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http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=25336
Journalist gives 1st-hand account of interview with Afghan agent
Editor's note: Aaron Klein, the former editor of the Commentator,
the undergraduate newspaper of Yeshiva University in New York,
made international headlines last May by traveling overseas to
spend time with and interview members of Osama bin Laden's
al-Qaida terrorist network. He wrote a personal account of the
interview experience, "My Weekend with the Enemy," which was
published in major-city newspapers in four countries. Klein also
conducted exclusive interviews with PLO leader Yasser Arafat,
former Israeli prime ministers Benjamin Netanyahu and Ehud Barak
and controversial Princeton ethicist Dr. Peter Singer.
Last January, Klein sat down with Abdul Hakeem Mujahid, the
representative designate of Afghanistan to the U.S. A few days
later, Mujahid and his assistant were sent back to Afghanistan
following a run-in with American officials at a U.N. conference in
Manhattan. The interview that follows is the last given by the
Taliban agent in America. By Aaron Klein "Welcome," said Mujahid, barefoot and clad in tan stockings and a
dark blazer. The rooms were elegantly decorated, richly carpeted.
A map of Afghanistan covered an entire wall. A radio linkup with
the capital, Kabul, sounded in the background.
With his assistant preparing breakfast, Mujahid explained that he
came to America to "make American people understand the
situation in Afghanistan," and to petition the United Nations for
official recognition. At that time, even though the Taliban controlled 95 percent of
Afghanistan, the international community instead recognized the
displaced government of Burhanuddin Rabbani, which was holed
up in the country's northernmost province.
I had not eaten anything that day and was quite hungry.
When I imagine breakfast, I usually think bagels and cream
cheese, fruit, cereal, coffee and orange juice. I could see from a
distance Mujahid's assistant bringing over several trays, and my
mouth began to water. Then I discovered what was in them: Nuts. Every kind imaginable
- hazelnuts, chestnuts, cashews, macadamia, walnuts, pistachios,
pecans. Mujahid's eyes widened as he shoved a handful of
pistachios in his mouth, and offered me some green tea. My
hunger subsided. Nuts aren't really my thing, I guess.
"Let's talk about some of the media claims," I said, trying to refocus
attention on the interview. "Why aren't women allowed to work?"
"We are not against female workers," he responded. "Just that at
this time, women are needed to support the homes. I must say it's
strange that you care. During the Russian invasion, the U.S.
supported us, but not a single woman was working at that time.
Why didn't America raise the question then?"
"Are women being educated?" "Also very strange," he said. "The Koran makes it an obligation to
be educated - for both men and women. How can you tell us we
are against female education?"
"So women are in schools?" "Not yet. We are still developing our country. Unfortunately, we do
not have the resources now to educate everyone, but this is
something we are working on. We are not against female
education. In fact, some other factions wouldn't support us
because they didn't want women to be in schools. Not us. We will
implement schooling for women and girls as soon as we can."
I was expecting him to also deny reports of people being stoned in
front of spectators. But he surprised me.
"Yes, it's the law of the country," he explained, "For example, if a
man or a woman commits adultery and there are four witnesses,
they will be stoned. Any punishment given to our people is carried
out in public; this way other people don't do the crime. In America,
you are executing people in hiding places, and the same crime is
repeating and repeating." I asked Mujahid what he recommended for America.
"Bush should fry them in stadiums," he said, and I nearly choked
on my green tea. He attributed the "false media claims" of human-rights abuses to
the West's reluctance to "accept a government it doesn't
completely control." He is convinced the media is being used as a
propaganda device to legitimize the international community's
failure to recognize the Taliban's authority.
And the whole bin Laden thing? "Oh. He's a problem for us. We reached the eastern parts of the
country in 1996, and we just found Osama living there. We
allowed him to stay in our country because of how he helped us
with the Soviets. He's under control, though. We told him he can't
use our land to go after any governments, or to wage attacks. And
he hasn't." "But he clearly has. Do you honestly believe bin Laden wasn't
involved in the attack on the World Trade Center in '93, or the
embassy bombings in East Africa? Attacks on troops in Somalia?
The USS Cole in Yemen?" "You know, Osama is the kind of person who is not hiding
anything. He has courage. If he attacked something, he would be
proud. About the Africa embassies, he declared he was not
involved. Also the World Trade Center, he said [he was] not
involved. Therefore, we cannot see that he was involved in any of
this. But what we can see is that according to the declaration of
human rights and the constitutions of the West, all men are
innocent until proven guilty. So far, no court has proved him guilty.
We ask and we ask for evidence, but you people haven't provided
us with anything concrete." Osama seemed to be an issue that brightened Mujahid.
"I have to say, you have a $5 million bounty on him. You try to
bomb him. He's on the F.B.I.'s Most Wanted List. You are the most
powerful government. And you still can't get to him?" he continued,
giggling. One of the other points of contention the West had with the Taliban
was its poppy production. Afghanistan supplies the world with
about 75 percent of its illicit opium. I asked Mujahid how his strict
government could allow its citizens to produce opium, which
clearly violates the Code of Shariah.
"We are absolutely against drug production, consumption and
trafficking. We had a problem of poppy cultivation, so last year
[Taliban ruler Mullah Muhammad] Omar declared that farmers must
reduce one-third of their poppy production. And it worked."
I challenged him on that: The United Nations attributes this recent
28 percent reduction to drought in the region, as well as to a U.N.
"Crop Substitution Program." But Mujahid insisted that U.N. assistance never arrived and that
Omar's declaration was responsible for the poppy decline. "Ask
your government why they don't appreciate this kind of action,
why they are still using the old propaganda."
For the most part, Mujahid had no problem speaking on the record.
The only time he really clammed up was when I asked about Israel.
I guess he figured that no matter what he said, he'd get in trouble.
He told me that his children, who lived with him in New York,
attended private Muslim schools. They tasted pizza last year for
the first time - and really liked it. They are not allowed to watch
television except for the news, but he admits they've seen a few
Disney movies, although "not in my house. They know their time is
best spent studying the Koran." I asked Mujahid whether there were other issues he would like to
address. "Just that I am not so concerned with the West. We are proud to be
recognized by the people of Afghanistan and supported by them,
to be partners among the happy people."
On that note, I left the Taliban's office.
Now, as I follow the latest developments in America's war on
terrorism and our daily advances in Afghanistan, I wonder where
Mujahid is, how he is doing. If by some chance he reads this -
Mujahid, please tell Osama I said, "Hi."
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