked from going there and reporting or taking images.

Afghan journalists have complained and protested several times in the past several years.

These crusaders and their puppets talk about dumbocracy and freedumb of speech. But they won't allow you to say anything against them. If they sense that you could change public opinion by making statements or lashing out against the establishment, you will end up in a cell where they will do some stuff to you that the makers of that horror movie Saw wouldn't even dare to think of.

[Catya Sher]

Did you see the movie? I hadn't heard of it but even the title sends shivers down the spine, especially when applied to this context.

Probably the film is a typical product of - that's all too apt of a description, as well as amusing - dumbocracy.
To me, that system of government is a way to turn the masses into vehicles to suit the devil's agenda, through all means possible. The results are all this violence and cruelty, especially taken out on defenseless foreigners like Afghans in these nightmarish prisons.
But even too on women in the American military too according to that article posted.

I'm afraid the American policymakers and those who carry out their policies have become VAMPIRES! Trying to extract the maximum light from their victims by means of blood. This is the spiritual dynamic of what's going on as I can guess.
That's a major reason why I want all these vampirish forces to leave pronto.

Best defense against vampires, Romanians - who are experts - will tell you is:
garlic ['tom' in Pashto? Or is that another language]
Anyway it couldn't hurt for those in Afghanistan to carry some with them at all times.
It's the only thing that deters vampires...

The firing at the demonstrators - which the media probably never reveals - explains the small number of demonstrations. Which groups demonstrated?
That's so sad that so many people were killed. Maybe that was in Kabul.

Perhaps it is easier in the outlying areas. I was amazed that the ones last week showed their faces to the camera. Brave - especially so knowing this serious risk they were taking.